Peter Kenward is a Partner of the firm and Chair of the Municipal and Environmental Law Groups. He is also a member of the Commercial Real Estate Group.

Peter acts on a broad range of land use and other regulatory issues, primarily for property owners, as well as for government, municipal officials or citizen groups. He appears in the current Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, a guide to the leading law firms and practitioners in Canada, as a leading lawyer in the area of property development.

Peter has chaired a number of comprehensive seminars on local governance and environmental law topics for various organizations, including the Urban Development Institute, the Union of BC Municipalities and Continuing Legal Education.

Peter completed his Bachelor of Commerce in 1979 and his LL.B. in 1981, both from the University of British Columbia. He was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1982, and practiced with McCarthy Tetrault for several years prior to joining Clark Wilson.

Representing a large coalition of BC businesses in making representations regarding the terms of the Community Charter, and multi-phase development and other special topic legislation.

Representing property owners in discussions with the Province relating to regional growth management, grandparenting, boundary extensions, bylaw approvals, and validating legislation.

Advising property owners regarding their options for land use and development, and strategies for accommodating community concerns.

Advancing and negotiating expropriation claims, including as regards the expropriation of parking from shopping centres, a driving range from a golf course, and a distribution centre for a lumber supply business.

Representing property owners in applications to remove lands from the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Representing property owners at all levels of the Court system, through to and including the Supreme Court of Canada, on applications to set aside bylaws which negatively impact land use and development potential.

Representing property owners in defending challenges to official community plan and zoning bylaw approvals, including as regards a high technology business park and big box retail developments.

Negotiating with the Waste Management Branch regarding development approvals on contaminated sites.

Appearing as counsel before the Environmental Appeal Board in defending a permit appeal regarding the human health and environmental implications of a discharge into a creek, together with the defence of associated applications including an application for a stay of the permit.

Acting on behalf of industrial clients, and other property owners, in connection with the allocation of responsibility for remediation of contaminated sites.

Litigating on behalf of a local government on an appeal to Cabinet in connection with a regional bylaw imposing substantial financial obligations on the local government.

Representing a First Nation regarding the environmental assessment of a proposed liquid natural gas plant on reserve lands.

Obtaining and enforcing an injunction to remove protestors from lands undergoing development.

Litigating on behalf of a citizen's group to set aside the designation of their properties for a provincial highway.

Representing local government officials in respect of alleged conflicts of interest.

Litigating on behalf of property owners to overcome subdivision refusals, or unlawful preconditions to approval.

Litigating on behalf of local governments to defend challenges to zoning, business licence and other bylaws.

Acting for a major developer renegotiating a land use contract in respect of a substantial residential project.

Acting for an environmental consultant regarding contract issues, environmental advice and claims defence.

Conducting environmental compliance reviews for major industrial clients.

Acting for local government on public-private partnership transactions, and major golf course and resort proposals.

Board of Directors, Urban Development Institute (Pacific Region)

Past Chairman, National Municipal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association

Past Chairman, Municipal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch

Past Chair, Board of Directors, Vancouver Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre