Jodi has extensive experience advising clients on all aspects of energy and infrastructure projects and resolving complex construction and commercial disputes.
Commercial & Construction Litigation
- Counsel for an owner in a dispute with contractors in relation to the construction of a carbon capture facility, including significant delay and deficiency claims.
- UMA/B&V Ltd. et al. v. SaskPower International et al., 2007 SKQB 40, 2007 SKCA 40, 2007 CanLII 40508 (S.C.C.). Successfully representing the owner in a trial lasting 18 months on a question of the limits of a professional service firm’s contractual liability in the construction of a power co-generation plant at a mine.
- SaskEnergy Incorporated v ADAG Corporation Canada Ltd., 2019 SKQB 263 – successfully represented SaskEnergy (lessee/purchaser) in a lawsuit over the validity of an option to purchase its head office building arising out of a commercial lease.
- Successfully represented the defendants in a complex estate and trust action complicated by commercial matters including oppression claims in Alberta, resulting in all claims being dismissed after a six-week trial, with the trial judgment being upheld on appeal, and leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Appellate Work
- Counsel to the Government of Saskatchewan on the carbon tax appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
- Saskatchewan v. Racette, 2020 SKCA 2, as new counsel on appeal for the Government of Saskatchewan, successfully obtained a new trial on liability and damages after a civil jury awarded $5 million in damages against the Government.
- Zurich Life Insurance Company Limited v. Branco, 2015 SKCA 71, overturning, as new counsel brought in for the appeal, a trial judgment that had previously been the largest punitive damages award against an insurer in Canadian history.
Jodi works with owners on all aspects of the lifecycle of energy and infrastructure projects, from project development through to construction and dispute resolution. Her representative work includes major public infrastructure and energy projects in Saskatchewan, including ones implementing novel technology at a commercial scale.
Jodi has a proven track record advising clients on how to strategically manage risk and avoid claims on large-scale infrastructure projects. She helps clients assess contract options and identify strategies that align interests of multiple stakeholders on large projects. Jodi is also working as the legal project lead on a major energy project, coordinating the work of various lawyers in different practice areas, including commercial planning, regulatory, and Indigenous consultation.
When claims do arise, Jodi has extensive experience managing large, complex construction disputes involving claims for breach of contract, delay, deficiencies, and warranty work. Jodi has developed and led legal teams and coordinated the work of claims consultants and independent experts. She is well versed in analyzing and interpreting highly technical areas of engineering and construction, including chemical and mechanical engineering issues, cross-examining experts in the field, and synthesizing those areas for courts and arbitral tribunals.
Jodi’s practice extends into commercial litigation, including property claims, succession plans and trusts. She has extensive trial and appellate experience and has appeared before the Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, and the Alberta Court of Appeal. Jodi clerked with the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench.
- Chair, Selections Committee for the YWCA Regina Women of Distinction Awards
- Member, Grey Cup 2013 Planning Committee
- Former Law Division Chair, United Way Campaign Cabinet
- “Managing E-Discovery and Legal Privilege In the Digital Age”, 2018 CBA Saskatchewan Branch Mid-Winter Meeting (February 2018)
- “Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders,” Sixth Edition Women in Leadership Conference (CWI) (April 2015)
- “Pitfalls to Avoid with Releases,” The Saskatchewan Advocate 13:2, 11 (June 2011)
- “GMO Contamination: Are GMOs Pollutants under the Environmental Management and Protection Act?”, 66 Sask. L. Rev. 183 (2003)
- Appointed Queen’s Counsel (2020)
- One of Canada’s Leading Lawyers Under 40 (Lexpert, 2013)
- Law Society of Saskatchewan Gold Medal (2003)
- William Elliott Entrance Scholarship – College of Law, University of Saskatchewan (2000)