Local governments in Canada are responsible for many of the services that most affect the everyday well-being and safety of citizens. To do this, they have to manage budgetary constraints, an increased need to reinvest in resources, infrastructure, and services, and their liability risk. The Local Government Team at Alexander Holburn works with local governments and their insurers to represent their interests where they face claims and litigation.

Our Local Government Team brings together lawyers with diverse expertise—but all of our lawyers share the same dedication to providing knowledgeable, practical, and responsive support to clients. We help local governments to properly and effectively manage claims from inception, through litigation proceedings to completion. Our lawyers have proven themselves to be skilled litigation counsel, with trial experience at every level of court in the province.  Several of our lawyers have more than 20 years of experience representing local governments in litigation including Dianna Hwang, Jeremy Poole, David McKnight, Bruno de Vita, QC, and Jim Dowler, QC. We have represented local governments in litigation arising from all aspects of their operations including:

  • Building regulation and construction
  • Water management/flooding
  • Road design and maintenance
  • Landslide and land movement
  • Fire services
  • Police services
  • Recreational facilities
  • Occupiers liability claims
  • Defamation
  • Privacy
  • Human rights complaints
  • Civil resolution tribunal

Alexander Holburn is proud to represent members of the Municipal Insurance Association of BC (MIABC), the reciprocal insurance exchange that insures 90% of the municipalities in British Columbia.  We also represent numerous individual municipalities that are not members of MIABC. Our multi-service capabilities allow us to represent local governments in complex cases.

We partner with MIABC to present on issues of importance at their annual Risk Management Conference. Our lawyers also send out bulletins on developments of interest to local governments.