Lawyers

Kathleen Higgins, Associate Counsel at Young, Anderson, is one of British Columbia's leading municipal and planning lawyers. She began her local government law career as in-house legal counsel at a large lower mainland municipality, before moving to private practice. Kathleen advises local governments on all aspects of municipal law including development, engineering, subdivision, environmental, planning, expropriation law, conflicts of interest and council governance issues. She also regularly advises local governments on their authority and jurisdiction to pass bylaws in a variety of areas covered by both provincial and federal legislation. Kathleen's practice has included extensive real estate transactions, including the creation of a number of regional parks in the Lower Mainland and the development of an alpine ski resort. She has also conducted bylaw prosecutions, injunctions and defences to bylaw challenges in British Columbia's Provincial, Supreme and Appeal Courts.

Kathleen is actively involved in her community, currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Fraser River Discovery Centre.

Kathleen also publishes and presents extensively on municipal law topics. Her recent publications and presentations include:

Presentations

• "Local Governments and Sea Level Rise", November 23, 2017, CLEBC
• "Local Government & Expropriation", April 28, 2017, PBLI
• "Uncivil Civic Engagement", September 2017, UBCM
• "Local Governments and First Nations", February 26, 2016, Capilano University
• "How the Bylaw Enforcement Process Drives Bylaw Content", April 24, 2015, LGMA
• "Local Government Law 101", April 10, 2015, LGMA
• "Open Meeting", October 17, 2014, CLEBC

Publications

• "Get Ready for the Surging Sea", Municipal World (November 2017), pp 3-5
• "Local Governments at the Gas Pump", Municipal World (January 2017), pp 7-9