Partner

Valérie Belle-Isle is a partner in the Administrative Law group.

Her practice revolves around environmental law and land use planning and development, and she represents both public and private clients as an advisor and expert on issues relating to these areas of practice.

Education

• LL.B. (International profile), Université Laval, 2004

Significant Accomplishments

Ms. Belle-Isle advises the businesses she represents on their environmental obligations in launching new operations, developing existing ones or carrying out transactions, and she acts on their behalf before administrative tribunals and the ordinary courts of law. Her experience includes handling cases involving, in particular, land contamination, work carried out in wetlands and bodies of water, and work carried out without the required environmental authorizations. In addition to her experience in environmental law, she also has extensive knowledge of issues relating to land use planning and development, as well as the protection of agricultural land.

Thanks to her expertise in land use planning and development, she is able to advise the firm's clients on issues that go beyond those strictly related to environmental protection. She also advises public bodies and private companies on land use planning, particularly as regards the application of regulations and the issuance of permits and certificates. In addition, she acts before the courts in cases that involve applying and challenging the validity of planning by-laws before the Superior Court.

Ms. Belle-Isle regularly represents public bodies and businesses in expropriation matters. Her role consists in providing advice on the applicable process and the determination of the expropriation indemnity with the help of assessors. She is called on to act both in the early stages of projects and in disputes involving the right to proceed with expropriation or the amount of the expropriation indemnity.

She is also mandated by municipalities to act as an advisor to support the Director General and the planning department in ensuring that decisions made and actions taken on a daily basis are legally compliant. In addition, she provides the necessary support for short- and long-term project planning, helping municipalities to avoid the legal obstacles that may arise in the course of such projects.

Ms. Belle-Isle represents public bodies and businesses in matters relating to the application of taxation regulations, and in disputes challenging the legality of such regulations. She also acts in cases that involve contesting entries on the property assessment roll.

Ms. Belle-Isle regularly contributes to publications in her areas of interest. She also acts as a speaker and instructor for municipal organizations. Here is a sample of the publications and lectures she has been involved with:

Publications

• "Environmental obligations: Directors and officers, you may have more responsibilities than you think", Lavery Bulletin, April 2, 2024
• "Le registre des terrains contaminés tenu par une municipalité : la mécanique mise en place en 2002 a-t-elle bien vieilli?", in collaboration with Daniel Bouchard et Chantal Tremblay, Développements récents en droit de l'environnement, December 8, 2023
• "Le nouveau Règlement sur l'encadrement d'activités en fonction de leur impact sur l'environnement : proposition de lecture", in collaboration with Robert Daigneault, Thibaud Daoust, Daniel Bouchard et Chloé Fauchon, Développements récents en droit de l'environnement, Éditions Yvon Blais, volume 487, December 2020
• "La lutte au cannabis pourrait-elle coûter cher aux municipalités?", Quorum magazine, December 2018
• "New environmental authorization scheme: how does this affect mining companies?", Lavery Bulletin, August 15, 2018
• "Principaux impacts des nouvelles mesures de protection de l'environnement dans le domaine municipal", in collaboration with Charlotte Fortin, Développements récents en droit municipal, Éditions Yvon Blais, volume 442, April 2018
• "Recours au Tribunal Administratif du Québec relatif à une inscription au rôle", in Droit municipal : Recours et modes de règlement des différends, LegisPratique, LexisNexis, chapter 7, pp.119 to 148, 2016
• "Conseil municipal", in collaboration with Daniel Bouchard, in JuriClasseur Québec - Collection droit public - Droit municipal, LexisNexis, Fascicle 6, p. 6/1 to 6/47, 2016
• "Fonction publique", in JuriClasseur Québec - Collection droit public - Droit municipal, LexisNexis, Fascicle 7, p. 7/1 to 7/36, 2016
• "L'adaptation aux changements climatiques, une préoccupation plus qu'environnementale", in collaboration with Daniel Bouchard, Katia Opalka et Chloé Fauchon, Développements récents en droit de l'environnement, Service de la formation continue du Barreau du Québec, Éditions Yvon Blais, volume 385, pp. 105 to 173, Cowansville, 2014
• "Effets et ramifications de la Loi sur le patrimoine culturel", in collaboration with Daniel Bouchard, cours de perfectionnement du notariat, Chambre des notaires du Québec, Éditions Yvon Blais, pp. 97 to 142, 2013
• "Les autorisations visant les milieux humides : la dissolution du droit", in collaboration with Daniel Bouchard, Développements récents en droit de l'environnement, Service de la formation continue du Barreau du Québec, Éditions Yvon Blais, volume 352, pp. 273 to 323, Cowansville, 2012

Lectures

• "Le régime d'autorisation environnementale et ses impacts pour les minières", Colloque sur la fiscalité minière de l'association de planification fiscale et financière, May 1st, 2024
• "Témoins experts en droit administratif : présenter une expertise devant un expert", Open Forum on administrative law at the Hyatt Regency, Montréal, April 10, 2018
• "Dunsmuir 10 ans plus tard", Open Forum on administrative law at the Hyatt Regency, Montréal, April 18, 2018
• "Le top 5 des décisions de la Cour suprême du Canada au cours de la dernière année", Open Forum on administrative law at the Hyatt Regency, Montréal, April 17, 2017

Professional Associations
Canadian Bar Association
Jeune Barreau de Québec
Secretary of the board of directors of La Maison Jaune Art Centre


Professional Activities and Experience
Accolades

• Lexpert logo 2026

• The Court of Appeal Rules on the Validity of an Alcohol and Drug Detection Policy in Light of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
• Protecting your trade-marks from Facebook usernames
• Supreme Court of Canada rules on random alcohol testing
• No municipal tax reductions for mining companies
• New environmental authorization scheme: how does this affect mining companies?
• Environmental obligations: directors and officers, you may have more responsibilities than you think
• Real impact of Bill 5 on the acceleration of mining projects in Quebec