David V. Wright
Positions
Associate Professor
Faculty of Law
Contact information
Phone number
Office: 403.220.3154
Location
Office: MFH4337
Background
Educational Background
LLM Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, Stanford University, 2015
JD (Specialization in Environmental Law) Dalhousie Law School, 2007
MA International Development, Dalhousie University, 2007
Biography
David’s teaching and research are focused chiefly on natural resources law, environmental law, tort law, energy law, Indigenous law, Aboriginal law, negotiations, rule of law, and sustainable development. Prior to joining the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law, David held positions with Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, the United Nations Development Programme, the law firm of Stewart McKelvey, and the Marine and Environmental Law Institute at Dalhousie University. During his graduate studies at Stanford Law School, David was a fellow with the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
David has been called to the Bars of Nova Scotia (2008), Nunavut (2009), and Northwest Territories (2016).
Research Activities
David researches primarily in the areas of natural resources law, environmental law, energy law, Indigenous law, Aboriginal law, and international dimensions of sustainable development law and policy. His research spans domestic and international contexts, driven by empirical and physical evidence of a chronic “implementation gap” between normative aims embodied in the law and actual improvement in social, economic and environmental conditions. David’s current and recent research includes the following areas and concepts: net-zero/decarbonization infrastructure, public and Indigenous participation/consent/ownership in regulatory reviews, impact assessment, social cost of carbon, cost-benefit analysis, regulation of clean energy projects, institutions for sustainable development, “Environmental Rule of Law”, and implementation of modern treaties and Indigenous self-determination in Canada.
Research
Areas of Research
Courses
| Course number | Course title | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| LAW 406 | Torts | |
| LAW 508 | Negotiation | 2021 |
| LAW 706 | Major Research Paper | |
| Law 531 | Environmental Law | |
| Law 623 | Environmental Impact Assessment Law | |
| Law 693 | Modern Treaties and the Law (Yukon field course) |
Awards
- Howard Tidswell Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence, Faculty of Law, University of Calgary. 2024
- SSHRC Insight Grant - "Building a Janus Perspective of Cost-Benefit Analysis in Impact Assessment"', Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. 2023
- Sustainability Teaching Award (winner), University of Calgary. 2021
- SSHRC Research Grant (Partnership Sub-Grant) - Dispute Resolution in Modern Treaties, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. 2021
- Teaching Excellence Award (Honourable Mention), University of Calgary Students' Union. 2020
- SSHRC Insight Development Grant (Emerging Scholar) - 'Social Cost of Carbon in Impact Assessment', Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. 2019
- Fellow, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment (Rising Environmental Leaders Program), Stanford University. 2016
- John Hart Ely Prize - International Environmental Law, Stanford Law School. 2016
- Class Prize - Environmental Law and Policy Colloquium, Stanford Law School. 2016
Publications
- “Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act: A bridge over the implementation gap?”. 74 UNB L. J. (2023). 59 - 80. (2023)
- "Exploring the Application of the Social Cost of Carbon in Loss & Damage and Impact Assessment". with Adebayo Majekolagbe, Sara L. Seck (in memory of Meinhard Doelle). Climate Law, 13(2). 83-117. (2023)
- The New Federal Impact Assessment Act: Implications for Canadian Energy Projects. 15 Alta L Rev 1. (2021)
- Public Interest Versus Indigenous Confidence: Indigenous Engagement, Consultation and ‘Consideration’ in the Impact Assessment Act. 33 Journal Env L Prac 3. (2020)
- “Environmental Rule of Law: In need of coherence in contested terrain”. David Wright. 15:1 McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law. (2020)
- Dispute Resolution in Modern Treaties: Evolutions, Observations and Next Steps. 11 Arctic Rev on L. & Poli . (2020)
- Cross-Canada Infrastructure Corridor, the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ‘Meaningful Consultation’. 13 School of Pub. Pol’y Pubs 24 . (2020)
- Climate Change Considerations in the Federal Impact Assessment Act: Step Forward or Business As Usual?. 8 Energy Reg. Q. 4 . (2020)
- “Social Cost of Carbon in Impact Assessment”. David Wright and Meinhard Doelle. 52:3 UBC L. Rev.. (2019)
- “Tsleil-Waututh Nation v. Canada (Attorney General): Clarifying the (F)Laws in Canada's Pipeline Approval". David Wright and Martin Olszynski. Canadian Environmental Law Reports (2019) 22 C.E.L.R. 4th. (2019)
- “Federal Linear Energy Infrastructure Projects and Indigenous Rights”. David Wright. 23:1 Rev. of Const’l Studies. (2018)
- "Enforcement and Withdrawal Under the California-Quebec (and not Ontario) Cap-and-Trade Linkage Agreement". David Wright. Canadian Institute of Resources Law. (2018)
- “Carbonated Fodder: The Social Cost of Carbon in Canadian and U.S. Regulatory Decision-Making”. David Wright. Geogetown. Env. L. Rev.. (2017)
- “Cross-Border Constraints on Climate Change Agreements: Legal Risks in the California-Quebec Cap-and-Trade Linkage”. David Wright. 48 Env. L. Rep.. (2016)
- “Options for Oversight in the Provincial Environmental Realm: Examples and Functions of Independent Environmental Oversight Offices”. David Wright. 29 J. Env. L. & Prac.. (2015)
- “The Regulation of Tidal Energy Development Off Nova Scotia: Navigating Foggy Waters”. David Wright, David VanderZwaag, Phillip Saunders, Dawn Russell and Meinhard Doelle. 55 UNB L. J. 27. (2006)
- “The New Federal Impact Assessment Act and Arctic Shipping”. with Meinhard Doelle and John Sinclair. in Kristin Bartenstein & Aldo Chircop, eds, Shipping in Nunangat: Governance Challenges and Approaches in Canadian Arctic Waters (Brill-Nijhoff: Leiden) . 375 - 406. (2023)
- Public Hearings in Impact Assessment: Building on Basics with Deliberative Participation and ADR. with Sharon Mascher and Sam Kalen. in John Sinclair & Tanya Burdett, eds, Handbook of Public Participation in Impact Assessment (Edward Elgar). (2023)
- “Environmental Law in Canada’s North”. David Wright and Nigel Bankes. in Al Lucas et al. Environmental Law and Policy 4th ed. (2020)
- “Institutions for a Sustainable Future: The Canadian Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development”. David Wright and Jim McKenzie. in Marie Cordonier-Segger, ed, International Justice in Sustainable Development Treaty Implementation. (2019)
- The Clean Development Mechanism: Climate Change Equity and the South-North Divide. David Wright. VDM-Verlag. (2017)
- "Contextualizing Emissions: Social Cost of Carbon in Impact Assessment". Annual Symposium of the International Institute for Impact Assessment (Seville/online). (2021)
- "Cost-Benefit Analysis in Canada’s New Impact Assessment Regime". Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Natural Resources Law Teachers’ Instittue (Monterey/online). (2021)
- "Factoring Climate Change into Decision-Making: Developments in Canada and the U.S.". Sixth Annual Sustainability Conference of American Legal Educators (Phoenix, AZ/online). (2021)
- "Cross-Canada Infrastructure Corridor, The Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ‘Meaningful Consultation’" . Calgary School of Public Policy (Calgary, AB). (2021)
- Dispute Resolution in Modern Treaty Contexts: Lessons and Prospects. Biennial National Land Claims Agreement Coalition Conference (Ottawa, ON). (2020)
- “Social Cost of Carbon: Environmental Regulatory Approaches of Canada & the United States”. 38th Public Land Law Conference (Missoula, MT). (2019)
- “The new federal impact assessment regime: Indigenous participation, consultation and consideration”. Canadian Bar Association, Alberta South Aboriginal Law Section. (2019)
- “Dispute Resolution in Modern Treaty Contexts: Lessons and Prospects”. Alberta Early Careers Legal Scholars Workshop. (2019)
- “Impact Assessment North of 60: Future Directions". Journal of Environmental Law and Practice Biennial Conference. (2019)
- “Energy Transport Projects and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada”. Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation - Natural Resources Law Teachers Institute. (2019)
- "Beyond zero: Social cost of carbon in impact assessment". 39th Annual Conference for the International Association of Impact Assessment. (2019)
- "Indigenous-led impact assessment: Canada’s New regime". 39th Annual Conference for the International Association of Impact Assessment. (2019)
- "Enforcement and Withdrawal Under the California-Quebec Cap-and-Trade Linkage Agreement". Canadian Institute of Resources Law - A Symposium on Environment in the Courtroom: Enforcing Canadian GHG Emissions Laws. (2018)
- “Old Tensions, New Tools: Role of Cumulative Effects Analysis in Addressing GHGs”. Canada Institute – Cumulative Effects Conference. (2018)
- “Expanding the Pie: An intensive and progressive approach to mandatory negotiations curriculum”. with Deanne Sowter. Canadian Association of Law Teachers - The Whole Lawyer 2.0 Conference. (2018)
- “Rebuilding the Federal Environmental Law Regime: General Overview and Indigenous Dimensions”. with Martin Olszynski. Canadian Bar Association – Aboriginal Law Section, Alberta South. (2018)
In the News
- “Supreme Court strikes down Bill C-69” . Taking Stock with Amanda Lang, CTV News. (2023)
- Canada's Top Court Rules Environmental Impact Law is Largely Unconstitutional. Reuters. (2023)
- How the UK Is Winning the Race against Climate Change. The Walrus. (2022)
- Alberta in court to argue Ottawa's Bill C-69 is unconstitutional. The Financial Post. (2021)
- Supreme Court Ruling on Federal Carbon Tax. CBC Radio. (2021)
- Little-used part of Constitution led to different carbon tax rulings: experts. The Globe and Mail. (2020)
- Climate accountability’s very Canadian problem. CBA National Magazine. (2020)
- A Pipeline with a Mountain in Front of It. Maclean's Magazine. (2019)
- Trump administration sues California over cap-and-trade agreement with Canada. Los Angeles Times. (2019)
- Maybe a new pipeline could win federal approval after all. Maclean's. (2019)
- Ottawa River surfers catch waves off Bate Island. CBC News. (2015)
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