About Terri-Lee
Terri-Lee's practice focuses on project-related issues concerning natural-resource development with a specialization in regulatory, environmental and Indigenous law issues.
She acts for a variety of companies in environmental assessments and regulatory proceedings to obtain approvals for major developments in the oil and gas, pipeline, LNG, mining (including metal, potash and diamond), natural-gas processing, petrochemical, electricity transmission, hydro, solar and wind sectors.
Terri-Lee frequently advises clients on various agreements with First Nations and Métis groups and negotiates impact benefit agreements on behalf of developers.
Terri-Lee also represents clients in front of administrative tribunals in related matters such as tolls and tariffs proceedings, regulatory investigations, and inquiries. In addition, she provides strategic advice regarding environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters.
Terri-Lee has appeared before the Canada Energy Regulator, the Alberta Energy Regulator, the Alberta Utilities Commission, the Alberta Land and Property Rights Tribunal, the British Columbia Utilities Commission, the Alberta Natural Resources Conservation Board, the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, and federal-provincial joint review panels in respect of environmental assessment proceedings.
She has also appeared before the Court of King's Bench and Court of Appeal of Alberta.
Before joining Blakes, Terri-Lee was a partner at another major national law firm in Calgary. She has also clerked for the Federal Court of Canada.
Terri-Lee is the Practice Group Leader of the Firm's Regulatory group in Calgary, a member of the Nominations Committee and Partnership Committee, and chairs the Calgary Women@Blakes initiative.
Recent representative matters include:
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ABO Wind Canada with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission to construct and operate the 514.6 MW Buffalo Plains Wind Farm project located near Lomond, Alberta, which is the largest wind farm project proposed in Canada
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Suncor Energy Inc. with regard to its participation in the British Columbia Utilities Commission proceeding regarding public electric vehicle charging rates proposed by British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
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Shell Canada Energy on the sale of its Duvernay shale light oil assets to Crescent Point Energy Corp. (CPEC) for total consideration of C$900-million, including C$700-million in cash and 50-million shares in CPEC
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A consortium of power generation companies (BluEarth Renewables Inc., Canadian Solar Solutions; Irricana Power Generation; Elemental Energy Renewables Inc.; Siemens Energy Canada, and RWE Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of RWE AG) and the Canadian Renewable Energy Association with regard to various AESO and FortisAlberta tariff matters in front of the Alberta Utilities Commission
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BluEarth Renewables Inc. with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for an amendment application to the Alberta Utilities Commission on the 130 MW Hand Hills wind project near Delia, Alberta
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Prairie Lights Power with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for an application to the federal Impact Assessment Agency regarding a 360 MW gas-fired power plant near Grande Prairie, Alberta. This was the first application to the Agency for a power plant
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Pattern Energy with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission to construct and operate the 280 MW Lanfine wind power project located near Oyen, Alberta
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BluEarth Renewables Inc. with regard to its complaint to the Alberta Utilities Commission in relation to the conduct of Fortis Alberta Inc. and tariff compliance matters
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Kinder Morgan Canada Limited on its C$2.3-billion acquisition by Pembina Pipeline Corporation
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Berkshire Hathaway Energy Canada with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission to construct and operate the 117 MW Rattlesnake Ridge Wind project located near Medicine Hat, Alberta
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Elemental Energy Renewables Inc. with regard to providing environmental and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission on the 26 MW Brooks Solar II solar plant located near Brooks, Alberta and the 20.1 MW East Strathmore solar project located near Strathmore, Alberta
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Greengate Power Corporation with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission to construct and operate the 400 MW Travers Solar Project located near the Village of Lomond, Alberta. This will be the largest solar energy project in Canada
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Public Sector Pension Investment Board and the Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund Board with regard to their C$1.7-billion acquisition of AltaGas Canada Inc.
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Suncor Energy Inc. with regard to its participation in the British Columbia Utilities Commission Inquiry into Gasoline and Diesel Prices in British Columbia
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LNG Canada Development Inc. with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice in connection with its liquified natural gas export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia and in its arrangements with the Coastal GasLink pipeline project
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EDP Renewables Canada Ltd. with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission and related interconnection matters before the Alberta Electric System Operator to construct and operate the 300 MW Sharp Hills wind farm located near Sedalia and New Brigden, Alberta, as well as an appeal of the development permit before the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, permission for leave to appeal the AUC approval to the Alberta Court of Appeal, and a long-term power purchase agreement with TC Energy
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Potentia Renewables Inc. with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications and amendment applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission on the 122.4 MW Jenner wind power project and 180.2 MW Jenner wind power expansion project located near Jenner, Alberta, as well as an appeal of the development permits before the Land and Property Rights Tribunal. These projects were awarded a 20-year Renewable Energy Support Agreement in Round Three of Alberta’s Renewable Electricity Program
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Capstone Infrastructure Corporation with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission on the 58 MW Buffalo Atlee 1, 2, 3 and 4 wind power projects located near Jenner, Alberta, as well as an appeal of the development permits before the Land and Property Rights Tribunal
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Kinder Morgan Canada on its sale of the Trans Mountain Pipeline system and expansion project to the Government of Canada for C$4.5-billion
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Enel Alberta Wind Inc. with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for the applications and amendment applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission on the 115 MW Riverview Wind Project and 30.6 MW Castle Rock Ridge Phase 2 Project located near Pincher Creek, Alberta. These projects were awarded a 20-year Renewable Energy Support Agreement in Round One of Alberta’s Renewable Electricity Program
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The underwriters in connection with the C$239-million initial public offering of AltaGas Canada Inc.
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Potentia Renewables Inc. in a partnership with Greengate Power Corporation with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission on: the 113 MW Stirling wind project located near Stirling, Alberta; the 120 MW Wheatland wind project located near Drumheller, Alberta; and, the 150 MW Paintearth wind project located near Stettler, Alberta. The Stirling project, in partnership with the Paul First Nation, was awarded a 20-year Renewable Energy Support Agreement in Round Two of Alberta’s Renewable Electricity Program
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Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice for applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission and related interconnection matters before the Alberta Electric System Operator to construct and operate the 398.5 MW Forty Mile wind power project located near Bow Island, Alberta
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Kinder Morgan Canada Limited with regard to providing legal, regulatory and Indigenous advice on all regulatory and tolling approvals for the proposed expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline System, which will transport 890,000 bbl/d of petroleum products from Edmonton, Alberta, to the West Coast of Canada
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BluEarth Renewables Inc. with regard to providing legal and regulatory advice on the 115 MW Bull Creek wind project near Provost, Alberta, including a two-week public hearing before the Alberta Utilities Commission — the second hearing in Alberta before the Alberta Utilities Commission for a wind generation project
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Kanata Energy Group Ltd. with regard to providing legal, regulatory and Indigenous advice relating to the Daiber gas plant, including before the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission
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BluEarth Renewables Inc. with regard to obtaining approvals from the Alberta Utilities Commission to construct and operate the Burdett solar project, a 20 MW photovoltaic facility and Yellow Lake solar project, a 19 MW photovoltaic facility, located near Burdett, Alberta
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Quicksilver Resources Canada Inc. with regard to obtaining an environmental assessment certificate from the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office for the Fortune Creek gas plant project, which will be located in northeast B.C. and have a processing capacity of 600 MMcf/day
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Nalcor Energy with regard to providing legal, regulatory and Indigenous advice on its 3,074 MW Lower Churchill hydroelectric project in Newfoundland and Labrador, including 45 days of public hearings before a joint federal-provincial review panel
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De Beers Canada Inc. with regard to providing legal, regulatory and Indigenous advice on its Gahcho Kué diamond mine in the Northwest Territories, including public hearings before the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board and the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board
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Vale with respect to advising on Indigenous rights on lands impacted by Vale operations
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TransCanada PipeLines Limited and four related TransCanada companies with regard to abandonment cost estimates, collection mechanism and set-aside mechanism applications under the Land Matters Consultation Initiative – Stream 3 before the National Energy Board
Terri-Lee was named a Lexpert Rising Star: Leading Lawyers Under 40 in 2016.
She is continuously recognized as a leading lawyer in the following publications, including in the most recent editions:
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Chambers Global Legal Guide (2021–2023, 2025: Energy: Oil & Gas (Regulatory); 2025: Energy: Power (Regulatory), Environment)
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Chambers Canada Legal Guide (2023–2025: Environment; 2021–2025: Energy: Power (Regulatory); 2019–2025: Energy: Oil & Gas (Regulatory); 2019: Energy: Provincial Regulatory & Litigation)
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The Legal 500 Canada (2022–2025: Energy & Natural Resources: Power; 2020–2023, 2025: Next Generation Lawyer – Energy: Oil & Gas; 2020–2021, 2023, 2025: Indigenous Law; 2018–2019, 2021–2023, 2025: Next Generation Lawyer – Environment)
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The Best Lawyers in Canada (2021–2025: Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, Environmental Law, Indigenous Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law; 2020: Aboriginal Law, Energy Regulatory Law; 2018–2020: Environmental Law)
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The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (2024–2025: Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), Aboriginal Law; 2022–2025: Energy (Electricity); 2012–2019, 2022–2025: Environmental Law, Energy (Oil & Gas); 2022–2024: Litigation – Regulatory & Public Law; 2018–2023: Indigenous Law; 2017: Leading Lawyers to Watch – Environmental Law)
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Lexpert's Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers: A Guide to Doing Business in Canada 2025 (Electricity; Environmental, Social & Governance)
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Lexpert Special Edition: Energy and Mining 2024
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Lexology Index: Canada – 2023–2024 (Environment)
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Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers 2024 – Independently Rated Lawyers (As nominated by senior in-house counsel)
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Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys – 2019–2020, 2023–2024 (Future Star)
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Benchmark Canada's 40 & Under List 2019
Terri-Lee is a past member of the Law Society of Alberta's Practice Foundations Lawyer Competence Advisory Committee. She is also the current chair of the Canadian Bar Association's National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law (NEERLS) section and was co-chair of the NEERLS 2021 and 2023 Summits.
Terri-Lee was recently elected to the board of directors of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) and the Canadian Energy Law Foundation (CELF), and is an independent director of an Alberta-based private power company. She attended the Women's Leadership Roundtable through Harvard Law School's Executive Education program and completed the Rotman School of Management Business Leadership for Women Lawyers Program.
Terri-Lee is the past president and board chair of the Cerebral Palsy Association in Alberta and is a member of the board of directors of Alberta Theatre Projects.
- Co-author : The Rising Tide of Environmental Class Actions in Canada
Five Under 5 on Environmental / Class Actions, June 11, 2024.
- Featured : Regulators hard at work keeping up with energy transition, says Blakes' Terri Lee Oleniuk
Interviewed by Aidan McNab, Features, Canadian Lawyer Magazine, September 28, 2023. - Quoted : Lawyers expect more jurisdictional disputes as Ottawa pursues emissions reduction
Interviewed by Aidan Macnab, Lexpert, October 5, 2022.
