Sarah Walsh, a third-year law student at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, is the winner of the 2016 Canadian Bar Association (CBA) National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section (NEERLS) Law School Essay Contest David Estrin Prize.
Ms. Walsh’s essay, entitled “The International Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms: The Conflicts, Comforts and Limits of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety”, focuses on the international regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) through the lens of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
GMOs play an increasingly important role in agriculture, food safety, pharmaceutical production and other areas. However, their use has been controversial, and governments are trying to come up with appropriate ways to regulate these products. Ms. Walsh’s paper explores the developing regulatory framework for GMOs and offers suggestions on how the framework could be improved.
Ms. Walsh has a wide variety of interests including civil litigation, environmental law, internet and media law, and gender theory. She is involved in numerous extra-curricular activities such as the Environmental Law Students’ Society, the Artist’s Legal Information Society and the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia, among others. Sarah will be completing her articling year in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the firm Stewart McKelvey.
The David Estrin Prize is presented annually for the best scholarly paper from a Canadian law school student submitted to NEERLS on a subject directly related to environmental, energy or resources law in Canada. The prize consists of $500 cash plus registration, airfare, meals, and accommodation at the CBA 2016 NEERLS Summit.
This award has been established in honour of David Estrin who, through his work as a lawyer, author and educator, has been at the forefront of the evolution of environmental law in Canada for over 40 years. Counsel in Gowling WLG’s Toronto office, he is among the country’s most experienced and most respected environmental law specialists. He has lectured widely at law faculties and environmental studies, and is the author of several books, including the definitive text, Business Guide to Environmental Law (Carswell), as well as being the founding Editor of the Canadian Environmental Law Reports. He was a founder and first general counsel of the Canadian Environmental Law Association, and recently co-founded Osgoode Hall Law School’s Environmental Justice and Sustainability Law Clinical Program, of which he is also co-academic director (part-time). David continues to provide leadership on climate change justice and human rights both as a full-time senior research fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation and as immediate past chair of the International Bar Association Environment Committee. In May, 2016 David was awarded the Law Society of Upper Canada Medal for outstanding career achievements and community contributions.
The prize is donated by the CBA NEERLS’ Law School Essay Contest – David Estrin Prize Fund. The David Estrin Prize is supported by Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP as Foundation Sponsor, and by members of the environmental, energy and natural resources law community.