LAW450
Administrative Law
(Plester/Gunther)
Prerequisite courses:
Prerequisite for:
Instructor(s): Gregory G. Plester, Michael Gunther
Course credit: 3
Method of presentation: Lecture
Teamwork:
METHOD OF EVALUATION
100% final exam
COURSE DESCRIPTION
An overview of the law dealing with the legal limitations on the actions of public agencies and officials in Canada, and the remedies available to address breaches of these obligations. Topics will include a consideration of the legal principles governing the statutory delegation of governmental power; the law governing administrative procedure; the grounds for judicial review and statutory appeals and standards of review employed by courts in reviewing administrative action; the relationship between constitutional law and administrative law; the remedies available to address improper action by public officials; and the public law duty to consult and accommodate the interests of indigenous people. The emphasis of the course is on helping students to understand administrative law rules and concepts and to apply these rules and concepts to address concrete fact situations.
Michael Gunther is Branch Manager of Legal Services and Deputy City Solicitor for the City of Edmonton. His practice involves providing advice to City Council, governance issues, municipal planning law, and administrative and constitutional litigation. Prior to his role as the Deputy City Solicitor, he led the City's Administrative Law practice area.
Gregory Plester is a partner at Brownlee LLP and practices primarily in administrative law and municipal law. He maintains a primarily litigation-based practice in the areas of assessment and taxation and municipal governance. He frequently appears before various tribunals and courts in Alberta.
SPECIAL COMMENTS
Description updated 2025-26. Please contact the instructor for any specific questions you may have related to this particular course section.
REQUIRED TEXTS (IF ANY):
Gus Van Harten, Gerald Heckman, David Mullan and Janna Promislow, Administrative Law: Cases, Text and Materials, 8th ed (Toronto: Emond Montgomery Publications, 2022).