Lawyer
Audrey-Anne Béland
Contact
Quebec
Complexe Jules-Dallaire, T12828 Laurier Blvd., 12th Floor
Quebec City, Quebec G1V 0B9
CANADA 418 266-4500 418 266-4515 info@bcf.ca
Profile
Audrey-Anne Béland is a lawyer in the litigation group and focuses her practice on municipal and administrative law.
Audrey-Anne acts for both private sector companies and public organizations such as municipalities. In this capacity, she advises and assists clients in the development and urban planning, real estate, expropriation process and the environment. Audrey-Anne is also involved in municipal taxation mandates, particularly in appeals regarding the contestation of property assessments and special taxes. She also acts in cases involving public contracting processes, access to information, protection of agricultural lands, ethics and lobbying.
With her creative approach, she advises her clients on conflict prevention and resolution. She also acts on behalf of her clients before the courts and administrative tribunals of the province of Quebec.
Audrey-Anne Béland acts as a trainer and lecturer in various municipal and real estate law fields for several organizations and groups in the real estate business community.
Audrey-Anne is the lawyer in charge of professionals with five years or less experience in our Quebec City office. She offers personalized support and ensures their well-being, integration and professional development.
She practices in both French and English.
Expertise
Industries
Education
- Called to the Barreau du Québec (2017)
- LL.B., Université Laval
Recognition(s)
- Best Lawyers in Canada : Ones to Watch (2025) -Corporate and Commercial Litigation
- Best Lawyers in Canada : Ones to Watch (2023-2025) - Administrative and Public Law; Municipal Law
Publications
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“L'illusoire discrétion dans la gestion des ponceaux et des encombrements dans les cours d'eau - L'affaire Maheu c. Municipalité du Canton de Shefford”
Bâti-Vert, vol. 26 n°4, Fall 2022;
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“Guide d’aide à la prise de décision – l’encadrement municipal de l’hébergement touristique”
In collaboration with Isabelle Landry, 3rd edition, Union des municipalités du Québec, October 2022
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“Mise au point de la Cour d’appel en matière de dérogation mineure – L’affaire Municipalité de Saint-Elzéar c. Bolduc, 2021 QCCA 19”
Bâti-Vert, vol. 25 n°4, Fall 2021;
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“Guide d’aide à la prise de décision – l’encadrement municipal de l’hébergement touristique, 2nd edition, Union des municipalités du Québec”
In collaboration with Isabelle Landry, June 2021;
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“Les pouvoirs municipaux et provinciaux en contexte d’urgence”
Développements récents en droit municipal (2021) Vol. 490, co-authored with Isabelle Landry, May 2021;
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“Are you Aware of the Grey Areas for Minor Variances?”
bcf.ca, co-authored with Isabelle Landry, January 2021;
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“Expropriation Demystified: What You Need To Know In Case of Expropriation Notice”
bcf.ca, co-authored with Isabelle Landry, October 2020
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“Guide d’aide à la prise de décision – l’encadrement municipal de l’hébergement touristique”
Union des municipalités du Québec, co-authored with Isabelle Landry, January 2020.
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“Incendie et droit acquis – L’affaire Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion v. 9160-4850 Québec inc.”
Bâti-Vert, vol. 22 no. 4, Fall 2018.
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“La réglementation municipale à l’ère d’Airbnb”
Développements récents en droit municipal (2018), Vol. 442, Co-authored with Isabelle Landry, January 2018
Representative Work
- Victory in a municipal tax case between our client Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI) and the City of Lévis. The municipality wanted to impose a special tax of $859,933.92 on SQI for the construction of a new street along its building that already fronted on a public street. Part of the by-law was declared inapplicable, invalid and inoperative with respect to the SQI since it did not derive any benefit from the new street;
- Case won contesting municipal by-law on gun control on grounds of incompatibility with federal and provincial legislation on hunting and wildlife protection;
- Case won in which a mayor was sued by the Commission municipale du Québec before the Superior Court for disqualification under the conflict of interest provisions of the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities;
- Acted for Québec City in civil litigations involving multi-million-dollar real estate grants;
- Acted for provincial government bodies in major property assessment disputes;
- Supported clients before the CPTAQ to obtain a right to alienation, subdivision or use for a purpose other than agriculture;
- Acted for clients in cases relating to short-term accommodation (“Airbnb”) at the administrative and penal phases;
- Supported and advised developers and contractors regarding acquired rights;
- Supported and advised developers and contractors regarding acquired rights;
- Supported and advised Québecor Sports et divertissement in its acquisition of the Théâtre Capitole de Québec;
- Case won before the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal in a file seeking to cancel a minor exemption granted by the Municipality of Saint-Elzéar to reduce the required separation distances for odour management of a swine farm;
- Acted for Les Holdings de la Grande Roue de Montréal in the context of the contestation of the property assessment for the 2017-2018-2019 and 2020-2021-2022 rolls, seeking to clarify a controversy and a jurisprudential ambiguity regarding the assignability to the property assessment roll of certain specific equipment such as a Ferris wheel and large computer servers. The assessment is now set at over $15 million;
- Acted on behalf of the citizens of a municipality to hold the municipality accountable for numerous by-laws adopted in bad faith to slow down or prohibit the development of a previously authorized housing project. Injunction sought to compel the municipality to respect its contractual obligation to install a public water supply system;
- Legal counsel for several access to information requests in response to client requests.
Conferences
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2022 and 2024
Interview, "Leur terrain s’effondre sous leurs pieds, ils poursuivent la Ville", La Facture, Radio-Canada
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2021
Interview, "Acquisition, Expropriation et Tramway : comment ça marche", Radio-Canada
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2021
Speaker, "Location court terme – le mode d’emploi (Législation et réglementation)" in collaboration with Isabelle Landry, Réseau immobilier Québec-Lévis
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2021
Union des municipalités du Québec, conference on the role of municipalities in preserving their built heritage, in association with Action patrimoine
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2021
Conference on “Des pouvoirs municipaux en contexte d’urgence” at the symposium on recent developments in municipal law by the Barreau du Québec
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2020
“Projet du Tramway, assurez-vous d’être adéquatement indemnisé", webinar on the expropriation process
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2020
“La réglementation municipale à l’ère d’Airbnb”, webinar offered by the Union des municipalités du Québec
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April 2019
“Les mesures de protection de la Loi sur le patrimoine culturel”, speaker at the Colloque Action Patrimoine, Shawinigan
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October 2018
“La règlementation municipale à l’ère d’Airbnb,” co-authored with Isabelle Landry, Développements récents en droit municipal, Bécancour
Professional Affiliation(s)
- Young Bar associations of Quebec City
- Barreau du Québec
Involvement
- Secretary, Director on the Board of Action Patrimoine
- Member of the Environment Committee of the Jeune Barreau de Nature Québec
- Governor of the next generation of the Fondation du Barreau du Québec
- Member of Nature Québec Board of Directors (2022-2023)
