He has advocated for Indigenous and treaty rights to be recognized and implemented across Canada
Indigenous rights lawyer and former chief of the Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation, Randall Kahgee, has rejoined Pape Salter Teillet LLP as a senior counsel.
Kahgee strengthens the firm’s offering in Indigenous rights law, First Nations governance, and energy and major project development. The Lexpert-ranked lawyer makes the jump from Olthuis, Kleer, Townshend LLP, where he was a senior counsel focusing on Indigenous rights law, particularly community-based processes and government-to-government negotiations.
He has handled issues involving the development of nuclear facilities, transmission lines, and wind energy projects. He has tackled consultation and accommodation-related issues and been involved in negotiating and implementing land claim and self-government agreements; moreover, he has been involved in impact benefit negotiations.
Kahgee has over 25 years of experience advocating for Indigenous and treaty rights to be recognized and implemented across Canada. He also served as Canadian nuclear safety commissioner, supervising nuclear regulation in Canada.
In 2001, he started his career with Pape Salter Teillet. He then went on to lead the Saugeen First Nation as chief of the Chippewas for four straight terms, lasting from 2006 to 2014. In this role, he negotiated first-of-their-kind protocol and partnership agreements with major project developers and spearheaded reconciliation-focused engagement with the Crown.
He resumed with Pape Salter Teillet as a senior counsel in 2014 and became lead advisor to the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in relation to nuclear and energy matters. He assisted with the development of a community-driven free, prior and informed consent process connected with major projects.
“Randall’s return brings our clients a rare combination of First Nation leadership and deep experience in how legislative insights and governance can help communities thrive, particularly in the critically important energy sector,” said Nuri Frame, Pape Salter Teillet’s managing partner, in a statement. “This is about ensuring that Indigenous rights, jurisdiction and governance are meaningfully advanced at every level of decision-making.”
Last month, the firm also welcomed former First Nations Major Projects Coalition senior executive Jesse McCormick.
