Kenneth J. Tyler  

Partner

Executive Summary

Kenneth Tyler is National Head of our Aboriginal Law Focus Group and a partner in our Environmental, Municipal, Expropriation and Regulatory Group. Based in Vancouver, Ken is a litigator who focuses his practice on Aboriginal and Constitutional Law.  He has experience with trials and appeals at all levels of court relating to Aboriginal and Treaty rights, the Division of Powers between the federal and provincial legislatures, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Ken also advises clients on issues related to contracting with First Nations, and the scope of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. 

Before joining Ladner Downs, a predecessor firm to BLG, in 1998, Ken managed the Constitutional Law Unit of the Department of Justice for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, was Coordinator of Constitutional Relations with the Constitutional Branch for the Saskatchewan Department of Justice, Constitutional Relations Officer and Crown Attorney with the Constitutional Branch of the Saskatchewan Department of Justice, and was President of Tyler, Wright & Daniel Ltd., a small research consulting firm that specialized in historical research on Native land claims and that gave him extensive knowledge regarding the history of western Canada. .

Representative Work

  • Represented the Provincial Crown in major Aboriginal Title and Rights litigation, including in Roger William v. British Columbia.
  • Legal advisor and member of the negotiating team for the Provincial Crown in the comprehensive settlement of Treaty Land Entitlement Claims in the Province of Saskatchewan.
  • Defended the position of the Attorneys General of Manitoba and Saskatchewan against challenges to provincial legislation and to the Criminal Code.
  • Argued interventions in the Supreme Court of Canada in a wide variety of constitutional and Aboriginal law appeals.
  • Provided legal and policy advice to the governments of four provinces on constitutional and Aboriginal issues.
  • Assisted in the drafting of legislation relevant to constitutional issues.
  • Provided advice in relation to constitutional reform initiatives.

Publications & Presentations

  • Editor, BLG’s Aboriginal Legal Issues e-Newsletter, 1999-present.

Rankings & Recognitions

  • Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2013 edition (and since 2008) of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Aboriginal Law).
  • Recognized in the 2012 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Aboriginal Law).
  • Mentioned in the 2012 edition of Chambers Global (Aboriginal Law).