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Craig Chiasson

Partner

Vancouver
[email protected]
604.640.4221

Expertise

Margaret MacAulay

Practice Assistant

Vancouver
[email protected]
604.687.1415
604.687.5744

Carlie Hodge

Practice Assistant

Vancouver
[email protected]
604.640.4116

Craig has extensive experience as counsel and arbitrator in international and domestic commercial arbitration, as well as considerable experience in investment treaty arbitration.

He has appeared as counsel in complex commercial, construction and energy disputes in ICC, UNCITRAL, ICSID, SCC, HKIAC, LCIA, ICDR, VanIAC and ad hoc arbitration proceedings, and in the British Columbia Appeal Court, Provincial Courts of British Columbia and Supreme Court of Canada and has acted as a sole arbitrator and tribunal chair in international and domestic arbitrations, both institutional and ad hoc.

Craig is the current Chair of the ICC Canada Arbitration Committee and was the recipient of the 2022 Excellence in Arbitration Award from the Vancouver International Arbitration Centre. Craig was also recognized in 2023’s BC500 – a publication that profiles the 500 most influential business leaders in British Columbia. Craig embodies the values of modern leadership that BIV looks out for: engagement, trust, corporate citizenship and inclusion.

Commentary on him includes: Craig’s “mix of local and international work makes him a go-to individual’" (2024 Lexology Arbitration) and from a client, Craig’s “profound understanding of arbitration proceedings and the energy industry market stands out”.

Craig provides legal services through a Law Corporation.

Testimonials

Lexology Index: Arbitration 2025

"Craig is an extremely able counsel with a broad range of experience"; "He is excellent, scholarly and a thoughtful advocate."

Chambers Canada 2019

Recognised the world over by commentators who highlight him as a "very capable and very knowledgeable counsel" who "really knows what he is doing," concluding: "He absolutely is someone to note in this field." He is active in international commercial arbitrations and investor-state disputes.

Experience

  • Tribunal Chair in two domestic arbitrations relating to property development arrangement under the VanIAC Rules.
  • Tribunal Chair in an ad hoc international arbitration relating to the manufacture and sale of products in China.
  • Party Appointed Arbitrator in an ICC international arbitration between companies from the United States and Korea relating to a design engineering agreement.
  • Appointed Sole Arbitrator in an Expedited VanIAC international arbitration relating to a manufacturing and distribution agreement.
  • Appointed Sole Arbitrator in a VanIAC domestic arbitration relating to a purchase and sale agreement.
  • Appointed Sole Arbitrator in an ICC international arbitration relating to a software outsourcing agreement.
  • Appointed Sole Arbitrator in an Expedited ICC international arbitration between companies from the United States and China relating to a loan transaction, resulting in a final award.
  • Appointed Sole Arbitrator in a VanIAC domestic arbitration relating to a license agreement, resulting in a final award.
  • Appointed Sole Arbitrator in a VanIAC domestic arbitration relating to a medical services agreement, resulting in a final award.
  • Appointed Sole Arbitrator in a domestic institutional arbitration arising out of a royalty agreement relating to wind farms, resulting in a final award.
  • Appointed Sole Arbitrator by the VanIAC in an international arbitration in relation to a dispute over the termination of a consultancy agreement between parties from New York and Vancouver, resulting in a partial award.
  • Represented a United Arab Emirates company in a dispute under the ICDR International Arbitration Rules relating to a debt claim arising from the purchase of a technology company, seated in San Francisco.
  • Represented a power company in three separate SCC arbitrations relating to geothermal power generation and an iron smelter, seated in Reykjavik.
  • Represented a Canadian software company in a HKIAC international arbitration relating to a partnership agreement with a Chinese entity seated in Hong Kong.
  • Represented a telecommunications company in a domestic VanIAC arbitration arising out of a sponsorship agreement.
  • Represented a developer in a domestic VanIAC arbitration arising out of a land purchase agreement.
  • Represented a government-owned entity with respect to a dispute over the interpretation of a contract relating to the parties’ intellectual property rights.
  • Represented a government-owned entity in over ten VanIAC arbitrations relating to force majeure and COVID.
  • Represented a joint venture contractor in an UNCITRAL arbitration arising from construction-related disputes for a major project.
  • Represented a contractor in its dispute with a design engineer in a domestic VanIAC arbitration.
  • Represented domestic and international parties in an ad hoc arbitration related to health and nutrition products.
  • Represented a Chinese manufacturing company in a dispute with a North America distributor of construction-related materials in an international arbitration under the VanIAC Rules.
  • Represented a government-owned entity in a number of domestic and international arbitration proceedings, including construction disputes relating to site preparation and the purchase and sale of power generation equipment.
  • Represented a turnkey contractor in an international arbitration proceeding arising from the construction of a nuclear power plant.
  • Represented a ship-building contractor in its arbitration with an owner.
  • Represented a Canadian pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration.
  • Represented a UK marine procurement company in an ICC arbitration.
  • Represented a Canadian mining company in an UNCITRAL arbitration.
  • Represented a Portuguese cement company in an ICC arbitration.
  • Represented a US satellite manufacturer in an ICC arbitration and ad hoc international arbitration proceedings.
  • Represented an international mining company in a British Columbia Supreme Court proceeding brought by a company from a South American state.
  • Represented an engineering company in a British Columbia Supreme Court proceeding in which there was a parallel proceeding in Europe.
  • Represented an engineering company in a British Columbia Supreme Court proceeding against a contractor.
  • Represented a Russian energy company in an ICC arbitration.
  • Represented an international energy company in an ICSID proceeding against a South American state.
  • Represented an international energy company in two ICSID proceedings against a former CIS state.
  • Represented states in Europe and Africa in ICSID proceedings arising out of the Energy Charter Treaty and an investor’s claims relating to mining rights, respectively.
  • Acted as tribunal secretary to Jan Paulsson in Pantechniki S.A. Contractors & Engineers v. Republic of Albania (ICSID Case No ARB/07/21) with respect to the construction of a highway.
  • Acted as tribunal secretary in an ICC case relating to the dismantling, transportation and reconstruction of a steel plant.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Chair, Arbitration Committee of ICC Canada (since October 2024)
  • Member, Vancouver International Arbitration Centre (VanIAC) Rules Committee and Panel of Arbitrators
  • Member, Roster of Arbitrators, International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR)
  • Fellow Member and Listed on Panel of Arbitrators – Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration
  • Member, International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA)
  • Advisory Board Member, Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)
  • Member, and included in Database of Arbitrators, London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
  • Member, International Bar Association, International Arbitration Section

Community Involvement

  • Current Member of the Board of Directors of Vancouver United Football Club

Awards & Recognition

  • Recognized in the 2025 edition of Lexology: Arbitration (and since 2016), formerly Who's Who Legal.
  • Recognized by Global Arbitration Review for inclusion in Who's Who Legal: Arbitration 2024 (and since 2016). "Craig is a scholarly and thoughtful practitioner" "He is an excellent arbitration counsel" "The “excellent" Craig Chiasson is a distinguished arbitration practitioner whose “mix of local and international work makes him a go-to individual".
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada as the 2025 'Lawyer of the Year' for International Arbitration.
  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2018) of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (International Arbitration).
  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2019) of Chambers Canada — Canada's Leading Lawyers (Dispute Resolution: Arbitration - Nationwide).
    • Dispute Resolution: Arbitration - Craig Chiasson is a highly experienced lawyer who maintains a respected arbitration practice from his base in BLG's Vancouver office. He consistently wins praise for his skilled handling of international arbitration and investment treaty disputes.
  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2020) of Chambers Global – The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Dispute Resolution – Arbitration).
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2020) of Lexpert Special Edition: Litigation.
  • Recognized in the 2023 edition of BC500 – a publication that profiles the 500 most influential business leaders in British Columbia.
  • Recipient of the 2022 Excellence in Arbitration Award from the Vancouver International Arbitration Centre.
  • Recognized by Global Arbitration Review for inclusion in Who's Who Legal: Arbitration 2024 (and since 2016). "Craig is a very able counsel." "He has a broad range of experience." "I commend him for his strong composure."
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2022) of Who's Who Legal: Canada: "Craig Chiasson is an eminent practitioner who is highly sought after by clients in the construction and energy sectors for his top-notch commercial arbitration practice."
  • Recognized in the 2025 (and since 2015) editions of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (International Commercial Arbitration).
  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2020) of Benchmark Canada – The Definitive Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys (Arbitration).
  • Recognized in the 2021 (and since 2019) editions of Expert Guides as a "Star in Commercial Arbitration".
  • Recognized in the 2018 edition (and since 2016) of Benchmark Canada – The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys as a Litigation Star in British Columbia: Arbitration, and as a "Future Star in British Columbia" in 2014 and 2015 (Arbitration).
  • Recognized in the 2018 (and since 2013) editions of Expert Guides as a "Rising Star in Commercial Arbitration".

Bar Admission & Education

  • England and Wales, 2011 (non-practising member of the roll of solicitors)
  • British Columbia, 2002
  • LLB, University of Alberta, 2001
  • B.Ed., University of British Columbia, 1995
  • BA, University of British Columbia, 1992