Cosmetic Enforcement by Canada’s Environmental Regulator – What you need to know

Environmental lawyer Mark Youden will cover environmental regulatory enforcement specific to the cosmetic industry, including legal obligations and practical tips that companies need to know when an Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) enforcement officer comes calling.  Laura Gomez will also provide a brief overview of the interplay between Health Canada and ECCC within the framework for cosmetic regulation in Canada. Mark and Laura are partners at the law firm Gowling WLG and have 20 years of collective experience in the cosmetic industry.

Free for members.

About the Speakers

Mark Youden is a partner at Gowling WLG with a practice focused on environmental, regulatory, construction and Indigenous law matters in both an advocacy and advisory capacity. Mark is called to the bar in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Yukon, and services clients from industry, government and Indigenous groups.

As an advocate, Mark regularly appears in the Federal Court, courts in British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the Supreme Court of Yukon. Mark also frequently advocates on behalf of his clients at administrative tribunals, such as the British Columbia Environmental Appeal Board, the British Columbia Utilities Commission, the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board and the Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada. Mark also has experience in arbitrations and alternative dispute resolution forums.

From an advisory perspective, Mark assists clients on a wide array of environmental, regulatory, construction and Indigenous law issues, such as spills management and reporting, waste diversion (including extended producer responsibility and product stewardship matters), environmental assessment, forestry, permitting, brownfield development, impact benefit agreements, the transportation of dangerous goods, packaging and labelling, energy efficiency matters and environmental marine law matters.

Mark is the co-editor of Gowling WLG’s Environmental Law Newsletter, and he frequently prepares articles and presents at conferences on topics related to environmental, regulatory, construction and Indigenous law.

Mark is also active in the legal community at large. He is coaching the 2023-2024 UBC Allard Law Willms & Shier Environmental Moot team, and acts as a mentor for students and junior associates through the Law Society of Alberta Mentor Express Program and the CBABC/UBC Allard Law Mentorship Program.

Prior to joining Gowling WLG, Mark earned a Master of Environmental Science and worked as an environmental consultant for an international engineering firm.

Laura E. Gomez
Partner, Gowling WLG

Laura Gomez is an Ottawa-based Gowling WLG partner who advises on regulatory law, practising primarily in the area of product regulation, compliance and enforcement, and corporate commercial law.

Laura assists clients with regulatory and commercial issues relating to the commercialization of foods, supplemented foods, non-prescription and prescription drugs, natural health products, cosmetics, medical devices, cannabis, consumer products, consumer chemicals and controlled drugs. She has particular experience in advising clients with respect to regulatory issues, including product licensing, temporary marketing authorizations for foods, advertising, packaging and labelling, formulation and ingredient reviews, drug and medical device establishment licensing, site licensing, recalls, as well as manufacturing and quality agreements. In her regulatory practice, Laura assists clients with responses to Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs), including notices of violation (NOV) with warnings and financial penalties issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Laura’s practice also includes regulatory compliance and commercial issues that relate to multi-level marketing, direct selling and consumer protection. She advises and represents clients interacting with Health Canada, the CFIA, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Environment Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), as well as provincial and territorial regulators.