Force of nature

The 2022 winner of the Douglas Miller Rising Star Award, Urquhart is thrilled with the honour, but has no time to rest on her laurels. She has environmental racism in her sights, and that’s just the top of the list.

“I’m driven by the things I care about,” says Urquhart. “There are so many opportunities now. This is the right time and the right place.”

Canada’s largest environmental law charity, EcoJustice Canada, recruited Urquhart to lead its Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) office in February 2021. “I’m the whole office,” explains the modest Urquhart. Based on her track record, polluters should underestimate her at their peril. 

Having practised law in NL since 2015, Urquhart first made a name for herself as the Smyth Woodland Del Rizzo Barrett (SWDB) lawyer who represented the Labrador Land Protectors and Grand Riverkeeper and at the Commission of Inquiry Respecting the Muskrat Falls Project in 2018 and 2019. 

The Muskrat Falls inquiry led the news cycle for months as it uncovered shocking political and corporate decisions, and gave weight to Indigenous and environmental stakes previously unheard. The $16-million report, Muskrat Falls: A Misguided Project, was released in March 2020.

“Working with Caitlin during the Muskrat Falls inquiry helped put my mind and heart at ease that we were being heard and respected,” said Denise Cole, former Communications Liaison for Labrador Land Protectors. 

“I’m driven by the need for environmental justice, and deeply inspired by folks like Denise and others affected by environmental racism,” says Urquhart. “The reality is that women, often Indigenous women, end up on the front line for the health and safety of their families.”

As the newest lawyer to act as first chair for a party at the inquiry, Urquhart became known for her likeable yet steadfast demeanour, along with a maturity that belied her youthful and popular social posts. A video of her cross-examining former NL premier Danny Williams can be found via her Twitter account @caitmurquhart.

Urquhart says she draws her energy and commitment from her clients. “You see them pushing back, risking so much, because mercury contamination is serious,” she says. “Women see the impacts of environmental racism on the ecosystem, but also on the spiritual and physical wellbeing of their people.”

“They literally put their bodies in the way of harm, to be arrested,” adds Urquhart. “That kind of passion is inspiring to me.”

“Caitlin is close with Innu communities, and she’s very welcome there,” said SWDB lawyer Adrienne Ding. “She has gained their trust. She puts her heart and soul into what she does for them, and they know she truly cares.”

Urquhart says she feels a great deal of hope when she works with Labrador Land Protectors and similar grassroots groups.

“Caitlin is authentic. Making connections with people comes naturally for her,” said St. John’s lawyer Gobhina Nagarajah. “If not for people like Caitlin, underrepresented groups would not be nearly as visible.”

Urquhart knew what she wanted to be since her Newmarket, Ontario school days, when she attended a career class asking students to detail their dream jobs. Urquhart wrote “environmental lawyer” immediately. “I always wanted to practise law,” she says. “I found private practice rewarding, and when an opportunity in environmental law came along, that was it.”

She received her Hons. B.S.Sc (cum laude) in environmental studies and political science at University of Ottawa in 2011. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor at Dalhousie University in 2014, where she also received the Board of Governor’s Award and the William Johnston Grant, Q.C. Memorial Award.

Urquhart is an active member of the CBA’s NL Executive. She also volunteers with Access to Justice Legal Clinics and the St. John’s Status of Women Council. 

“Being new to the province, my involvement with the CBA was integral to developing relationships in the community. You need a network of people whom you know and trust,” said Urquhart. “The CBA does so much important work.”

Urquhart also is involved with the Public Legal Information Association of NL, providing legal advice at community clinics, including free legal support services to survivors of sexual violence. 

When Urquhart isn’t fighting for the natural world, she’s enjoying it. She and her partner moved to NL in 2015 after articling in Ottawa, and never looked back. While they (and their cats) live in the heart of St. John’s “among the best coffee shops,” they regularly visit their out-of-town horse. Having grown up on a farm, she loves horseback riding. 

“We came to NL for a visit and loved it,” says Urquhart, of their Happy Valley Goose Bay kayaking trip and discovery of St. John’s. “It’s such a special place.”

Next on Urquhart’s list is Bill C-230, a National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism Act, introduced by MP Lenore Zann in June 2021 to require examination of the link between race, socio-economic status and environmental risk. It didn’t advance to a final vote before the dissolution of Parliament in the Fall of 2021. Urquhart is part of the movement calling on Ottawa to bring it back and pass it. 

Nagarajah summed up her support for Urquhart this way, “Caitlin is truly a force of nature. She has already achieved so much in her career, with no sign of slowing down.”

She’s just getting started.

The Douglas Miller Rising Star Award recognizes an early career lawyer who is a CBA member in good standing and who exhibits professional excellence; service to the profession; and outstanding dedication and team spirit in his or her ongoing involvement with the CBA. This award is intended to provide early recognition of developing talent, honouring members who already demonstrate characteristics of leadership to the profession.