At West Coast, each summer brings a new cohort of energetic law students who join our legal team to dip their toes into the world of public interest environmental law. We are so grateful for their contributions, which include working with staff lawyers to assist with legal research, public legal education and law reform advocacy.
This summer, we were fortunate to have five talented aspiring lawyers working with us on a wide range of projects related to fish habitat protection, climate accountability, fossil fuel finance, revitalizing Indigenous laws and more. Here are some of their reflections from their work with us over the past few months:
Emily Sabourin
My upbringing in the Northwest Territories has profoundly shaped my understanding of the intersection of law with environmental and Indigenous issues. Attending Dehcho Annual Assemblies, the annual meeting of the Dehcho Dene of whom I am a member, sparked my interest in studying laws out of deep appreciation for the land. This early exposure highlighted the ways in which colonial practices by the settler state of Canada have inflicted harm on Indigenous Nations and their sovereignty, but also revealed a crucial aspect of possibilities within the legal landscape.
At West Coast, the emphasis on protecting and defending the land aligns with my beliefs surrounding the interconnectedness of environmental stewardship and legal practice. I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to engage with a team that furthers such good work for the environment through the very legal system which impacts it.
Working on various projects at West Coast has been an invaluable learning experience. I’ve learned about numerous pressing issues happening in British Columbia, in Canada, and globally; for instance, the environmental impact of Canada’s major banks. I’ve learned through my research on Reconciliation Action Plans (and other Indigenous relations reporting products), that Canada’s “big five” banks are among the world’s biggest contributors to fossil fuel developments. And, while failing to meet climate standards, this pressing issue alone underscores the urgent need for systemic change. These projects have not only broadened my understanding but also underscored the critical relevance of the work being done at West Coast in addressing such significant challenges.
From the very beginning, the passion of the lawyers and the team at West Coast was evident. Their dedication to their work has been a driving force in my own learning and growth. The experience has been both enlightening and emotionally intense at times, but the commitment and inspiration of the team has made it profoundly rewarding. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to and to learn from such an exceptional team. I look forward to continuing to engage with these crucial issues in the future. Mahsi cho!
Kai Fig Taddei
I remember the moment I first had the thought: wow, it would be incredible to work at West Coast Environmental Law. It was 2021, and I was working at a vaccine clinic on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territory. One day, an old and dear pal of mine from high school came rolling through the clinic. I was thrilled to see him, and asked him what he was up to in the city. He told me that he was a summer student at WCEL, and sent me a blog post he’d co-written as part of his internship. I was transfixed. Later that same year, I applied to law school.
Working at WCEL for the past four months has been one of those rare times in life when my expectations have actually aligned with reality. I have had an incredible experience. It has been a privilege to learn from and alongside a group of humans who are committed to both supporting the revitalization of Indigenous laws and transforming Canadian law.
A lot of my time this summer has been spent thinking about salmon. I started off in May by writing a legal memo in support of work being done by the Salmon Watersheds Lab at SFU, which taught me about how the cumulative effects of resource extraction, urbanization, agriculture, and climate change are impacting the waters that salmon depend on. Then, Rosemary 昕禾 Xinhe Hu and I collaborated on a series of tasks focused on how to stop pollutants like 6PPD from harming salmon in urban streams. I researched how Indigenous self-determination is transforming transboundary watershed governance in the Columbia River Basin, and finally wrote a two-part blog about how to benefit our fish friends through better stormwater planning.
In June, I traveled to the BC Court of Appeal to attend an intervener hearing for Gitxaała Nation’s human rights appeal over the Province’s mineral tenure regime. I wrote a blog post about the hearing, which deepened my understanding of Gitxaała’s precedent-setting case and how international law interacts with Canadian law. As hot and dry conditions sparked new wildfires across the province in July and August, I dug into legal research and writing for the Sue Big Oil campaign, which calls on local governments to sue fossil fuel corporations for a fair share of climate costs. And throughout my internship, I supported WCEL’s Access to Justice team with intake interviews. Truly, what a summer. I am deeply grateful for everyone’s support, mentorship, and kindness. Thank you!
Rosemary 昕禾 Xinhe Hu
I have huge gratitude to all the lawyers and staff at West Coast. The opportunity to support the work of the lawyers and staff on projects that positively impact on-the-ground human rights law, intersectional environmentalism, marine law, Indigenous sovereignty, the health of our natural world, supporting and being strategic about incentivizing the transition away from fossil fuels etc. (the list goes on!) has made me feel more empowered to work as a lawyer in the future.
This summer, I worked on compiling BC mineral tenure reform research, supported the Sue Big Oil campaign, and supported the Access to Justice team. I also wrote legal memos and a blog post with Kai Fig Taddei on addressing stormwater management and urban runoff in Metro Vancouver. Something we focused on in our research was bringing a healthy-fish-habitat lens to thinking about how to incentivize municipalities to develop their stormwater management systems to a standard that would prioritize salmon health.
I had a big full-circle moment when I visited Maplewood Creek in North Vancouver with friends in August, only to make the connection that it was one of the very creeks where dead baby salmon were found due to the chemical 6PPD from our car tires, running off into that creek.
I was particularly challenged and motivated by the work I did researching securities law (aka financial law stuff). This work involved identifying gaps in the law that allow money to flow to projects that violate Indigenous rights and other human rights (such as Canadian mining projects in Latin America), without requiring those projects to disclose such violations to their investors. My research work in this area pushed me to learn about toxic bonds, and how important it is to continue putting pressure on investors and banks to stop financing investments by companies that expand oil and gas projects – and how there is room to push for the law to do this work.
I had the privilege of engaging with a RELAW project (Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air and Water), focused on articulating a First Nation’s Indigenous laws. In this work, I witnessed deliberation on traditional knowledge as I double-checked transcriptions. I got to learn just how much care was put into the process and organization behind these sessions and will keep close to my heart the understanding that moving slowly with care and holding space for everyone’s opinions and needs is critical to not recreate structures of oppression, ableism, and colonialism, especially in work supporting the articulation of Indigenous laws.
I was able to contribute to and gain exposure to this multitude of projects because every single lawyer and staff member was there to support me, be patient with me as I learnt entirely new areas of law, and cheer me on. I look forward to staying tuned in on the good work that West Coast will continue to do as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary!
Summer Tyance
Aniin, I’m Anishinabe from Gull Bay First Nation, located in Northwestern Ontario, and moved out West to pursue education over seven years ago now. I’m going into my third year of having the great opportunity and privilege of working with WCEL in different capacities. The programs, people, and passion all keep me coming back. I stay involved most deeply with the RELAW program.
This summer, I spent all of my time on a RELAW Project with the Lower Similkameen (sməlqmix), who are expressing their sməlqmix laws, as well as implementing their sPA (sməlqmix Protected Area) in the nʔaysnúlaʔxʷ (Ashnola). Initially, my support for this project began with communications materials such as social media posts, presentations, and newsletters. Over time, I slowly got familiar with the team, their laws, and goals. I was hired back this summer as a tmixʷ Law Researcher, and I worked on transcribing sməlqmix elders’ knowledge from the multiple gatherings on their tmixʷ law (an expression of sməlqmix / syilx law that focuses on the life force within the four sacred ecosystems). These transcriptions will be used for their tmixʷ law expression. Their love and responsibility for their territories, culture, and language doesn’t go unnoticed.
This ongoing partnership between RELAW and the sməlqmix is based in trust and reciprocity, and aligns with my own values as an Anishinaabekwe. My role was particularly involved with support of transcribing focus groups, interviews, and other key audio recordings. I found it interesting to mould my technical work and listening skills, as I had used transcription services before in previous years of podcast work, but I had never transcribed these kinds of conversations – ones filled with Indigenous language (nsyilxcən), laws, and invaluable teachings from the community. It has been such a gift to do what may seem like a small role, but in reality, these transcripts may be used for decades. The significance these will provide for the Lower Similkameen in voicing, writing, and standing up their legal traditions is intergenerational.
Learning nsyilxcən through deep listening of audio transcriptions has been eye-opening; it made me realize just how great of a tool this can be for Indigenous language revitalization. Since none of the WCEL staff or RELAW lawyers (aka Relawyers) are fluent in nsyilxcən, it is crucial that we plan community meetings to confirm with elders, language speakers, and knowledge holders for correct translation and spelling. A site I found myself using quite a bit was FirstVoices, and I highly recommend this resource as a whole for learning Indigenous languages. Our languages come from the land, and our languages hold answers in how to protect and steward these territories. This is only one reason why this kind of work is deeply meaningful, and I’m filled with gratitude to be able to offer my helping hand this Summer.
Zac Couture
Working at West Coast Environmental Law has been truly magical. I have been able to delve into the heart of legal research, client intake, and law reform discussions that centre the very values and principles that made me want to pursue a law degree. I felt re-connected to pre-law school Zac. West Coast has also been incredibly supportive. I was able to bring my full self into the space and into my work in a way that I have never experienced in a work legal environment before.
I worked closely with the Access to Justice team throughout this summer. I conducted intakes from clients across British Columbia and helped draft summary legal advice for their environmental justice inquiries. This has also been a great opportunity for me to further develop my skills in trauma-informed lawyering, and demonstrate compassion, patience and understanding with clients. I was also exposed to a wide breadth of different environmental legal issues, from environmental assessment regulations to municipal by-laws. Shawn Smith and Alida Morris, who lead the Access to Justice program, have been amazing mentors in this work, and also amazing friends!
I also got to explore so many aspects of legal research that really engaged my interests around intersectional environmental advocacy. I did research on environmental racism, attended workshops on disability justice, and got to write a blog on climate refugees. One of my highlights was transcribing interviews and quotes for a RELAW project. I had the chance to learn more about the process of supporting and uplifting Indigenous communities to revitalize their Nation’s legal orders and principles. It was so exciting to engage in legal work outside of the realm of “settler” law and support more decolonial legal work.
I also really appreciated learning about energy law – specifically around pipeline toll regulations – as I worked with Eugene Kung (and Emily Sabourin). Getting to do research to hold Trans Mountain Pipeline to account felt so full circle, as this was one of the first issues to really engage me in environmental justice. Eugene also gave us so much insight into thinking through industry and corporate-minded regulations to advance the interests of the public, of the environment, and of Indigenous communities.
I hope to stay connected with all the amazing staff and summer students I met at West Coast!
Top photo (from L-R): Rosemary 昕禾 Xinhe Hu, Emily Sabourin, Summer Tyance, Kai Fig Taddei and Zac Couture