Environmental Law Alert Blog

Through our Environmental Law Alert blog, West Coast keeps you up to date on the latest developments and issues in environmental law. This includes:

  • proposed changes to the law that will weaken, or strengthen, environmental protection;
  • stories and situations where existing environmental laws are failing to protect the environment; and
  • emerging legal strategies that could be used to protect our environment.

If you have an environmental story that we should hear about, please e-mail Andrew Gage. We welcome your comments on any of the posts to this blog – but please keep in mind our policies on comments.

2020 Canadian Law Blog Awards Winner

This post is Part 1 in a series about NAFTA and its implications on the environment. Read Part 2 here.

As the project lead for the RELAW Project (Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air and Water), I often reflect upon the importance of our work – especially this summer, as I was feeling the effects of the wildfires in BC, hearing about the floods i

On October 2, 2017 – in just over two weeks – the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) is scheduled to start the longest hearing in its history, for the consolidated challenges to the National Energy Board (NEB) and Federal Cabinet approval of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Project.

The summer of 2017 has been dramatic in terms of showcasing the impacts of climate change.

With an August 28, 2017 deadline for final submissions on its Environmental and Regulatory Reviews Discussion Paper fast approaching, the federal government is

West Coast's 2017 Summer Law Students (left-right): Don Couturier, Nico McKay, Mari Galloway, Karyn Leslie, Matt Hammer.

Last month Michael Sawyer (with funding from our Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund (EDRF) won a major victory against liquefied natural gas (LNG) development – and for environmental oversight of oil and gas pipelines.

Last month, I attended a gathering to discuss Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), co-hosted by the Bear River First Nation in Mi’kmaw territory.

B.C.’s new government is already seeing proof that it made the right move when it committed to reform environmental assessment and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In June 2016, the federal government announced a major review of Canada’s environmental laws and processes – including environmental assessment (EA), the Fisheries Act, Navigation Protection Act and the National Energy Board. It's critical that we make the most of this opportunity, and we need some help from you.