Media Releases

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Environmental lawyers expressed concern over this morning’s announcement about the federal government’s plans to provide financial support for the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project.

Judge slams federal Environment Minister for failure to protect at-risk caribou herds

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Lawyers and local environmental advocates are celebrating a victory in the Federal Court of Canada on behalf of endangered caribou herds in British Columbia.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – West Coast Environmental Law Association welcomes the BC government’s introduction of the Protection of Public Participation Act, a much-needed law that aims to protect British Columbians from costly SLAPP lawsuits (strategic lawsuits against public parti

OTTAWA – A report released today by the leaders of Canada’s top environmental organizations reviews the progress of the federal government in meeting its platform and mandate commitments on environmental issues across the country.

Estok-Na Territory/Houston, Texas – Indigenous leadership from Canada made an emergency trip to the Kinder Morgan AGM in Houston this morning to present an overview of Indigenous opposition to the proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Twenty-three allied organizations – including environmental organizations, legal experts, social justice and community groups – are calling on the provincial government to introduce a series of bold reforms in its upcoming overhaul of BC’s environmental assessment (EA) regime.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Environmental lawyers are celebrating the news that Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, has passed the House of Commons.

VICTORIA – On Saturday, April 14, 2018, the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) voted to send a climate accountability letter to Chevron, Exxon and 20 fossil fuel companies.

Local government association to vote on climate accountability

Organizations hopeful that amendments will help new legislation improve its score

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories - Lawyers from the West Coast Environmental Law Association applaud the Liability for Climate Harm Act, 2018, introduced today in the Ontario Legislature today by Peter Tabuns, MPP, the Environment and Climate Change Critic for the Ontario NDP.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – The BC government’s newly-announced review of environmental assessment (EA) processes is an important opportunity to transform decision-making in the province, say lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law Association.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Today, 45 leading organizations and public interest advocates from a broad range of sectors published an open letter welcoming the BC Attorney General’s commitment to enact legislation to protect British Columbians from strategic lawsuits against public p

Toronto, Ont – Civil society organizations working in a variety of sectors, such as health, the environment, anti-poverty and international development, are encouraged following the Government of Canada’s budget commitment to address their commitment to protect Canadian charities from political h

Toronto, Ont — 17 civil society organizations working in a variety of sectors, such as health, the environment, anti-poverty and international development, are asking Finance Minister Bill Morneau to make necessary and promised changes to the laws that govern charities as part of the federal gove

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories - Today, the BC government announced that it is initiating a reference case to confirm the scope of provincial authority to protect BC from the risks of a diluted bitumen spill.

Recently announced federal legislation must go further

Key problems highlighted as BC government prepares to launch review of EA processes

Amendments needed to fulfill government’s promise to restore public trust in environmental decisions

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Six years after the habitat provisions of the federal Fisheries Act were gutted, West Coast Environmental Law Association is pleased to see full habitat protection finally restored for all fish across Canada.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – West Coast Environmental Law applauds a new provincial plan announced today to restrict the transportation of diluted bitumen in BC unless the science shows that spills can safely be cleaned up.

Commitment to sustainability, public participation and reconciliation essential in next-generation assessment law

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Today’s announcement that New York City is suing fossil fuel companies for local climate impacts is a “game changer” for climate accountability, says West Coast Environmental Law.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – West Coast Environmental Law Association is pleased to see today’s announcement that the BC government has refused to grant an environmental assessment certificate for the proposed KGHM Ajax open-pit gold and copper mine.