Media Releases

VANCOUVER — BC’s Oil and Gas Commission withheld a report from the public for four years showing that 900 gas wells could be leaking methane - a finding that highlights why a public inquiry into oil and gas industry fracking operations is needed. 

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Lawyers with Vancouver-based West Coast Environmental Law congratulated Peruvian farmer, Saul Luciano Lliuya, for yesterday’s court win against German coal giant, RWE.

VANCOUVER – A promised “review” of natural gas industry fracking operations should be broadened to a full Public Inquiry that examines all aspects of the dangerous gas extraction technique, says a coalition of community, First Nation and environmental organizations.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law are pleased to see the progress the federal government has made in marine conservation over the past two years, which was highlighted today during an

VICTORIA, BC – Last night the City of Colwood became the fourth municipality on southern Vancouver Island to demand accountability from fossil fuel companies for local climate impacts.

OTTAWA – A coalition of environmental groups will host a reception and panel discussion next week to discuss vital reforms needed to strengthen environmental assessment in Canada.

OTTAWA - Leading environmental organizations, Indigenous nations and prominent people in Canada are calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal government to restore protection for 99% of all lakes and rivers in Canada.

VICTORIA, BC – Last night the City of Victoria voted nearly unanimously to send a "Climate Accountability Letter" to 20 of the world's largest fossil fuel companies, asking the companies to pay their share of the municipality's climate costs.

Time is running out to fend off extinction

Vancouver, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Today environmental leaders from across Canada will converge at ground zero for the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tankers project, on the water in Burrard Inlet.

Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver BC - British Columbians deserve the same federal climate review for the Kinder Morgan pipeline project as was promised for Energy East, says a diverse group of BC First Nations, local groups and citizens.

SMITHERS, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Today a broad range of groups including northerners, Indigenous organizations, local governments, labour unions and environmental groups, are sending a strong message of support for Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Canada’s plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) will require substantial changes in how we make decisions affecting water, according to a

VICTORIA, BC – Last night the Council of the District of Saanich voted unanimously (7-0) to send a “Climate Accountability Letter” to 20 of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies, asking the companies to pay their share of the municipality’s climate costs.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – The BC government has revealed a series of steps aimed at defending the coast and communities from the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project, with a focus on ensuring that the Province meets its constitutional obligations to consult and accommodate In

VICTORIA, BC – The West Coast Environmental Law Association applauds the District of Highlands, a Southern Vancouver Island municipality, for sending a “Climate Accountability Letter” to 20 of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies.

Fifty years ago, on the centennial of confederation, Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation said:

"Oh Canada, how can I celebrate with you this centenary, this hundred years?"

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Following the release of the federal government’s discussion paper 

Proposed changes to Fisheries Act and National Energy Board encouraging, but environmental assessment and Navigation Protection Act reforms fall far short, say environmental lawyers

Proposed changes add some wind to the law’s sails; more needed for rough waters ahead

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – A new backgrounder released today by West Coast Environmental Law Association outlines concrete legal strategies that British Columbia could employ to stand up to Kinder Morgan and defend the environment, communities and the climate from the risks associa

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has launched a new campaign targeting potential investors in the Kinder Morgan pipeline highlighting the legal and political risks of the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline ahead of the company's IPO.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories - The report released today by the Expert Panel on the Modernization of the National Energy Board (NEB) contains a mixed bag of recommendations to significantly overhaul Canada’s system for re

VANCOUVER – Environmental lawyers are congratulating the federal government on the introduction in Parliament today of the proposed Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which marks a critical step forward in efforts to protect the north Pacific coast from the risk of oil spills.

Ottawa, ON – Today, 21 leading charities and non-profit organizations reacted to a new independent Expert Panel Report by requesting the federal government immediately table a bill to implement the recomm