At West Coast, we work with Indigenous nations to articulate, revitalize and apply their laws to address ongoing environmental challenges in their territories – from polluted waters to depleted oceans to clearcut lands – and the interrelated socio-cultural impacts of these issues. Our approach is grounded in the understanding that Indigenous nations’ own laws should guide decision-making in their territories.

Participating in a RELAW Project enables Indigenous nations to engage with their laws in a proactive way – getting ahead of regulatory processes or legal proceedings through proactive planning and community deliberation.

For example, through the RELAW Program, we’ve worked with over a dozen Indigenous partners on projects grounded in their own laws. You can read about some of these projects in the following publications:

• Revitalizing St’át’imc Law for Land, Air and Water: Telling the RELAW Story
• Shuswap Nation Tribal Council: Telling the RELAW Story
• Revitalizing Haíɫzaqv Law for Land, Air and Water: Telling the RELAW Story

Explore the links below for more inspiring stories about how our Indigenous partners are working to apply their laws to environmental decisions in their territories.