Since 1989, the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund (EDRF) has supported community efforts to defend the health of the environment and build a more sustainable British Columbia. In honour of the Fund's 30th anniversary, we produced this report to highlight some of our most exciting work.
The EDRF provides free legal advice and support to British Columbians seeking to safeguard the environment through law. It is the only environmental legal aid program in BC that connects people with private environmental lawyers willing to take on public interest environmental law cases at legal aid rates.
Over the years the EDRF has partnered with thousands of community members, grassroots groups, environmental organizations, and Indigenous nations to support environmental protection in every corner of British Columbia. EDRF support has helped community groups understand their legal options, negotiate solutions, and advance environmental protection through law before many levels of court and government tribunals. We have distributed more than $5 million in grants to more than a thousand clients, ensuring that they have a voice in environmental decision-making.
This report offers a glimpse into the incredible impact of the EDRF – past, present, and future. It has been difficult to select only a few of the many stories we would have liked to share, but these stories bear evidence to the value the fund has provided for British Columbians during its 30-year history.
The EDRF is made possible by the generous financial support of the Law Foundation of British Columbia.