West Coast Environmental Law's Vancouver office is moving
Please be advised that effective 1 August 2020, West Coast Environmental Law's office address will be changed.
Telephone and fax numbers remain the same.
Climate and Energy
Updates to Strategic Assessment of Climate Change welcome, but huge gaps remain
OTTAWA, ON, Algonquin Anishnaabeg Territory – Environmental lawyers are welcoming improvements to the federal government’s Strategic Assessment of Climate Change (SACC), released today, but are also expressing frustration at its failure to establish an adequate “climate test” for assessing how individual projects will impact Canada’s ability to meet its climate targets.
Some advice to Canada on how to stop failing on climate change
How can Canada meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets and break its cycle of failing grades? Implement a Canadian Climate Accountability Act.
COVID-19 stimulus funding: The salmon in the room
It’s been encouraging to see reports that three federal ministers have been leading internal discussions about “green” COVID-19 stimulus funding for infrastructure: the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Three is nice, but four would be better. Wouldn’t it be great to see the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, at the table?
Supreme Court of Canada refuses to hear Trans Mountain appeal
Environmental lawyers vow to fight on as Court denies leave for Indigenous legal challenges
Indigenous activism in Canada’s past, present and future
By Rayanna Seymour-Hourie – on Canada’s 153rd birthday
Seeking Canada’s recognition of Indigenous peoples’ inherent rights to our lands and our governance systems is a long journey, a marathon. On Canada’s birthday today – the date in 1867 when the British North America Act became effective, creating what we now know as Canada – many Indigenous and racialized individuals and communities reflect on what this day means.
What happens when climate change-fueled wildfires meet COVID?
In mid-April, as BC was ramping up its response to COVID-19, a wildfire burned through more than 200 hectares north of Squamish, leading to the evacuation of about 30 homes. The evacuation was relatively small, and provincial and local emergency services seem to have worked well together to keep evacuees safe from both the virus and the fire.
The Trans Mountain pipeline and specific claims
On Friday June 12, the Trans Mountain pipeline spilled an estimated 190,000 litres of oil at the Sumas Pump Station near Abbotsford, BC. This is the 85th oil spill from the nearly 70-year-old pipeline, confirming the fears of many that oil spills are inevitable.
Indigenous Leaders and Environmental Groups Demand Independent Federal and BC Investigation into Safety of Existing TMX Pipeline After Latest Oil Spill
“The federal government investigating itself is clearly not an option,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC
A New Canadian Climate Accountability Act
Canada has missed every greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction target that has been set prior to its 2030 target. In order to meet our obligations to address climate change, a legal framework is needed to ensure accountability.