Climate and Energy

“We have spent our entire existence adapting. We'll adapt.  [Climate Change is] an engineering problem and there will be an engineering solution.” – Rex Tillerson, CEO, Exxon Mobil

The pile of lawsuits sitting on top of the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines and Tankers Project keeps getting bigger, and this time the Province of British Columbia has been dragged into the mix.

The empty NEB hearing room was a stark contrast to the public protesting outside. Photos by Eugene Kung.

January was a busy start to the new year on the Kinder Morgan file. Here’s a snapshot:

It’s been a while since we’ve updated you about Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker expansion project (KMX). A lot has happened in the past few months, so here’s a snapshot of where we’re at:

Political approvals

It’s been a busy few months with a lot of new challenges and developments regarding the Enbridge and Kinder Morgan pipelines and tankers proposals. We thought we’d take a step back to give an update on some of the major legal developments.

Were you excited to read our take on the supposed visionary green budget proposed by the federal government earlier today?

Or did you catch on right away that anything received on April 1^st should likely be taken with a grain of salt? We hope you’re not offended by our little prank! We aimed to make an important point about the federal government’s dismantling of our environmental safety net over the last few years.

You know those little letters that come after people's names that indicate that they get paid the big bucks for giving people – and governments and corporations – advice?  Letters like (in addition to LLB or JD), RPF (Registered Professional Forester), RPBio (Registered Professional Biologist), P.Eng.

Prime Minister Harper was in Vancouver on August 7 and took the opportunity to tell Canadians that any decision on the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipelines and tankers project would be made through an “independent process” and on the basis of science, not politics.

From providing legal aid for communities to defend their environment, to revitalizing Indigenous laws, and holding fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in climate change – this year the West Coast team will continue working toward a better future for people and the environment in Canada.

Check out our short video to meet some of our talented lawyers and program staff, and see what we're most excited about in our work for 2017.