Contents:
How do we Protect the BC Coast? Keep the Moratoria!
This was the message delivered by West Coast Environmental Law staff lawyer Karen Campbell to the Federal Public Panel Reviewing the over 30 years-old offshore moratoria, which recently held hearings in Vancouver, Victoria, and in BC’s coastal communities.
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/01.htm
Nominations in for Dr. Andrew Thompson Award
Nominations include premiers and piano tuners, feisty activists and seasoned lawyers.
The nominations are in for the first Dr. Andrew Thompson Award. The award, to be presented at West Coast’s 30th Anniversary Celebration on October 14th (see accompanying notice on page 8), will recognize an individual for lifelong contributions to the environmental protection and sustainability of British Columbia through the law.
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/02.htm
Andy Thompson Award Nominees
See above article.
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/03.htm
Ecological and Cultural Values on the Line
Deregulation of thousands of hectares of forest land on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii
Recent agreements between Forest Companies and the BC government have removed thousands of hectares of land from the protection of the Forest and Range Practices Act.
Historically, timber companies gained access to timber rights on public and indigenous lands in exchange for accepting certain social and environmental responsibilities, including bringing some of their private lands into the tree farm licence (TFL) system. “In many cases, these private lands (‘Schedule A’ lands) have been managed as a form of quasi-Crown land for close to four decades,” says West Coast staff lawyer Jessica Clogg. Unlike other private forest lands, TFL Schedule A lands are subject to the Forest Practices Code/Forest and Range Practices Act, and are subject to restrictions on raw log exports. Until now…
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/04.htm
Building Bridges Update - Raising Climate Change Awareness Among Chinese Speaking Canadians
While global warming, climate change and the Kyoto Protocol are hot topics of debate among scientists and politicians, as often played out in the media, there has been far less information on these issues available to the Chinese community. Through our Building Bridges program, which aims to enhance multicultural community environmental capacity, West Coast took the lead in delivering a climate change social marketing campaign directed at Chinese speaking Canadians.
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/05.htm
Aboriginal Peoples Take a Stand on Land and Resource Issues
On May 20, 2004, close to 2,500 indigenous people and supporters gathered at the provincial legislature on the last day of the legislative session to send a strong message to the BC government and industry that they must stop their “assault on the land” and deal honourably and fairly with Aboriginal Peoples.
The “Moving Forward in Unity” rally concluded a multi-day caravan that brought Aboriginal Peoples from every corner of the province to Victoria. Leaders, elders and youth participants came by bus, van, plane and canoe from as far away as Haida Gwaii in the northwest and Treaty 8 territory in the northeast to participate in a one-day conference on land and resource issues and the unity rally. The caravan, conference and rally were the latest initiative of the “Title and Rights Alliance”, a collective initiative among treaty, non-treaty and non-aligned bands and Tribal Nations from across British Columbia.
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/06.htm
The Search for Buried Treasure: Offshore Oil and Gas and Secret Reports
Truth is the primary beneficiary of the freedom of information laws that shine light on government actions. But truth may prove harder to find if the BC government succeeds in a recent case before BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Commissioner.
The case deals with West Coast Environmental Law’s request for documents related to the production of an expert report on Offshore Oil and Gas exploration, but the larger issue at stake is whether government can suppress publicly funded policy advice by contracting it out to the private sector.
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/07.htm
Province Gains New Powers to Protect Species – But will it use them?
Changes to the Wildlife Act will give the Province new powers to declare fish and plants as endangered, and new powers to protect ‘species residences.’ However, protection of species and their habitat is still dependent on cabinet taking action – an approach that has plagued protection of endangered species in BC for the last quarter-century.
While recognizing that the amendments contain some improvements, West Coast Environmental Law staff lawyer Andrew Gage expressed disappointment at what he feels is “weak and half-hearted legislation.”
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/08.htm
West Coast is turning 30 – Come celebrate with us!
It’s hard to believe, West Coast Environmental Law is turning 30 this year. It was in 1974 that six law students opened up an office in the Dominion Building and called their operation the BC Environmental Law Centre.
Read the full article: http://www.wcel.org/4976/30/01/09.htm
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