The record level of public engagement shown in the recent BC government consultations on cosmetic pesticides (8,700 people) shows that democracy is alive and well in BC. Whether you were one of the thousands of people who made their views known in that consultation or not, why not raise your voice for the environment in one of the other public consultations that the government is carrying out?  Right now you can make your views known on the government's proposed, sweeping "Environmental Mitigation Policy" and/or on a program to fund energy efficiency retro-fits through the energy savings that they generate. 

Today (November 7th) I’m appearing before the BC Legislature’s Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides to argue in favour of a ban on cosmetic use of pesticides.  We’ve made a brief video below of the powerpoint and presentation that I’m going to give them.

At the end of September, West Coast lawyers hit the Union of B.C. Municipalities annual mega-conference in Vancouver. It’s a week-long, intense festival of policy discussions and meetings, and it really is one-stop shopping for any organization – including public interest lawyers -  who want to push forward their agendas for change.  But we didn’t just go to the UBCM to hang around. Along with our friends at Dogwood Initiative, we were helping to push forward a resolution that the City of Victoria and the City of Burnaby had sponsored against plans to increase crude oil tanker traffic on the south coast of BC, through Vancouver harbour, the Gulf Islands, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Several days spent at the end of September at UBCM, the annual gathering of local government officials from around the province was a perfect opportunity for West Coast Environmental Law to connect directly with some of the individuals working on the frontlines to make their communities great places to work and live. West Coast was very happy to see UBCM voting delegates endorse Resolution B91, which recommends that the Province of BC develop a science-based nature and climate conservation strategy.  Kudos to the District of Tofino and the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities for bringing Resolution B91 forward.

On September 13th, 2011, the Land Use Committee A of the Capital Regional District (CRD) voted to reject a rezoning proposal that would have allowed the controversial Marine Trail Resort development, at the boundaries of the Juan De Fuca Marine Trail Provincial Park.  The rezoning bylaw had been widely expected to pass, but a groundswell of public opposition – and a legal opinion funded by West Coast Environmental Law – helped convince the CRD Directors to oppose it.  Congratulations to all involved! 

A BC Court of Appeal decision issued earlier this month (July 5th) has confirmed that the province’s Riparian Areas Regulation (RAR) by itself provides little legal protection for fish habitat.  The RAR is the province’s primary legal tool to protect fish habitat from development located immediately next to streams and lakes, and this decision should be very troubling to anyone concerned about the environment and the protection of fish.  However, the Court of Appeal’s decision illustrates real and serious problems with the RAR that West Coast Environmental Law first identified when it was enacted in 2005.

Last week (on July 13th), Madame Justice Wedge of the BC Supreme Court sided with the Halalt First Nation and suspended plans to pump water from the Chemainus aquifer to be used in the District of North Cowichan.  The decision raises fundamental questions about how we manage water, and our assumption that there will always be clean water available for development.  West Coast Environmental Law is proud to have supported the Halalt First Nation in their legal challenge through a series of grants from our Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund (EDRF).

Anyone interested in rapid transit in Vancouver has until this Friday, April 22nd to tell Translink what they think about the proposed Broadway line. Before you weigh in, check out this YouTube video put together by folks in Detroit about a similar debate there.

A current controversy in White Rock over trees being cut on city lands is an important reminder: trees benefit all of us and our governments need to protect them.

Metro Vancouver has given second reading to its new Regional Growth Strategy (RGS), and sent the plan to its member municipalities for approval.  But the plan is coming under attack from critics concerned about urban sprawl and the protection of agricultural lands.