Environmental Law Alert Blog

Through our Environmental Law Alert blog, West Coast keeps you up to date on the latest developments and issues in environmental law. This includes:

  • proposed changes to the law that will weaken, or strengthen, environmental protection;
  • stories and situations where existing environmental laws are failing to protect the environment; and
  • emerging legal strategies that could be used to protect our environment.

If you have an environmental story that we should hear about, please e-mail Andrew Gage. We welcome your comments on any of the posts to this blog – but please keep in mind our policies on comments.

2020 Canadian Law Blog Awards Winner

This spring, the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance (LFFA) and RELAW (Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air & Water) brought young people and Guardians from Lower Fraser First Nations together to discuss the importance

The hearing of Gitxaała Nation’s ground-breaking case challenging the provincial government’s “free entry” mineral claim staking regime

The Human Rights Commissioner intervened in the Gitxaala Nation and Ehattesaht First Nation's cases challenging the Province's registration of mineral claims on their territories with no prior consultation. As an intervenor, her role was to assist the court and is independent from the parties.

After three years of deliberations, engagement, and drafting, the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs established the Gitanyow Wilp Sustainability Assessment Process (GWSAP) in 2020.

Last month, the West Coast team attended the UN Biodiversity Conference (aka COP15) in Montreal, where we pushed for meaningful action from our governments to better respect and protect nature.

At the recent UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), Canada joined other countries in making ambitious commitments to protect nature.

On December 15th and 16th, Justice Ross of the BC Supreme Court heard from a wide range of applicants seeking permission to intervene in an important legal challenge launched by the Smgyigyetm Gitxaała and Gitxaała Nation (Gitxaała).

Reflections from our RELAW* Retreat: Indigenous Law in Story  
(Retreat 1 of 3: November 14–17th, 2022)

*Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air & Water

West Coast lawyers are on the ground at the most important nature conference of the century

One year on from the November 2021 flood events in BC, it’s clear as we look towards the future there are no easy answers for the Lower Fraser River floodplain and the communities who live there.