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

Despite having one the largest coastal and marine areas in North America, many people will be surprised to hear that British Columbia is one of the very few coastal jurisdictions on the continent that does not have a coastal protection strategy and law.

We are facing a climate emergency and a biodiversity crisis. Canadians are already experiencing floods, fires, ecological disruption and as our planet continues to warm, our collective well-being is deeply under threat.

Who is minding the coast in BC?

The ocean is taking centre stage in the international law world.

This week a special subgroup of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) spoke out about the state of the world’s oceans and coasts. The facts are worrying – sea levels are rising, marine species hover on the brink of extinction, and ocean water quality is deteriorating.

H̓aíkḷa: To make things right – An opportunity for change

As summer draws to a close, West Coast is saying goodbye to another cohort of dedicated summer law students who have contributed to our legal programs over the past few months. Each year we host a new group of lawyers-to-be, who assist greatly with legal research, developing educational resources, legal aid support and more.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) come in many shapes and sizes, and are created under a welter of different laws.

The response to plastic needs to be drastic!

Imagine it’s summertime, and you’re having a backyard barbeque with some friends. You have some beers, a little something sizzling on the grill and maybe some fresh seafood. Sounds enticing, right?

Zero charges, one recent conviction, two overdue reports – the numbers tell the story on fish habitat protection law enforcement in Canada