Parliament passed Bill C-5 giving the federal government sweeping powers to fast-track projects deemed to be in the “national interest.” We’ve set out seven non-negotiable criteria for what truly counts as being in the national interest.
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.
BC Bill 14 promises to speed up approvals for renewable energy projects. But in practice, it’s designed to power LNG exports and mining – and it could gut environmental oversight in the process.
This summer, the West Coast office has been buzzing with the addition of five law students to our team. Check out what they had to say about their time with us!
Did you know that West Coast Environmental Law is home to Canada’s only dedicated public interest marine law program? We chatted with Georgia Lloyd-Smith, Staff Lawyer on West Coast’s Marine team about the program’s priorities.
Every summer, West Coast’s Summer Outreach Coordinator leads a team of dedicated volunteers to attend events throughout the Lower Mainland, sharing West Coast’s work and vision for the future. We chatted with this year’s Summer Outreach Coordinator, Tra Mi Do Le, about why having a presence at public events is so important.
Bill C-5 sets a dangerous precedent by bulldozing regulatory guardrails and evidence-based decision making, and sidelining Indigenous rights. In this op-ed, Staff Lawyer Anna Johnston argues that acting in our "national interest" means looking before we leap into decisions about major projects.
This Canada Day we are reflecting on the values that we need most to stand up in this moment and the history we need to learn from. Here is what some of our staff have to say.
By sidelining scientific rigour and public oversight of those projects, Bill C-5 could put Canadians at risk while failing to address the immediate needs of Canadians whose employment and cost of living have been impacted by Trump’s tariffs. All while pitting Canadians against each other, fueling national dis-unity at a time when Canadians need to come together.
Ramming risky projects through with little or no oversight is not the pathway to a resilient, sustainable and fair economy. Instead, the BC government should work with First Nations, local governments and the public to find solutions that work.
Send a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and the Senate, asking them to scrap Bill C-5 and send it back to the drawing board. Canadians deserve – and need – better.