On March 21-22, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) will hear arguments over one of the country’s most fundamental federal environmental laws – the Impact Assessment Act. West Coast Environmental Law is intervening in the case on behalf of ourselves and Nature Canada, alongside a number of other intervenors who agree that the Act must be upheld.
From February 3-9, ocean experts from around the world came together in Vancouver for the 5th International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), to connect, share knowledge and make progress on global marine protection goals.
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.
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).
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.
In February 2022, the federal government announced that the cost of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX) had soared to $21,400,000,000, and Canadians were told “the government will spend no additional public money on the project” and “the project remains commercially viable.” New analysis by economist Robyn Allan disproves both claims and shows how the federal government is hiding Trans Mountain’s compromised viability.
In July, Canada released a discussion paper outlining options and considerations for establishing a cap on oil and gas sector emissions, as part of its strategy for reaching its 2030 reductions target and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
West Coast really lucked out this year with our incredible cohort of summer law students! For the past four months, our legal interns have been getting a taste of what practicing environmental and Indigenous law looks like by supporting our programs on applied issues – including research, attending forums, contributing to blogs and reports, and much more.
We at West Coast are grateful to have been a part of their legal journey and we look forward to seeing what’s in store for this next generation of environmental lawyers. Check out what they had to say about their time with us:
Standing under the towering presence of a 600+ year old being, a hushed awe permeates the group. As we silently recognize the magnificence of this life form, I suspect I am not the only one who longs to hear the stories this tree carries.