Erin (she/her/hers) is a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law’s Marine team, based on the unceded territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Ləkʷəŋən peoples in Victoria. She focuses on law and policy reform that supports ecosystems and communities, and in particular enables the creation of strong marine protected areas; resilient shorelines; sustainable coastal development; and considers a precautionary approach to emerging marine industries.
Erin comes to West Coast from a private practice working exclusively in public interest environmental law and on self-governance matters and other general solicitor’s work for Indigenous governments. She worked for several years on legal aid files through the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund on issues ranging from air pollution permitting, responsible development in urban environments, and a climate change-related Charter challenge. She has also worked with Rivers Without Borders, which seeks to protect the watersheds of the BC-Alaska transboundary region, and with the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre, including as a supervising lawyer for students in its clinical program.
Erin is an organizer with Lawyers for Climate Justice, a group that seeks to advance climate justice within the legal profession in Canada.