Environmental and Legal Resources
Resources to assist you if your legal issue falls outside our criteria, and to help you to develop your understanding of the law and how to use it to accomplish your environmental protection goals.
Environmental Legal Support
EDRF Grantee Tools
Here are helpful resources and information for EDRF applicants and grantees to refer to throughout the application and granting process.
Sophie Harrison
Sophie (she/her) was born and raised on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territory in Vancouver, B.C. She holds a BA in economics from Stanford University, where she founded the fossil fuel divestment campaign that convinced Stanford to divest from coal in 2014. She obtained her JD from the University of British Columbia, where she served as a clinician at the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic.
Nominations Open: Youth Changemakers for Environmental Justice
Know a young person who has made important contributions to environmental justice in BC, and/or who has a vision for how strong Canadian and/or Indigenous laws could contribute to ecological and community resilience in BC over the next 50 years. Nominate them to be recognized as a Young Changemaker for Environmental Justice!
We’re Witnessing Climate Displacement Now – But Do We Have Legal Protections or Strategy in Place to Respond?
During the UN climate conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, climate-induced migration was one of the key issues in the spotlight for world leaders and climate experts. From hurricanes in the Caribbean to devastating flooding in Spain and Sumatra, each month seems to bring new stories of unnatural disasters that are destroying homes and uprooting families.
2024 Andrew Thompson Award: Recognizing 50 Years of Changemakers for Environmental Justice
In 2024, West Coast Environmental Law is celebrating our 50th anniversary – marking five action-packed decades of legal research, advocacy and action in service of nature and communities.
In our work alongside Indigenous peoples and organizations, grassroots groups and concerned community members, over the years we have had the honour of working with innumerable individuals who have made outstanding contributions to environmental protection and sustainability in BC through law.
2024 Andrew Thompson Award honours 50 years of changemakers for environmental justice
West Coast Environmental Law is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Andrew Thompson Award, which recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding lifetime contribution to environmental protection and sustainability through law in BC.
Joanna El-Mikati
Joanna (she/her) is a Staff Lawyer at WCEL supporting the Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air and Water (RELAW), Access to Justice, and Climate teams. Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, Joanna is a forced migrant who is honored to have since grown up across Kwikwetlem, S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Semiahmoo, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh Territories.
Celebrating 50 years of transforming the legal landscape
Throughout West Coast’s history, we’ve been committed to transforming the legal landscape in ways that are more sustainable, more democratic and more just. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we’re reflecting on five key moments that have made the organization into what it is today.
Support Bill C-226: Canada’s environmental justice law
Join us in calling on the Senate to pass Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice.