Squamish boreholes and FortisBC’s sleight of hand
Tuesday, January 20, 2015 A number of people have recently contacted us about a legal controversy that has emerged in Squamish concerning FortisBC and its plans to drill five boreholes…
Andrew
Demand justice for Lemon Creek
Thursday, January 15, 2015 We need your help to get justice for Lemon Creek and the residents of the Slocan Valley. Please take a moment to ask the Canadian Department…
Top Environmental Law Alerts of 2014
Friday, December 19, 2014 It’s been a busy year – with West Coast sounding the alarm on some major changes to BC’s laws and analyzing and commenting on other legal…
West Coast and NWI Launch North Coast Community Dialogue Session Series on LNG and Cumulative Impacts Management
Thursday, December 18, 2014 On December 11, West Coast Environmental Law, along with the Northwest Institute for Bioregional Research (NWI), co-hosted the first of a series of community dialogue sessions…
Lost in translation on Burnaby Mountain
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 It’s a bit over twenty years since I was arrested, along with 300 other people who stood on the Kennedy Lake Road on August 9th, 1993,…
RISING to the challenge and protecting our communities and our coastlines
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 RISE, a recent competition organized by Simon Fraser University, asked entrants to come up with a visionary solution to make the greater Vancouver area more resilient…
Site C legal challenges expose flaws in federal and BC environmental assessment processes
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 Four legal challenges to last month’s approvals of BC Hydro’s proposed Site C dam demonstrate the risks associated with the erosion of legal mechanisms for meaningful…
Happy 40th birthday, West Coast Environmental Law
Monday, November 17, 2014 This year, West Coast Environmental Law is proud to celebrate our 40th anniversary and the many accomplishments the organization has achieved over the past four decades.…
Field Notes: Coal exports in the BC Supreme Court
Friday, November 14, 2014 On the morning of October 27, I was excited not to have to go into the office, but not for the reasons one might think. As…
Leading Haida Lawyer and Gitanyow Hereditary Chief Joint Winners of 2014 Andrew Thompson Award
Friday, November 14, 2014 The winners of the 2014 Andrew Thompson award were announced at our 40th anniversary celebration last week. The award was established in 2002 by West Coast…
Hey, Suncor: your greenhouse gases are showing!
Thursday, November 13, 2014 We’re gratified that Suncor – one of Canada’s largest oil sands companies – has taken the time to read – and publicly disagree with – our…
Canada-China Free Trade Agreement is not the end of environmental law
Monday, November 3, 2014 Since FIPPA was ratified we’ve received several inquiries asking what the ratification means for the environment. While the FIPPA provisions are certainly alarming, we do not…
Taking the law into her own hands after Lemon Creek jet-fuel spill
Friday, October 31, 2014 After months of pressing the province and the federal government to charge Executive Flight Services for spilling 35,000 litres of jet fuel into Lemon Creek, killing…
Climate victims and the demand for climate compensation
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 Even if you don’t agree that liability for climate damages is imminent (and for many it is a novel concept), we know beyond a reasonable doubt…
British Columbians go to court to protect the environment
Monday, October 27, 2014 Over the next 2 months five cases funded by our Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund will be in courts in 3 cities, addressing disputes involving 5 different…
First Nations, Non-Governmental Organizations and Union Get Green Light to Proceed With a Barrage of Court Cases against Enbridge Northern Gateway Proposal
Monday, October 20, 2014 Earlier this month, a large number of First Nations and organizations celebrated an important step forward when all of their cases challenging the federal approval of…
What transnational climate litigation might mean for fossil fuel companies and their investors
Thursday, October 9, 2014 I’m pleased to announce the release of a major new report – Payback Time? – What the internationalization of climate litigation could mean for Canadian oil…
Desmond Tutu raises climate compensation ahead of UN Climate Summit
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 Last week Nobel Peace Prize winner, and one of the spiritual leaders of our time, Archbishop Desmond Tutu called on governments to make fossil fuel companies…
Field Notes from the Totem Pole Journey
Friday, September 19, 2014 WCEL is honoured to have partnered with Lummi Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation to help deliver a 21 foot western red cedar totem pole carved by master…
The Enbridge Pipeline & Tankers Project: Dead or resting?
Thursday, September 18, 2014 Northern Gateway’s President, John Carruthers, now accepts that the start date for the Enbridge Pipeline and Tankers Project – which Enbridge had expected in 2018 –…