Media Releases

VICTORIA – On Saturday, April 14, 2018, the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) voted to send a climate accountability letter to Chevron, Exxon and 20 fossil fuel companies.

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

Local government association to vote on climate accountability

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

Organizations hopeful that amendments will help new legislation improve its score

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Canada's Environmental Reviews, Environmental Assessment

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories - Lawyers from the West Coast Environmental Law Association applaud the Liability for Climate Harm Act, 2018, introduced today in the Ontario Legislature today by Peter Tabuns, MPP, the Environment and Climate Change Critic for the Ontario NDP.

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – The BC government’s newly-announced review of environmental assessment (EA) processes is an important opportunity to transform decision-making in the province, say lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law Association.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment, Lands & Forests, Fish & Wildlife, Healthy Waters

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Today, 45 leading organizations and public interest advocates from a broad range of sectors published an open letter welcoming the BC Attorney General’s commitment to enact legislation to protect British Columbians from strategic lawsuits against public p

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Legal Aid, EDRF Legal Aid Fund, Legal Advice

Toronto, Ont – Civil society organizations working in a variety of sectors, such as health, the environment, anti-poverty and international development, are encouraged following the Government of Canada’s budget commitment to address their commitment to protect Canadian charities from political h

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws

Toronto, Ont — 17 civil society organizations working in a variety of sectors, such as health, the environment, anti-poverty and international development, are asking Finance Minister Bill Morneau to make necessary and promised changes to the laws that govern charities as part of the federal gove

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories - Today, the BC government announced that it is initiating a reference case to confirm the scope of provincial authority to protect BC from the risks of a diluted bitumen spill.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Tar Sands, Pipelines & Tankers

Recently announced federal legislation must go further

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Canada's Environmental Reviews, Healthy Waters

Key problems highlighted as BC government prepares to launch review of EA processes

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment

Amendments needed to fulfill government’s promise to restore public trust in environmental decisions

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Canada's Environmental Reviews, Environmental Assessment, Lands & Forests, Fish & Wildlife, Healthy Waters, Climate and Energy

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Six years after the habitat provisions of the federal Fisheries Act were gutted, West Coast Environmental Law Association is pleased to see full habitat protection finally restored for all fish across Canada.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Canada's Environmental Reviews, Fish & Wildlife, Marine Protection, Protected Areas

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – West Coast Environmental Law applauds a new provincial plan announced today to restrict the transportation of diluted bitumen in BC unless the science shows that spills can safely be cleaned up.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Tar Sands, Pipelines & Tankers

Commitment to sustainability, public participation and reconciliation essential in next-generation assessment law

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Canada's Environmental Reviews, Environmental Assessment

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Today’s announcement that New York City is suing fossil fuel companies for local climate impacts is a “game changer” for climate accountability, says West Coast Environmental Law.

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – West Coast Environmental Law Association is pleased to see today’s announcement that the BC government has refused to grant an environmental assessment certificate for the proposed KGHM Ajax open-pit gold and copper mine.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment, Lands & Forests, Indigenous Law, Indigenous Law, Environmental Legal Aid, EDRF Legal Aid Fund

VANCOUVER — BC’s Oil and Gas Commission withheld a report from the public for four years showing that 900 gas wells could be leaking methane - a finding that highlights why a public inquiry into oil and gas industry fracking operations is needed. 

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Lands & Forests, Healthy Waters, Climate and Energy

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Lawyers with Vancouver-based West Coast Environmental Law congratulated Peruvian farmer, Saul Luciano Lliuya, for yesterday’s court win against German coal giant, RWE.

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

VANCOUVER – A promised “review” of natural gas industry fracking operations should be broadened to a full Public Inquiry that examines all aspects of the dangerous gas extraction technique, says a coalition of community, First Nation and environmental organizations.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Lands & Forests, Healthy Waters, Climate and Energy

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law are pleased to see the progress the federal government has made in marine conservation over the past two years, which was highlighted today during an

Topics: Marine Protection, Protected Areas, Great Bear Sea

VICTORIA, BC – Last night the City of Colwood became the fourth municipality on southern Vancouver Island to demand accountability from fossil fuel companies for local climate impacts.

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

OTTAWA – A coalition of environmental groups will host a reception and panel discussion next week to discuss vital reforms needed to strengthen environmental assessment in Canada.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Canada's Environmental Reviews, Environmental Assessment

OTTAWA - Leading environmental organizations, Indigenous nations and prominent people in Canada are calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal government to restore protection for 99% of all lakes and rivers in Canada.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Canada's Environmental Reviews, Healthy Waters