Media Releases

VICTORIA, BC, Lekwungen Territories – West Coast Environmental Law Association is celebrating today’s introduction of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which will bring the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (“UN Declaration”) into provincial law.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Climate campaigners at West Coast Environmental Law and the Georgia Strait Alliance responded to today’s announcement by the City of Victoria at the Union of BC Municipalities that one of Canada’s foremost legal minds, Joe Arvay of Arvay Finlay, will

Legislation loses points for regulations that exempt high-carbon projects from review

Today, Vancouver City Council voted 7-4 to take a series of actions demanding that global fossil fuel companies share in the climate change costs incurred by the City. 

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – In an 8-1 vote, the City of Richmond voted last night to ask BC Premier John Horgan to enact a Liability for Climate-related Harms Act confirming the right of local governments to recover a fair share of climate costs from global fossil fuel comp

VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territories – Environmental lawyers welcome the news that Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, has passed a final vote in the Senate and will become law.

West Coast Environmental Law reacts to federal government’s re-approval of the project

Government rejects Senate amendment that would add unneeded re-assessment of the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act

Motion tabled in House of Commons today would restore key safeguards Canadians voted for in 2015, environmental lawyers say

Canada’s top court will be called on to resolve constitutionality of BC’s proposed law

Unelected Senate must honour government commitment to a B.C. North Coast oil tanker moratorium, groups say

WILLIAMS LAKE, Secwepemc Territory – Andrew Gage, Staff Lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law, made the following statement in response to Resolution 21, passed today at the North Central Local Gove

Ottawa, Ont.

Williams Lake, Secwepemc Territory – Andrew Gage, a staff lawyer from West Coast Environmental Law, is attending this week’s North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA) meeting to hear firsthand how wildfires and other climate-related impacts have affected northern communities – and how th

All projects that pose a climate risk must receive a rigorous assessment, say environmental lawyers

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Environmental lawyers are delighted that City of Toronto staff will examine how the city’s massive climate change-related costs can be recovered from the fo

POWELL RIVER, BC – Tla’amin Territory – Local government officials meeting in Powell River this weekend will grapple with how taxpayers can afford to pay for a rising tide of climate change costs.

VANCOUVER, Coast Salish Territories – BC environmental organizations are celebrating that 20 communities have now voted to send letters to 20 fossil fuel companies.

Environmental groups and intervenors warn of further legal challenges

VICTORIA, Territory of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations – Lawyers with West Coast Environmental Law applauded BC’s Budget 2019 for delivering on funding promises to implement the government’s climate plan, CleanBC.

VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Territories - The Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources voted unanimously yesterday to travel to select regions in Canada during its study of Bill C-69, which introduces important measures to improve federal

VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Territories - A new report released by Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer challenges proponents’ claims about the financial benefits of the Trans Mountain pipeline, says West Coast Environmental Law.

VICTORIA, Territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations – A resolution passed by Victoria Council late last night (8-1) challenges BC municipalities to work together on a class action lawsuit against global fossil fuel companies for a share of BC climate costs.

VANCOUVER, COAST SALISH TERRITORIES - Lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law applaud the BC Government’s CleanBC plan as an important step towards reducing the province’s greenhouse gas pollution while moving to attract environmentally-minded businesses and investment.

Pushback is an attempt to bypass crucial environmental oversight