Media Releases

Court dismisses defamation lawsuit against Qualicum Beach residents

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Legal Aid

Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa — Environmental groups Environmental Defence, West Coast Environmental Law, Stand.earth, Dogwood and the Wilderness Committee have launched legal proceedings against Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and the Alberta government for defamatory statements that di

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

Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa — Environmental groups are demanding that Premier Jason Kenney retract statements and issue an apology for communications they say are defamatory and directly contrary to the findings of the Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy

Lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law Association welcome commitments for environmental and climate action in today’s federal Speech from the Throne, and say Canadians will be looking to the federal government for tangible steps to deliver on these and other key promises in the coming months.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Marine Protection

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/VANCOUVER—Time to get to work on climate action and a just recovery, say enviro lawyers.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/VANCOUVER – The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and West Coast Environmental Law Association today warned that BC’s recent Heat Dome may have caused an estimated five to s

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Community Climate Adaptation, Climate Solutions, Green Communities, Coastal Communities, Green Infrastructure

BC’s unprecedented heatwave highlights urgent need for action under federal law passed today

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Climate Solutions

OTTAWA, Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territories — Environmental organizations Climate Action Network-Réseau Action Climat, Ecojustice, Équiterre, David Suzuki Foundation and West Coast Environmental Law Association celebrate the final vote in the House of Commons to adopt the 

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Climate Solutions

Thousands of projects escape assessment under federal law

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

Groups urge all MPs to support Bill C-230 in final House vote this fall

OTTAWA, Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People 

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws

VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territories – With its new policy statemen

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment, Climate and Energy

Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territories [OTTAWA] - Environmental organizations Climate Action Network-Réseau Action Climat (CAN-Rac), Ecojustice, Équiterre, David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) and West Coast Environmental Law Association (WCELA) urge the House of Commons and Senate to move swift

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Climate Solutions

Climate accountability bill needs significant improvement to achieve net-zero emissions, experts warn

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Climate Solutions

MONTREAL / OTTAWA / VANCOUVER - Five environmental organizations – Climate Action Network Canada, the David Suzuki Foundation, Équiterre, Ecojustice and West Coast Environmental Law – are calling on federal parliamentarians to urgently prioritize the Net-Zero Emissions Accounta

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Climate Solutions

VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territories – West Coast Environmental Law applauds today’s decision by the Supreme Court upholding Canada’s price on carbon pollution, which confirmed the responsibility of all levels of government to take action to address the climate crisi

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Climate Solutions, Environmental Legal Aid, EDRF Legal Aid Fund

Urgent need for national strategy and law to address environmental racism

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Green Communities, Environmental Legal Aid

VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territories – West Coast Environmental Law is deeply disappointed by today’s decision by the BC government to continue construction on the Site C dam.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment, Climate and Energy, Environmental Legal Aid, EDRF Legal Aid Fund

The issue: Is it unconstitutional for Parliament to enact a law requiring federal assessments of the effects of major proposals such as coal mines and fossil fuel projects?

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

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, STAND.earth, WEST COAST ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy

Lawyers say changes are needed for the law to show true climate leadership

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Climate Solutions

Environmental lawyers look for government to deliver on commitments to aggressive climate vision and plan

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Indigenous Law, Marine Protection, Green Communities

VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territories – Jessica Clogg, West Coast Environmental Law’s Executive Director and Senior Counsel, made the following statement in response to Premier John Horgan’s announcement of an October 24th election:

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Green Communities

VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Territories – West Coast Environmental Law Association applauds the environment-related commitments made today by the BC government on COVID-19 recovery funding.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Green Communities

Please be advised that effective 1 August 2020, West Coast Environmental Law's office address will be changed. 

Telephone and fax numbers remain the same.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy, Indigenous Law, Marine Protection, Green Communities, Environmental Legal Aid, Legal Advice

OTTAWA, ON, Algonquin Anishnaabeg Territory – Environmental lawyers are welcoming improvements to the federal government’s Strategic Assessment of Climate Change (SACC), released today, but are also expressing frustration at its failure to establish an adequate “climate test” for assessing how in

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Canada's Environmental Reviews, Environmental Assessment, Climate and Energy