Media Releases

Qualicum Beach, BC – The Township of Qualicum Beach Council voted yesterday, 4-1, to commit to work with other local governments to bring a class action lawsuit against global fossil fuel companies to recover a fair share of the township’s climate costs.

Topics: Sue Big Oil

Lawyers highlight need for urgency & increased ambition in forthcoming regulations

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/VANCOUVER 

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy

Environmental groups call on the BC government to deliver on its long-delayed promise to establish a public participation funding program for environmental assessments

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment

Biodiversity & ecosystem health to be legally established as ‘overarching priorities’ for all sectors 

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

Squamish, BC, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw – The District of Squamish will be the third BC local government to support a class action lawsuit against fossil fuel companies after Council, sitting as Committee of the Whole, voted 5-2 to set aside funds in the 2025 budget for this purpose. 

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

Majority of Canadians want oil companies to pay for the project; only 18% say the government is heading in the right direction

Topics: Climate and Energy, Tar Sands, Pipelines & Tankers

OTTAWA | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE – With six weeks to go until the UN Climate Change Conference COP28, a coalition of leaders of

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws

“This is not the win Alberta was hoping for,” say environmental lawyers

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment

Decision expected this Friday in Supreme Court of Canada reference case

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment

Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territories/VANCOUVER – A new study released today by World Weather Attribution (WWA) confir

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

Mandatory measures are welcome, but more action needed to close loopholes and address scrubber washwater

Topics: Marine Protection, Great Bear Sea

Lower Fraser Floodplains Forum brings together decision-makers and experts to chart a path forward for flood resilience

Topics: Fish & Wildlife, Healthy Waters, Community Climate Adaptation, Indigenous Law, Green Communities, Coastal Communities, Green Infrastructure

VIEW ROYAL, BC – At its Town Council meeting on Tuesday night, June 6th, View Royal Council voted to work with other local governments to bring a class action lawsuit against global fossil fuel companies for a share of municipal climate change costs.

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa — Alberta’s superior court today dismissed attempts by former Premier Jason Kenney and the Alberta government to throw out a defamation lawsuit brought forward by five environmental groups.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Climate and Energy

Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territories [Ottawa, ON] – This week, the federal government is defending its Impact Assessment Act (IAA) (formerly Bill C-69) at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Assessment

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories / VANCOUVER, BC 

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/VANCOUVER

Topics: Marine Protection, Great Bear Sea, Protected Areas, Fish & Wildlife, Indigenous Laws

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/VANCOUVER

Topics: Marine Protection, Great Bear Sea, Protected Areas, Fish & Wildlife

Federal biodiversity accountability law a “must” for addressing the nature crisis, environmental lawyers say

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

Amidst global climate and nature summits, the Green Budget Coalition detailed the federal investments needed to accelerate climate action and reverse biodiversity loss.

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws

Organizations delivered petitions to the Prime Minister’s Office today, asking that the federal government follow through on its COP26 promise to implement a strong, ambitious cap on oil and gas emissions.

Topics: Climate and Energy, Climate Solutions

Vancouver, BC, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Territories – West Coast Environmental Law released a new report today that shows how Ottawa’s lack of transparency, unusual corporate structure, and accounting wizardry is creating the illusion that Trans Mountain is commercially viable.

Topics: Climate and Energy, Tar Sands, Pipelines & Tankers

West Coast Environmental Law applauds local government officials at the 2022 Union of BC Municipalities Convention who passed two resolutions this morning in support of a provincial law to prioritize biodiversity and ecosystem health.

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

Court dismisses defamation lawsuit against Qualicum Beach residents

Topics: Strong Environmental Laws, Environmental Legal Aid

VANCOUVER/Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territories – A new poll released today by the Sue Big Oil campaign finds that 69% of British Columbians support their local government working with other local governments to sue the w

Topics: Climate and Energy, Sue Big Oil