Media Releases

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

VICTORIA, BC – Last night the City of Victoria voted nearly unanimously to send a "Climate Accountability Letter" to 20 of the world's largest fossil fuel companies, asking the companies to pay their share of the municipality's climate costs.

Time is running out to fend off extinction

Vancouver, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Today environmental leaders from across Canada will converge at ground zero for the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tankers project, on the water in Burrard Inlet.

Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver BC - British Columbians deserve the same federal climate review for the Kinder Morgan pipeline project as was promised for Energy East, says a diverse group of BC First Nations, local groups and citizens.

SMITHERS, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Today a broad range of groups including northerners, Indigenous organizations, local governments, labour unions and environmental groups, are sending a strong message of support for Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Canada’s plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) will require substantial changes in how we make decisions affecting water, according to a

VICTORIA, BC – Last night the Council of the District of Saanich voted unanimously (7-0) to send a “Climate Accountability Letter” to 20 of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies, asking the companies to pay their share of the municipality’s climate costs.

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – The BC government has revealed a series of steps aimed at defending the coast and communities from the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project, with a focus on ensuring that the Province meets its constitutional obligations to consult and accommodate In

VICTORIA, BC – The West Coast Environmental Law Association applauds the District of Highlands, a Southern Vancouver Island municipality, for sending a “Climate Accountability Letter” to 20 of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies.

Fifty years ago, on the centennial of confederation, Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation said:

"Oh Canada, how can I celebrate with you this centenary, this hundred years?"

VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – Following the release of the federal government’s discussion paper 

Proposed changes to Fisheries Act and National Energy Board encouraging, but environmental assessment and Navigation Protection Act reforms fall far short, say environmental lawyers