Friday, April 7, 2017 On April 1st, the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund team had an opportunity to visit some of our grantees in Secwepemc territory/Kamloops and participate in a declaration of solidarity and support for the Secwepemc decision to reject the proposed Ajax mine. The ceremony brought together Indigenous communities,
Continue readingTag: environmental legal aid
Environmental Law Alert Blog: Sign the Mount Polley petition to demand accountability
Thursday, March 9, 2017 MiningWatch needs your help to ensure accountability for the Mount Polley tailings pond disaster. In late 2016 the mining watchdog launched a private prosecution (with the help of our Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund), but the federal government is now trying to stay the charges. You can
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Sign the Mount Polley petition to demand accountability
Thursday, March 9, 2017 MiningWatch needs your help to ensure accountability for the Mount Polley tailings pond disaster. In late 2016 the mining watchdog launched a private prosecution (with the help of our Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund), but the federal government is now trying to stay the charges. You can
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: 2017: A Look Ahead to Protect Nature, Climate and Communities
Thursday, January 5, 2017 Check out our short video to meet some of our talented lawyers and see what we're most excited about for 2017! From providing legal aid for communities to defend their environment, to revitalizing Indigenous laws, and holding fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in climate
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Mount Polley Mine private prosecution: Stepping up to demand accountability
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 In the face of a disaster like the Mount Polley mine disaster, swift action is essential to send a message to industry that breaking environmental laws will not be tolerated. In this case, when the government failed to act in a timely manner, MiningWatch Canada brought
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Government charges (finally) laid in Lemon Creek jet fuel spill – thanks to private prosecution
Friday, July 29, 2016
In 2013 a jet fuel truck operated by Executive Flight Centre, and servicing BC Ministry of Forests firefighting efforts, plunged off a road in the Slocan Valley, crashing into the pristine Lemon Creek and dumping 33,000 litres into the river, compromising drinking water and killing fish. The province investigated, concluding that no charges were warranted. The case would have been closed, but for the efforts of Marilyn Burgoon, a resident of the Slocan Valley. Last Friday (July 22nd) a federally appointed prosecutor laid new charges against both Executive Flight Centre and the BC Government.
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| Photo courtesy of Valley Voice |
In 2013 a jet fuel truck operated by Executive Flight Centre, and servicing BC Ministry of Forests firefighting efforts, read more
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Government charges (finally) laid in Lemon Creek jet fuel spill – thanks to private prosecution
Friday, July 29, 2016
In 2013 a jet fuel truck operated by Executive Flight Centre, and servicing …
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: This Earth Day: Celebrating the campaign to get local government out of the fossil fuel business
Friday, April 22, 2016
To celebrate Earth Day 2016, we’re highlighting the remarkable work o…
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Fort Nelson First Nation Shuts Down Nexen’s License to Frack
Friday, November 20, 2015
In September, the Fort Nelson First Nation won a major legal challenge a…
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Water win against logging giant leaves many unanswered questions
Monday, September 21, 2015 Even though water has been at the heart of logging conflicts in BC for many years, it is very rare that logging companies are actually made to pay financially when they harm watercourses. That’s why a rare out-of-court settlement announced this past week between logging giant,
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Cowichan Watershed Board Goes for the Flow
Monday, September 21, 2015 A recent decision of the Environmental Appeal Board raises important questions about the ways that we can assist natural ecosystems in adapting to climate change. The EAB confirmed a decision by the BC Government to change how water in Cowichan Lake is released into Cowichan River,
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: A new and improved Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund
Wednesday, January 21, 2015 West Coast is excited to unveil our new and improved Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund (EDRF). A recent review of the EDRF’s last 5 years, which included interviews with EDRF clients, allies, lawyers, and much internal reflection, convinced us that we can be more effective and efficient
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Demand justice for Lemon Creek
Thursday, January 15, 2015 We need your help to get justice for Lemon Creek and the residents of the Slocan Valley. Please take a moment to ask the Canadian Department of Justice to pursue charges against the BC Government and Executive Flight Centre for their role in the August 2013
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: West Coast and NWI Launch North Coast Community Dialogue Session Series on LNG and Cumulative Impacts Management
Thursday, December 18, 2014 On December 11, West Coast Environmental Law, along with the Northwest Institute for Bioregional Research (NWI), co-hosted the first of a series of community dialogue sessions on LNG and cumulative impacts management. We held the opening session in Prince Rupert last week and were moved by
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Taking the law into her own hands after Lemon Creek jet-fuel spill
Friday, October 31, 2014 After months of pressing the province and the federal government to charge Executive Flight Services for spilling 35,000 litres of jet fuel into Lemon Creek, killing fish and prompting an evacuation, Slocan Valley resident Marilyn Burgoon took the law into her own hands. She walked into
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: British Columbians go to court to protect the environment
Monday, October 27, 2014 Over the next 2 months five cases funded by our Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund will be in courts in 3 cities, addressing disputes involving 5 different communities. We’ve written about most of these court challenges on these pages over the past year or so. West Coast
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: British Columbians using the law to fight back and protect their environment
Wednesday, August 20, 2014 One of West Coast Environmental Law’s services is to operate the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund (EDRF). The EDRF is funded by the Law Foundation of BC, and is a granting program for citizens and communities who need to access legal help to solve an environmental dispute. We are
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Field notes on the Hupacasath legal challenge to the Canada-China FIPA: WCEL summer law student volunteer reports from the Federal Court of Appeal
Wednesday, June 18, 2014 On the morning of June 10, 2014, as my first investigative assignment as a law student volunteer working with West Coast Environmental Law, I was sent to the Federal Court of Appeal on the corner of the busy Georgia and Granville streets to observe an appeal
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: When a U.S. billionaire claims BC fish and lakes
Friday, March 7, 2014 Can a private resort company own a lake? If so, are the fish in the lake private or public? And can the resort keep the public from fishing in that lake? These critical questions are central to a David vs. Goliath battle unfolding in BC’s Nicola
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: How Pioneer Forest was saved
Thursday, February 20, 2014 In June 2012 word went around our community that Pioneer Forest park – heavily used from 1966 – was going to be sold. The information about the pending sale of the park found its way to some concerned citizens who were not about to let this
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