This legal synthesis and its summary consolidate the year-long learning of what stories, both sxwōxwiyám/ sx̌ʷəx̌ʷəyém (‘stories of the distant past’ or ‘tell stories’) and sqwélqwel/ sqʷelqʷəl (‘true news’ or ‘oral stories’), and Elders' knowledge teach us about Indigenous laws related to watershed management and fisheries governance in the Lower Fraser.
Publications
Browse our recent publications, including reports, briefs, submissions to government, and other materials.
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In October 2021, the BC government announced its intention to launch a comprehensive review of the province's oil and gas royalty framework and ensure it is modernized, aligned with the government’s climate goals and provides a fair return for British Columbians. This is the first major review in
Publication Date: December 2021
Pages: 4
West Coast Environmental Law joined 200 environmental groups from across Canada in sending an open letter urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030, support Indigenous-led conservation, restore ecosystems and advance environmental justice.
Publication Date: November 2021
Pages: 15
In the wake of summer 2021's deadly heat wave and unprecedented fires, nearly 200 organizations representing well over one million British Columbians joined in a call to the BC government to fundamentally reboot its CleanBC plan and implement a genuine and transformative climate emergency
Publication Date: September 2021
Pages: 7
With construction underway on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX), many Canadians are seeking greater transparency about the delays and rising costs associated with this publicly-funded pipeline and tanker project.
Publication Date: September 2021
Pages: 28
Climate change is here. British Columbians need a government that will keep them safe from rising global temperatures and related impacts. But BC's government is not moving urgently or doing enough.
Publication Date: August 2021
Pages: 4
In June 2021, the West Coast Environmental Law Association, West Coast Environmental Law Research Foundation, and the West Coast Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund Society (West Coast Environmental Law or WCEL) were advi
Publication Date: July 2021
Pages: 17
On June 29, 2021, Blueberry River First Nations ("Blueberry") won a ground-breaking case that provides urgent legal direction to the BC Government to stop the “death by a thousand cuts” resulting from its disconnected, piecemeal approvals for activities like logging, oil and gas development, dams
Publication Date: July 2021
Pages: 14
Enacted in 2019 to fulfil election campaign commitments to introduce new, fair environmental review processes for new industrial projects and proposals, the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) is intended to foster sustainability, avoid adverse effects and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Publication Date: June 2021
Pages: 33
Brief to the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources on the strengths and areas for improvement of Bill C-12, the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, submitted by West Coast Environmental Law Association, Climate Action Network Canada, Equiterre and
Publication Date: June 2021