The Environmental Law Centre (ELC) is currently conducting a review and evaluation of News Brief. As a News Brief reader, your thoughts and opinions are very important to us. We would like you to be a part of the evaluation process by completing a brief...
Sheryle Carlson VUE Weekly As we enter into yet another spring facing a global water crisis, March 22nd marks the United Nations designated World Water Day. The UN reports an estimated 1.1 billion people still rely on unsafe drinking water, despite the fact that since 1990, 1.6...
Environmental prosecutions are making headlines again as Syncrude finds itself in court in Alberta. The company has contaminated ponds at its tar sands site in Alberta and is facing charges from both the provincial and federal governments after 1600 migratory birds died there in 2008....
In late 2009 the Alberta Government passed the Electric Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 50). This Act instituted significant changes for transmission line approval processes in Alberta. On March 10th, Laura Bowman, Staff Counsel with the Environmental Law Centre, presented a review and answered questions about this...
The ELC will be taking a bit of a break from publishing News Brief in order to evaluate and consider options for restructuring. We will be asking readers to participate in the process via online survey and/or group discussions, so stay tuned for your opportunity...
It’s “like” unconstitutional. On March 1, 2010, trial began for the death of 1,600 ducks in a tailing pond at the Syncrude Aurora mine north of Fort McMurray. Syncrude had filed notice of constitutional questions, and while it opened by attacking the overlap of federal...
Read the release on the Alberta Utilities Commission website. If you're interested in how Bill 50 affects participation opportunities in projects like Heartland, you may want to join us on March 10th for Laura's webinar: Bill 50 Delivers Shocks to Transmission Approvals in Alberta. Click here...
Court: the last resort. You opposed Alberta Environment’s decision to approve or refuse a regulated activity. Maybe there was no environmental impact assessment. Maybe an appeal to the Environmental Appeals Board was unsuccessful. On February 25th, 2010, Adam Driedzic, Staff Counsel with the Environmental Law Centre,...
By Jessica Earle ctvedmonton.ca March 1, 2010 On Monday afternoon, lawyers made opening statements in what's expected to be a lengthy trial looking into the role Canada's largest single-source oil producer played in the deaths of 1,600 ducks. Syncrude entered a not guilty plea to both provincial and federal...
[caption id="attachment_47" align="alignright" width="197" caption="Photo by by Simon Howden"][/caption] In late 2009 the Alberta Government passed the Electric Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 50). This Act instituted significant changes for transmission line approval processes in Alberta. If you’re confused about what Bill 50 is and how...
How does reviewing a board decision on a preliminary matter like standing differ from reviewing the substantive outcome of a hearing? On February 25, 2009, the ELC concluded its webinar series on public participation with the topic of going to court: judicial review...
In January the Supreme Court of Canada released a unanimous decision in the case of MiningWatch Canada v. Canada (Fisheries and Oceans), (2010 SCC 2). The case concerned whether a federal agency (or responsible authority) has the discretion to decide what type of environmental assessment...
