[caption id="attachment_2131" align="alignright" width="300"] A toast to the ELC[/caption] When Roxanne Walsh first contacted the Environmental Law Centre on October 24, 2006, asking for information about how she could protect her community, we had no idea it would lead to a three year journey. As a resident...
Following public consultation on proposed amendments earlier this year, the federal government recently passed amendments to the Regulations Designating Physical Activities (RDPA). The RDPA are promulgated under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 and are central to the act’s operation. Only projects that appear on the...
This week, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench issued a ruling on public engagement in environmental decision-making in Pembina Institute v. Alberta (Environment and Sustainable Resources Development), 2013 ABQB 567. While the decision is noteworthy because it found that Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development...
In recent days, there has been extensive media coverage on the rejection of the Northern Gateway Project by the B.C. government. What exactly does this mean? Does it mean that the Northern Gateway Project will not proceed? Let’s step back and take a look at the...
The federal government has recently proposed amendments to the Regulations Designating Physical Activities (RDPA) which are central to the operation of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. With the exception of individual projects designated by the Minister on a discretionary basis, only those projects which...
Federal omnibus budget bills passed in 2012 brought dramatic changes to environmental regulation, particularly in the area of environmental assessments. Many of us are wondering what this means for environmental protection in Canada. This remains to be seen, and leaves us with another question: What...
This blog was triggered by a recent media report that a mining company in BC was planning to sue the BC government over the refusal to issue an environmental assessment certificate for a project. It was a reminder of the divergent perceptions of why we...
The answer seems to be NO. The most recent Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (the “Report”) was tabled last week. The Report examines three federal programs which are meant to ensure that natural resource development happens in a responsible and sustainable...
A recent news report indicates that the federal government intends to spend $4 million to promote its environmental protection record. In light of recent cuts to organizations that work for environmental protection, this is very frustrating to say the least. There are numerous examples of funding...
On July 6, 2012, the new Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA, 2012) – along with the Regulations Designating Physical Activities (RDPA) - came into force by Order-in-Council. The RDPA plays a central role in the federal environmental assessment scheme. With the exception of individual...
In late April 2012, the federal government introduced Bill C-38: An Act to Implement Certain Provisions of the Budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and Other Measures which received Royal Assent on June 29, 2012 and is now known as the Jobs, Growth...
On the verge of the end of Rio +20 and the passage of the federal budget bill (C-38), I felt it worthwhile to do some math. Rio +20 is intended to move “sustainable development” into 2012 and beyond. Yet, Canada has just referred its sweeping...
