ELC’s experts and reports are often featured in news media on a variety of subjects relating to environmental law. Below is a very small sampling of articles. For information about specific ELC reports, please see Our Work.
Latest News
- How a fight against a Vancouver Island rock quarry became a battle to modernize B.C.’s mining laws (2021 Jul 29) The Narwhal
- Well water fears prompt calls to halt proposed bottling plant near B.C. village (2021 Jul 27) CBC News
- Report calls for ban on water-bottling plants in increasingly arid B.C. Interior (2021 Jul 24) Vancouver Sun
- Coal Wire, Issue 378 (2021 Jul 22) CoalWire.org
- Investigate water pollution in B.C.’s Elk Valley, environmental groups urge federal agencies (2021 Jul 22) The Globe and Mail
- Federal watchdog urged to investigate Canada’s ‘longstanding failure’ to stop B.C. Elk Valley coal mine pollution (2021 Jul 16) The Narwhal
- Heat wave pushes Metro Vancouver to ‘unprecedented’ early season water use (2021 Jun 30) Burnaby Now
- B.C. mining legislation out of date, needs to address reality of climate change: legal observers (2021 Jun 29) The Lawyer’s Daily
- Audit of B.C.’s tailings pond regulations casts shadow on government’s ‘world class’ mining claims (2021 Jun 18) The Narwhal
- Consider climate change, Highlanders argue in quarry court appeal (2021 Jun 11) The Discourse
- Mining reform needed to prevent costly conflicts, advocates say (2021 May 28) The Discourse
- The Reinvention of Kevin Falcon (2021 May 20) The Tyee
- Drought is on Metro Vancouver’s horizon – will fixing water scarcity cost too much? (2021 May 15) Tri-City News
- B.C.’s Copper Mountain mine proposes major tailings pond expansion, sparking cross-border concern (2021 Apr 29) The Narwhal
- Kitimat Rod and Gun Club calls on local government to protect environment amid industrial boom (2021 Apr 27) The Narwhal
- Decades-long battle over 2 B.C. lakes shines light on public access to Crown lands (2021 Apr 21) CBC News
- Calvin Sandborn: B.C. needs a right to roam law (2021 Apr 5) Vancouver Sun
- Mining giant’s historic penalty prompts environmentalists to call for stricter coal-mining rules (2021 Mar 28) The Globe and Mail
- Comment: Citizen efforts can restore Elk Lake (2021 Mar 27) Times Colonist
- Fight over lakes prime example of need for public access legislation in B.C.: legal expert (2021 Mar 16) The Lawyer’s Daily
- The right to roam? Not in B.C. you don’t (2021 Mar 12) Vernon News
- Douglas Todd: Pressure on B.C. government to fix trespassing laws that favour U.S. billionaire and other landowners (2021 Mar 11) Vancouver Sun
- Fish and game club plans to take Douglas Lake dispute to Supreme Court of Canada (2021 Mar 11) Kamloops News
- #HumansofELAW (2021 Winter) ELAW Advocate
- Canadian law schools 2021: Resources if you’re considering whether −and where− to become a lawyer (2020 Dec 10) Canadian Lawyer
- Efforts underway to breathe life back into Kamloops’s Ajax mine (2020 Dec 3) Kamloops News
- Stronger forest protection policy needed on the Gulf Islands (2020 Nov 21) Times Colonist
- Canada’s plastic advancement is viewed a win for the West Coast (2020 Oct 16) Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News
- Islands Trust pursuing greater ability to protect trees (2020 Oct 15) Star Vancouver
- Wanted and needed: Guardians in every watershed (2020 Sep 29) Focus Magazine
- Support for Indigenous Guardians can be the key to meaningful reconciliation (2020 Sep 26) Globe and Mail
- BC holds only $1 million security for up to $100-million cleanup of Tulsequah Chief mine (2020 Aug 21) Province
- Lessons from the plague: An approach to climate change (2020 Aug 7) Times Colonist
- Coalition calls for public input on environmental framework for Saanich Peninsula (2020 Jul 28) Victoria News
- Common fire retardants killing firefighters, UVic report says (2020 May 15) Vancouver Sun
- BC Court dismisses complaint over environmental assessment exemption for fracking dams (2020 May 6) Lawyer’s Daily
- BC taxpayers on the hook for $1.2 billion in mine cleanup costs: chief inspector report (2020 Mar 6) Narwhal
- UVic’s Environmental Law Centre, 24 years strong (2020 Mar 5) Focus Magazine
Click on the headings below to see past news reports relating to the ELC.
Freedom of Information
- Parksville environmental group wins fight to get information (2019 Feb 16) Times Colonist
- It’s official — the Harper government muzzled scientists. Some say it’s still happening (2018 Mar 22) CBC News
- Trudeau government has more to do to combat Harper-era muzzling of scientists: report (2018 Mar 18) Global News
- Harper government broke its own rules by muzzling scientists, investigation finds (2018 Mar 15) National Observer
- BC seeks public’s input on updating its freedom of information legislation (2018 Mar 6) Lawyer’s Daily
- BC must unlock environmental information (2017 Mar 26) Times Colonist
- Ottawa to consult on charity rules — but continue audits (2016 Sept 28) Tyee
- BC Ministry of Environment ordered to disclose soil-contamination tests (2016 Jun 29) Globe and Mail
- BC ministry change gives public online access to mine inspections and dam safety information (2016 Jun 15) Vancouver Sun
- BC Hydro should drop SLAPP suits against protesters (2016 May 25) The Province
- Province’s secrecy puts people’s health at risk (2016 May 21) Vancouver Sun
- Nine years of censorship (2016 May 3) Nature
- Law clinic battles province for water pollution report (2016 Feb 3) Times Colonist
- BC government withheld aquifer health information, complaint says (2016 Feb 3) Globe and Mail
Mining and Energy
- BC First Nations should require full clean-up costs up-front for mines: new study (2019 Nov 8) Narwhal
- Groups call on BC to fund Indigenous monitoring of mines in traditional territories (2019 Oct 30) Narwhal
- ‘When are they going to ensure the polluter pays?’: proposed BC mining reforms don’t go far enough (2019 Oct 25) Narwhal
- BC municipalities commit to 100% renewable energy (2019 Oct 13) Vancouver Co-op Radio interview with Deborah Curran
- Canada’s fossil fuel subsidies amount to $1,650 per Canadian. It’s got to stop. (2019 Oct 3) Narwhal
- May is BC Mining Month (2019 May 22) CFAX 1070 interview with Calvin Sandborn
- Recovery of BC mining continued in 2018, but faces headwinds, new PwC report says (2019 May 17) Vancouver Sun
- BC’s ‘archaic’ mining laws urgently need update: 30 groups (2019 May 15) Narwhal
- BC needs to act quickly to prevent future mine-tailings disasters (2019 Mar 4) Province
- BC needs a ‘polluter pays’ policy for mines (2019 Jan 9) Province
- ‘Do my best. Fulfill my obligations’: How Lana Lowe became a land champion for the Fort Nelson First Nation in the midst of a fracking explosion (2018 Sep 10) Tyee
- BC needs ‘cops that are not also travelling salesmen’ to regulate mining industry, lawyer says (2018 Aug 28) Star Vancouver
- ‘It’s an environmental law-free zone’: BC Auditor General asked to investigate unregulated placer mining (2018 Apr 16) DeSmog Canada
- BC government withheld information on dangers of unregulated fracking dams (2018 Apr 2) Tyee
- BC government suppressed details about potentially dangerous, unregulated fracking dams (2018 Mar 30) DeSmog Canada
- Mount Polley disaster escapes BC law because of government policy on private prosecutions (2018 Feb 19) Georgia Straight
- No provincial charges for Mount Polley mining disaster, but possibility of federal charges remain (2017 Aug 3) Vancouver Sun
- Notley says BC must allow Alberta access to the coast (2017 May 31) Globe and Mail
- Amnesty releases report on human rights impact of Mt Polley tailings breach (2017 May 27) My Prince George Now
- A dam big problem: fracking companies build dozens of unauthorized dams in BC’s northeast (2017 May 3) DeSmog Canada
- What’s changed on the ground since the Mount Polley mine disaster? (2017 Apr 12) Tyee
- BC rejects request for inquiry into mining practices (2017 Apr 11) DeSmog Canada
- Millions in political donations prompt call for review of BC mining regulations (2017 Apr 7) CBC News
- Comparing mine management in BC and Alaska is embarrassing (and explains why Alaskans are so mad) (2017 Apr 5) DeSmog Canada
- 60 years later, Alaska still calling BC to task on a mine leak through its river (2017 Apr 5) CBC News
- Public inquiry formally requested to investigate BC’s shoddy mining rules (2017 Mar 8) DeSmog Canada
- Regulatory chaos leaves taxpayers on hook for mining messes (2017 Mar 7) Vancouver Sun
- First Nations coalition demands BC inquiry into mining practices (2017 Mar 7) Globe and Mail
- Contrary to Clark’s belief, opposition to LNG project is about science (2016 Mar 13) Globe and Mail
Professional Reliance and Environmental Assessment
- Cooling the rhetoric on Canada’s environmental assessment efforts (2019 Mar 18) National Post
- Industry-hired experts downplay impacts of major projects: UBC study (2018 Dec 21) Narwhal
- How post-truth politics is sinking debate on environmental assessment reform (2018 Oct 12) National Post
- BC’s big opportunity to fix under-regulated industry is here (and you’ve probably never heard of it) (2018 Jun 23) Narwhal
- BC looking to reform environmental assessments for major projects (2018 Jun 19) CBC Radio interview with Calvin Sandborn
- New legislation aimed at SLAPP lawsuits met with wide support in BC (2018 May 22) Lawyer’s Daily
- Professional reliance – environment compromised for corporate profit (2018 Feb 8) Vancouver Sun
- BC environment has suffered from a history of ‘reliance’ (2018 Feb 2) Tyee
- How BC outsourced environmental protection (and what you can do about it) (2018 Jan 18) DeSmog Canada
- NDP reviews use of hired guns to study environmental risks (2017 Aug 13) Province
- BC questions having industry-hired experts assess project risks (2017 Aug 12) Times Colonist
- Biologically diverse BC to benefit from pledge for endangered-species law (2017 July 25) Vancouver Sun
- Is it time to stop relying on professional reliance? (2017 Mar 4) CBC News
- BC Environment Minister cancels waste discharge permit at Shawnigan Lake (2017 Feb 23) CTV News
- BC cancels Cobble Hill waste-discharge permit near Shawnigan Lake (2017 Feb 23) Globe and Mail
- Another wild west show?: BC’s regulatory experiment with professional reliance (2017 Feb 21) Tyee
- Does the turmoil over a contaminated soil dump near Shawnigan Lake point to problems with BC environmental assessments? (2017 Jan 30) CBC News Radio interview with Calvin Sandborn
- Shawnigan decision reveals policy flaws: critic (2017 Jan 30) Times Colonist
- Shawnigan Lake residents win a round in quarry battle (2017 Jan 24) Times Colonist
- Professional reliance experiment a regulatory failure? (2016 Sept) Focus Magazine
Public Access
- The right to roam BC’s back roads to access Crown land (2020 Jan 6) CFAX 1070 interview with Calvin Sandborn
- British Columbians fight US billionaire for the ‘right to roam’ in the wild (2019 Dec 13) Vancouver Sun
- ‘Landmark’ victory for public access, but impact for Island is murky (2018 Dec 11) Times Colonist
- Encroaching on public land near Gorge ‘not acceptable’, Esquimalt warns property owners (2018 May 3) Times Colonist
- Unblock access to public waterway, groups tell local council (2018 Mar 6) CBC News
- Report finds neighbours encroaching on public land (2018 Feb 20) CTV News Vancouver Island
- Private landowners encroaching on public land (2018 Feb 20) CFAX 1070 interview with Calvin Sandborn
- Private landowners sprawling onto public land, Saanich council told (2018 Feb 20) Times Colonist
- Environmentalists call on Saanich to protect public waterfront (2018 Feb 20) Saanich News
- Unlock access to wilderness (2017 Mar 6) Times Colonist
- A David and Goliath fight over back country (2017 Jan 24) Times Colonist
- Don’t fence off beautiful British Columbia (2016 Jun 29) Times Colonist
- Gates block ventures in the wild: Landowners cutting off paths to public land (2016 Jun 26) Times Colonist
Species and Habitat
- BC must act to protect spawning beaches (2020 Feb 23) Times Colonist
- Body cams, more oversight for conservation officers, says group upset over BC bear killings (2020 Jan 3) Tri-City News
- The problem with bears in our backyards isn’t a bear problem at all; it’s a human one (2019 Nov 29) Globe and Mail
- ‘Indicative of a truly corrupt system’: government investigation reveals BC Timber Sales violating old-growth logging rules (2019 Oct 7) Narwhal
- BC’s human-wildlife conflict response needs reform (2019 Sep 20) Georgia Straight
- Thousands of BC’s endangered whitebark pine logged on private land (2019 Sep 5) Narwhal
- The old-growth logging shutdown (2019 Sep 1) Times Colonist
- A chance to save BC’s last ancient forests (2019 Jul 18) Times Colonist
- The government agency at the centre of BC’s old-growth logging showdown (2019 Jul 15) Narwhal
- Old-growth forest should be returned to 30% of original level, researchers say (2019 Jul 13) CBC News
- Environmental law students push for 30 per cent forest protection in BC (2019 Jul 10) CBC Radio
- Ottawa introduces sweeping measures to protect remaining 74 southern resident killer whales (2018 Oct 31) CHEK News
- Province gives fish farm four years to get First Nations and DFO consent to operate (2018 Jun 20) CHEK News
- Federal government takes a crucial step towards enforcing the Species at Risk Act to save BC’s Mountain Caribou (2018 May 7) Pacific Wild
- BC’s Selkirk Mountains’ Gray Ghost caribou herd ‘functionally extinct’ (2018 Apr 17) Vancouver Sun
- We ‘salmon people’ want our fish protected for future generations (2018 Mar 25) Times Colonist
- Respect science and protect our steelhead and salmon (2018 Mar 9) Vancouver Sun
- We must act now to protect birds in Canada (2018 Feb 22) Ottawa Citizen
- Governments must act now to protect migratory birds (2018 Feb 21) Vancouver Sun
- How Canada is driving Santa’s reindeer toward extinction (2017 Dec 22) DeSmog Canada
- Sweeping Emergency Order sought to save mountain caribou (2017 Dec 21) North Thompson Star
- Environmentalists petition Ottawa to protect mountain caribou from extinction (2017 Dec 14) Vancouver Sun
- Activists urge Ottawa to protect caribou in BC (2017 Dec 14) Globe and Mail
- ‘No water, no birds’: Wood Buffalo National Park among most threatened, warn international scientists (2017 Nov 16) CBC News
- BC bungled grizzly bear management: Auditor General (2017 Oct 24) DeSmog Canada
- Future of BC’s grizzly trophy hunt uncertain as fall hunt approaches (2017 Jul 25) CBC News
- Unmonitored mining pollutes Fraser River, threatens salmon runs: report (2017 Apr 26) DeSmog Canada
- Garry oak ecosystems — Saanich on right track (2016 Feb 16) Times Colonist
Water and Watershed Management
- Esquimalt’s expenses for ongoing oil-spill cleanup top $50,000 (2020 Feb 1) Times Colonist
- BC must act now on single-use plastics (2019 Dec 1) Times Colonist
- Two Victoria teenagers pitch their plan for reducing single-use plastics to BC’s environment minister (2019 Oct 9) CBC Radio
- Groups urge BC to ban single-use plastics (2019 Oct 8) CTV News Vancouver Island
- New report on rainwater and pollutants in the CRD showing negatives on our water bodies (2019 Jul 25) CFAX 1070 interview with Erin Gray
- City to look at options after BC Court of Appeal sides with plastic bag industry (2019 Jul 11) Victoria News
- Mayor Lisa Helps vows to phase out single-use items after BC’s highest court quashes Victoria’s ban on plastic bags (2019 Jul 11) Georgia Straight
- ‘Heads need to roll’: Five years after Mount Polley mine disaster, prospect of charges stirs hope for justice (2019 Jul 4) Star Vancouve
- US senators press Horgan to clean up BC mine water (2019 Jun 18) Kimberley Bulletin
- PM’s push for plastic-bag ban rooted at UVic (2019 Jun 13) Times Colonist
- Trudeau promises crackdown on plastic wastes — months after NDP MP won unanimous support for action (2019 Jun 10) Georgia Straight
- BC’s Maritime Museum highlights shame of Great Pacific Garbage Patch (2019 Apr 13) CBC News
- Canadian company applies for permit for exploratory mining in headwaters of Skagit River (2019 Mar 21) Seattle Times
- MPs’ motion important step toward eliminating plastic pollution (2018 Dec 22) Times Colonist
- BC MP celebrates ‘tremendous’ victory as plastics pollution motion passes House (2018 Dec 6) CBC News
- Parliament voting this week on Island MP’s private members bill on plastics (2018 Dec 1) CHEK News
- First Nations in Okanagan seek to protect environment heritage (2018 Oct 30) Vernon Morning Star
- Experts gather to discuss Okanagan water needs (2018 Oct 16) Salmon Arm Observer
- Gold seekers are flooding into the Yukon and wreaking havoc on its rivers (2018 Sep 11) Narwhal
- Teck Coal Ltd fined $78 000 for repeated water pollution (2018 Jun 29) Star Vancouver
- World Oceans Day 2018 (2018 Jun 20) Shaw TV
- Vancouver Island MP leading push for national strategy to phase out plastic (2018 Jun 7) Global News
- G7 summit preview- environment (2018 Jun 6) CPAC interview with Calvin Sandborn
- At the galleries: Celebrate World Oceans Day with art (2018 Jun 6) Monday Magazine
- How a BC community’s water shortage threatens a provincial park (2018 May 31) Narwhal
- Island NDP MP Gord Johns declares war on plastic pollution (2018 May 5) Times Colonist
- Can Canada reinvent the plastic economy? by Margaret Atwood and Calvin Sandborn (2018 May 3) Globe and Mail
- Plastic pollution pileup on Canada’s beaches exposes environmental policy gaps (2018 Apr 3) Discourse
- Defending our oceans (2018 Apr 2) Victoria News
- Group tackles contentious issues in Cadboro Bay (2018 Mar 2) Saanich News
- Review of tainted north Okanagan aquifer includes proposals to protect water (2017 Nov 30) National Post
- Courtenay-Alberni MP demands national strategy for plastic pollution (2017 Nov 2) Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News
- SFU research demonstrates how floodgates can undermine Fraser River salmon (2017 Oct 4) Georgia Straight
- Fraser River salmon impacted by floodgates, according to new SFU study (2017 Oct 4) CBC News
- We must change throw-away economy (2017 Aug 19) Times Colonist
- If you love the ocean, change the throwaway economy (2017 Aug 18) Vancouver Sun
- BC environmental group urges stop to Ajax Mine project over water-safety concerns (2017 Aug 14) Globe and Mail
- Kamloops group wants more study on Ajax mine drinking water impact (2017 Aug 14) iNFO News
- NDP orders new Hullcar aquifer review (2017 Aug 2) Vernon Morning Star
- Review announced for tainted Okanagan water source (2017 Aug 2) CBC News
- Kamloops Council, First Nations ask BC government to suspend controversial Ajax Mine proposal (2017 Jul 19) DeSmog Canada
- The rebirth of BC’s Jordan River is a victory for biological activism (2016 Oct 17) Globe and Mail
- Provincial failures on mining pollution leaving taxpayers on the hook (2016 Oct 16) Vancouver Sun
- Oak Bay sewage plan slow but steady (2016 Oct 14) Times Colonist
- Victoria issues new utility bill for stormwater runoff (2016 Oct 12) CBC News
- Province should clean up mine sites (2016 Oct 11) Times Colonist
- Ministry doesn’t know why contaminated site was deemed clean (2016 Oct 8) Times Colonist
- Jordan River salmon wiped out by copper tailings (2016 Oct 4) Vancouver Sun
- Old copper mine still fouling Jordan River (2016 Oct 4) Times Colonist
- Cowichan part of new look at the future of our waters (2016 Jun 18) Times Colonist
Other
- Neighbours aim to oust gun club from Cowichan park (2018 May 29) Cowichan Valley Citizen
- EDPA goes under the microscope (2016 Apr 19) Saanich News
- Push for provincial land-acquisition fund gathers steam (2016 Jan 22) Times Colonist