Protecting Oceans and Waterways from Cigarette Butt Waste
A recent ELC report prepared for Surfrider Canada tackles potential solutions to the messy problem of toxic cigarette butt litter, but it may require public pressure for governments to actually take action. Fewer people seem to smoke in recent years, >
Mining Law Reform: Exploring Transition Minerals
In 2019, the ELC joined with organizations throughout the province to create the BC Mining Law Reform Network (BCMLR) and to launch a mining law reform platform, which was intended to guide mining law reform in BC for the next >
Update on Elk Valley and Cross-Border Coal Mine Pollution
Cross-border coal mine pollution in the Elk-Kootenai/y Watershed may soon have the attention and action it deserves. A 2021 submission the ELC filed on behalf of Wildsight helped lead to a recent referral from Canada, the US and the Ktunaxa >
Ghost Gear: An Ocean of Plastic Trouble
To date, the majority of policy in Canada is designed to reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment has been targeted at single-use materials. But we find that the volume of single-use plastics pales in comparison to the amount of >
Gas Control: Closing Gaps in How We Manage Common Appliances with GHG Gases
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are synthetic gases that are primarily used for refrigerants, air conditioning, and heat pumps. They’re also found in foams, aerosols, fire protection and solvents. Originally developed as a substitute for other gases that were depleting the ozone, HFCs >
Protecting Indigenous Cultural Heritage
Indigenous cultural heritage resources are not adequately protected in BC, but a recently released report prepared in partnership with the Tŝilhqot’in National Government and in consultation with other BC Nations aims to change that. Protecting Indigenous Cultural Heritage Resources on >
Indigenous Co-Governance in Protecting the Athabasca River from Tar Sands Effluent
At the end of August, the ELC appeared before a United Nations Reactive Monitoring Mission hearing on behalf of the Mikisew Cree First Nation to present findings from a recently released ELC report on how to regulate any proposed release >
Good Gardening: Without the Greenhouse (Gases)
Using peat moss may help your garden retain water, but it also intensifies climate change. Fortunately, there are alternatives. Legal and Policy Options to Ban or Limit the Use of Horticultural Peat Moss in British Columbia, a new ELC submission >
Unlocking the Nature of Public Access
With the goal of empowering citizen groups to defend access to the wild spaces they care about, the ELC and the Outdoor Recreation Council released Wild Places and Green Spaces: A Citizen’s Guide to Proving Public Access this August. Three >
Competition Bureau Investigation into Coffee Pods Recyclability Claims
We’ve said many times before that some ELC files need time to brew. Such was the case with our 2019 submission with Ecojustice to Canada’s Competition Bureau asking for an investigation into Keurig Canada’s claims about the recyclability of their >