Whether it’s representing clients, producing law reform reports, or developing public legal information tools, our students provide legal assistance to people whose voice may not otherwise be heard.
Below is a list of all our published work.
Latest Projects
- Protecting Oceans and Waterways from Cigarette Butt Pollution (2024 Apr)
- Whole-of-River-Protection for the Fraser River: A Scan of Legal Protection (2024 Jan)
- Ghost Gear: Recommendations for a Comprehensive Canadian Legal Scheme (2023 Oct)
- Provincial and Federal Submissions Regarding The Need for Proper Disposal and Recycling of HFCs
- (2023 Aug)
- The Need for a Moratorium on Placer Mining Claims and Leases (2023 Aug)
- Cleaning up Coles Bay and the BC Coast: The Urgent Need for a Federal Action to Address Indigenous Shellfish Issues (2023 Aug)
- Kootenay Lake Fisheries Act Investigation Request (2023 Aug)
- Cleaning up Coles Bay: A Partnership for Justice and Shellfish Restoration (2023 Jun)
- Cleaning Up Coles Bay: The Urgent Need to Restore Traditional Shellfish Harvesting Sites of the Pauquachin First Nation (2023 Jun)
- Reforming the Competition Act to Defend Climate: The Need to Regulate Deceptive Ads (2023 Mar)
- Reducing Wildfire by Encouraging Prescribed and Cultural Burning (2023 Mar)
- Protecting Indigenous Cultural Heritage Resources on Private Land (2023 Jan)
- Legal and Policy Options to Ban or Limit the Use of Horticultural Peat Moss in British Columbia (2022 Nov)
- Wild Places and Green Spaces: A Citizen’s Guide to Proving Public Access (2022 Aug)
- Protecting Public Green Space (2017 Jun)
- Request That Coal Mine Pollution Issues in the Kootenay/Kootenai River Watershed Be Referred to the International Joint Commission (2022 Apr)
- Protecting Bear Dens in BC Forests (2022 Mar)
- Request for an Audit and Examination of BC Hydro Funding of the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (2022 Apr)
- Comments on Canada’s Draft Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (2022 Mar)
- Comprehensive Environmental Assessment Application Regarding a Proposed Natural Gas Liquid Recovery Project (2022 Jan)
- Competition Bureau Investigation into Coffee Pods Recyclability Claims (2019 May)
- Protecting Herons and Other Birds from Overhead Transmission Lines (2021 Dec)
- Submission on a Natural Gas Liquid Recovery Project’s Current Agricultural Land Commission Non-Farm Use Application (2021 Nov)
- Legal Memo on Jurisdiction of Local Governments to Oppose a Proposed Petrochemical Complex (2021 Oct)
- Submission in support of a Provincial Wildlife Management Area in the Heart of the Fraser (2021 Oct)
- Kukama Women’s Federation Amicus Curiae Brief (2021 Sep)
- Kukama Women’s Federation Amicus Curiae Brief (Spanish translation) (2021 Sep)
- Prince George Ethylene Project Regional Assessment Request (2021 Aug)
- Request for an Inquiry into Regulatory Negligence: Canada’s Failure to Control Elk Valley Coal Mine Pollution (2021 Jul)
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Water for the Future: Why BC Needs an Immediate Moratorium on New Water Bottling Licences (2021 Jun)
- Water for the Future: Why BC Needs an Immediate Moratorium on New Water Bottling Licences (2021 Jun)
- Submission: Conservation Officers: The Need for Independent Public Oversight (2021 Apr)
- Reforming Kitimat’s Local Laws During an Industrial Boom (2021 Feb)
- Reducing Water Extraction and Increasing Environmental Flows in the Coquitlam River (2020 Nov)
- Submission: Proposed Integrated Management Approach to Plastics (2020 Nov)
- Recommendations for Optimal Implementation of the Elk/Beaver Lake Watershed Management Plan (2020 Oct)
- Commute Trip Reduction Initiatives: Implementing Efficiencies in Transportation for a Greener Future (2020 Sep)
- Enhancing Plastic Recycling in Canada (2020 Aug)
- Improving Catch-and-Release Regulations in BC: Prohibiting Air Exposure (2020 Jul)
- Incorporating Indigenous Interests into, or Operating in Parallel with, Decision Making under the Water Sustainability Act (2020 Jul)
- The Case for a Guardian Network Initiative (2020 Jul)
- Legal Measures to Protect the Gulf Islands Coastal Douglas-fir Zone (2020 Jun)
- Raising the Alarm: The Case for Better Flame Retardant Regulation in Canada (2020 May)
- Saving Orcas by Protecting Fish Spawning Beaches (2019 Oct)
- BC Mining Law Reform: A Plan of Action for Change (2019 Oct)
- The Case for Reform: British Columbia Must Regulate Single-Use Plastics (2019 Oct)
- The Need to Reform BC’s Private Managed Forest Land Act (2019 Jul)
- Cleaning up CRD Waterways and Beaches (2019 Jun)
- Applying Solutions from the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements to Vancouver Island, the South Coast, and Beyond (2019 May)
- Tools for Municipal Governments in BC to Implement a Target of 100% Renewable Energy by 2050 (2019 Apr)
- Federal Government Action and Climate Change (2019 Apr)
- Reform Proposals for Managing Human-Wildlife Conflict in British Columbia (2019 Mar)
- Key Elements of a Participant Funding Program for BC’s Environmental Assessment Act (2019 Mar)
Click on the headings below to see past ELC projects.
2018
- Community-Based Water Monitoring and Decision Making (2018 Oct)
- Digging Up a Legislative History: A Timeline of Mining Law & Contamination Events in BC (2018 Oct)
- Mining Law Timeline (2018 Oct)
- Request for an audit and examination of cattle grazing leases on Crown land (2018 Jun)
- Recommendations to changes in road maintenance policy to mitigate damage to bird populations (2018 Apr)
- Request for an examination of Canada’s failure to protect endangered Pacific salmon and anadromous trout species under the Species at Risk Act (2018 Apr)
- A Blueprint for Revitalizing Environmental Assessment in British Columbia (2018 Apr)
- A National Strategy to Combat Marine Plastics Pollution: A Blueprint for Federal Action (2018 Apr)
- The Northwest Burke Vision: Principles and Recommendations (2018 Mar)
- Request for an audit and examination of the Government of British Columbia’s failure to adequately regulate placer mining (2018 Mar)
- Submission regarding Cowichan River Provincial Park (2018 Jan)
- Response to the Agricultural Waste Control Regulation Review Intentions Paper (2018 Jan)
2017
- Petition for an emergency order to protect Southern Mountain Caribou (2017 Dec)
- Legal Basis for Enabling Watershed Authorities in BC (2017 Nov)
- Legal Review of Flood Management and Fish Habitat in British Columbia (2017 Oct)
- Legal Personality of Natural Features: Recent International Developments and Applicability in Canada (2017 Sep)
- Seven Reforms to Address Marine Plastic Pollution (2017 Aug)
- Request for a Drinking Water Health Hazard Prevention Order regarding the proposed Ajax Mining project (2017 Aug)
- Recommendations for Creating an Optimal Area Based Management Plan for the Hullcar Aquifer (2017 May)
- Fixing Systemic Failures in BC’s Mining Regulation: The Urgent Need for a Judicial Inquiry (2017 Mar)
- Letter to Information and Privacy Commissioner (2017 Feb)
2016
- Lower Coquitlam River Watershed Plan: Tools for Healthy Watersheds and Healthy Humans (2016 Jun)
- Protecting Granby Valley Grizzly Bears (2016 Jun)
- Environmental Development Permit Areas: In Practice and in Caselaw (2016 Apr)
- Enhancing Public Access to Privately Owned Wild Lands (2016 Mar)
- Request to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commission (2016 Feb)
- Request for a Drinking Water Hazard Abatement and Prevention Order regarding Hullcar aquifer (2016 Feb)
- In the Public Interest: Unlock the Vault (2016 Jan)
2015
- Finding the Money to Buy and Protect Natural Lands (2015 Dec)
- Federal Court of Appeal Factum filed on behalf of BC Nature (2015 Oct)
- Blind Spot: The Failure to Consider Climate in British Columbia’s Environmental Assessments (2015 Sep)
- Cleaning Up Elk and Beaver Lakes: What Can be Learned from Other Lakes (2015 Summer)
- Protecting Human Health: Requiring Setbacks Around Feedlots (2015 Summer)
- Protecting the Islands off of Oak Bay (Tl’ches and the other Songhees Islands) (2015 Summer)
- Compost Regulation in British Columbia: Regulatory Overview, Best Practices and Recommendations for Law Reform (2015 Apr)
- Tax Audits of Environmental Groups: The Pressing Need for Law Reform (2015 Mar)
- Professional Reliance and Environmental Regulation in British Columbia (2015 Feb)
2014
- Not An Act of God: The Embankment Failure at Mount Polley Mine (2014 Dec)
- Comments on draft Aquaculture Activities Regulation and Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement (2014 Oct)
- Submission to provincial government regarding proposed changes to the Societies Act (2014 Oct)
- Letter to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner regarding Mount Polley Mine Disaster documents (2014 Oct)
- Bighorn Sheep Herd Die-offs in British Columbia: The Need for a Provincial Wild/Domestic Sheep Separation Strategy (2014 Sep)
- Improving the Regulation of Fracking Wastewater Disposal in BC (2014 May)
- An Agenda for Law Reform: The Need to Publicly Disclose Diseases on BC Fish Farms (2014 May)
- British Columbia’s New Water Sustainability Act – Waiting for the Details (2014 May)
- David versus Goliath: Pipelines, Landowners, and the Pressing Need for Law Reform (2014 May)
2013
- Safety Buffers between Gas Wells and Pipelines and Public Schools (2013 Dec)
- Seaweed Harvesting on Vancouver Island: A New Industry That Requires Better Regulation (2013 Nov)
- Letter requesting Strategic Economic and Environmental Assessment of liquid natural gas development in British Columbia (2013 Aug)
- An Old Growth Protection Act for British Columbia (2013 Apr)
- Request for a Drinking Water Health Hazard Prevention Order regarding the proposed Raven Coal Project (2013 Feb)
- Request for an investigation into the federal government’s policies and actions to obstruct the right of the public and the media to speak to government scientists (2013 Feb)
2012
- Regulating Exposure to Radon Gas in BC Homes: A Four Pillar Approach (2012 Nov)
- Maintaining Natural BC for Our Children: Selected Law Reform Proposals (2012 Nov)
- Preventing Home Heating Oil Spills in British Columbia (2012 Nov)
- Request for Review of the Response from the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas (2012 Oct)
- Canada’s Legal Obligation and Duty to Ensure On-Reserve Access to Clean Drinking Water (2012 Sep)
- Mandatory Labelling for Hazardous Substances in Consumer Products (2012 Aug)
- Canada’s Legal Obligation and Duty to Ensure On-Reserve Access to Clean Drinking Water (2012 Aug)
- Oil and Gas Law Reform (2012 Jul)
- The Government of BC and the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Joint Review Panel: A Report into Emerging Procedural and Evidentiary Issues (2012 Jun)
- Request for an investigation into disregard of Section 25 of FIPPA by government bodies
- Mitigating Community Impacts of Mining Operations: Options for Local Governments (2012 Apr)
- Best Practices: EIS Guidelines for Large Hydropower Projects (2012 Apr)
- Peeling Back the Pavement: A Blueprint for Reinventing Rainwater Management in Canada’s Communities
2011
- The Raven Mine: A Regulatory & Fiscal Black Hole? (2011 May)
- Environmental Laws: A Field Guide for BC’s North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii (2011 May)
- Challenging the Shutdown of School Buses (2011 Feb)
- Request to investigate whether current regulation of oil and gas development adequately protects public health (2011 Feb)
- Environmental Tribunals in BC (2011 Jan)
- Recommendations to Reform the Laws Protecting Orca from Boat Traffic (2011 Jan)
2010
- Environmental Assessment in British Columbia (2010 Nov)
- Financial Vulnerability Assessment: Who Would Pay for Oil Tanker Spills Associated with the Northern Gateway Pipeline? (2010 Oct)
- Why is BC’s Fish Resource Slipping Through Cracks in the Regulatory System (2010 Aug)
- Request to refer the environmental assessment of the proposed Raven Coal Mine to a joint expert review panel (2010 Aug)
- Conserving the Planet Without Hurting Low-Income Families (2010 Apr)
- Submissions on Restricting Cosmetic Pesticide Use in British Columbia (2010 Feb)
- Re-inventing Rainwater Management: A Strategy to Protect Health and Restore Nature in the Capital Region (2010 Feb)
- Access Denied: Abuses and Failures under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (2010 Feb)
2005-2009
- Regional District Conservation Funds in British Columbia: Three Case Studies (2009 Oct)
- Request to refer environmental assessment of the proposed Victoria International Marina project to a review panel (2009 Sep)
- Protecting Echo Heights Forest (2009 Aug)
- Reforming the Regulation of BC’s Sewerage Systems: An Urgent Need to Protect Public Health (2009 Mar)
- Preserving Closed School Lands as Public Green Spaces (2008 Dec)
- Request for an audit of Ministry of Environment’s failure to identify critical habitat for species at risk (2008 Nov)
- Summary of New Climate Change Legislation that Affects Local Governments (2008 Oct)
- Traffic Congestion and Human Waste Dumping in the Saanich Inlet (2008 Oct)
- Conservation Options for Species at Risk on Small Private Lots (2008 Summer)
- Water Licences and Conservation: Future Directions for Land Trusts in British Columbia (2008 May)
- Casual Carpooling: A Background Guide (2008 Mar)
- BCUC Memo – Law Reform Project (2008 Apr)
- Green Bylaws Toolkit for Conserving Sensitive Ecosystems and Green Infrastructure (2007 Nov)
- Request for an audit and examination of private land deletions from tree farm licenses (2007 Oct)
- TILMA and Local Government Environmental Initiatives (2007 Sep)
- Establishing Your Community Farm Trust: Legal Tools and Comparative Models (2007 Aug)
- Wildlife Act review (2007 Jul)
- Legal Barriers to Increased Local Food Production and Distribution (2007 Jun)
- Cyclist’s Collision Checklist (2007 May)
- Urban Forests: The Regulation of Garry Oak Ecosystems
In British Columbia (2007 May) - Trade Restrictions on Local Food Production and Distribution (2007 Apr)
- Global Warming Solutions Act (2006 Nov)
- Participation and Management of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (2006 Sep)
- Case Studies of Agricultural Land Commission Decisions: The Need for Inquiry and Reform (2006 Aug)
- Request for an investigation into FOI requests made by environmental organizations (2005 Jun)
- A Citizen’s Guide to FOI: How to Get Government Documents (2005 May)
- At a Watershed: Ecological Governance and Sustainable Water Management in Canada (2005 May)
- Regulating Power Line EMF Exposure: International Precedents (2005 Apr)
- Land and Resource Management Review for the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission (2005 Feb)