Coming together in unity and solidarity doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll agree on everything all the time, but, if we can embrace respectful dialogue on the decisions that matter to all Nova Scotians, I have no doubt that our collective courage, goodwill, and resilience will shine through.

Last week, East Coast Environmental Law launched a campaign to win a right to a healthy environment in Nova Scotia. This law reform advocacy initiative was a long time coming, and it’s the product of many years and many hands. As the staff lawyer leading the initiative now, I am so excited to see it take flight.

Today we released an evaluation of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s performance under its provincial species at risk law, the Endangeed Species Act.

On October 13, 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) released its opinion in a reference case that examined the constitutionality of the federal Impact Assessment Act (“IAA”) and Physical Activities Regulations. The opinion of the majority—shared by five of the seven Supreme Court Justices who considered the case—is that the impact assessment process established by the IAA and Physical Activities Regulations is unconstitutional in part.

This winter, East Coast Environmental Law published a report entitled Simply Not Protected: An Evaluation of Prince Edward Island’s Legal Framework to Protect Species at Risk. This blog post offers some updates and reflections on the conversations that have happened since.

This blog post is the second installment of a two-part series inspired by the proposed Environmental Bill of Rights that was introduced to Prince Edward Island’s Legislative Assembly on April 8, 2021.

On April 8, 2021, Bill 108—a proposed Environmental Bill of Rights—was introduced to Prince Edward Island’s Legislative Assembly. The bill was tabled as a Private Member’s Bill by Lynne Lund, Green MLA for Summerside-Wilmot and party Critic for Environment, Water, Climate Change and Green Development. If it were enacted as tabled, the bill would create substantive and procedural environmental rights for all residents of Prince Edward Island.

What does it mean to be a treaty person in Canada today? The answer to that question will differ from person to person, as, for each of us, it depends on who we are, where we are from, and where we live and travel.