We’re back in court again, ready to fight for nature.
With you by our side, Nature Canada is once again intervening in a legal case to defend Canada’s environmental laws. Along with our partner West Coast Environmental Law, we’ll soon argue before the Alberta Court of Appeal that Canada’s Impact Assessment Act is indeed necessary and constitutional. That’s contrary to what the Alberta Government says.
But this act is constitutional… and necessary. In essence, it requires governments to look before they leap — to consider environmental impacts before approving major projects. Environmental laws like this act stand between us and runaway destruction of nature. Look what happened with the Sydney Tar Ponds in Nova Scotia, the Deepwater Horizon event in the Gulf of Mexico and the Exxon Valdez catastrophe in Alaska.
Unfortunately, the Federal government (Bill C-5), the Ontario government (Bill 5), and the BC government (Bill 15) seem to agree: we no longer need assessments for major development projects. These three bills give governments the authority to bypass environmental assessment laws. This is allowed for vaguely defined “national interest projects,” “provincially significant projects” and projects in “special economic zones.”
Governments can’t just waive environmental laws whenever they feel like it. Please consider donating to Nature Canada today so we can protect the Impact Assessment Act.
Your support will allow us to:
Research environmental impacts of large-scale industrial developments and help ensure that their environmental effects are federally assessed
Prepare legal briefs and final arguments for the hearings
Advocate for stronger environmental laws like the Impact Assessment Act
Raise awareness and mobilize people around environmental hearings to halt and reverse nature loss
This is our moment to stand together and send a clear message: our environment is not for sale.
Yours for Nature,
Stephen Hazell
Counsel (retired)
Nature Canada
Image credit: “Court Gavel - Judge's Gavel - Courtroom” by wp paarz on Flickr
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