Category Archives: 2008 Media releases

2008 Media releases | Climate and energy |

Canada back in court over Kyoto lawsuit

For immediate release

November 25, 2008

Appeal of KPIA decision launched a week before next climate change meetings

OTTAWA — Lawyers for Friends of the Earth Canada gave the Government of Canada notice yesterday that they will be appealing a recent Federal Court decision in Canada’s first ever climate change lawsuit. The much anticipated appeal comes one week before the world gathers in Poznan, Poland for the next round of international climate change negotiations.

The original lawsuit was launched in June by pro bono lawyers from Paliare Roland Barristers and Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund) on behalf of Friends of the Earth Canada. They were seeking a declaration from the Court that the government had failed to meet the legal requirements of the federal Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA). These requirements include a Plan based on meeting Kyoto targets and drafting and enacting legally binding regulations to combat climate change.

“If the Federal Court’s decision was left unchallenged, Canada’s woeful inaction on the climate change crisis would be allowed to continue despite domestic law that clearly states the Government must act,” stated Ecojustice lawyer Hugh Wilkins. “We simply cannot stand by while the government picks and chooses which laws to enforce. All of our laws must be upheld — even the ones the government finds inconvenient.”

The Federal Court ruled that the legislation itself is not justiciable — meaning it is not an issue the Courts can resolve. The appeal will seek to have the Federal Court decision set aside and ask the Court of Appeal to declare that the Minister of the Environment and the Governor in Council are violating the KPIA.

“We are looking to the Federal Court of Appeal to provide more guidance on the issue of justiciability,” said eminent Canadian lawyer Chris Paliare. “The KPIA itself states that it is binding on the government. If the government is not accountable in the courts for its admitted non-compliance with this legislation, it could make the same claim for various other laws that it does not want to obey. That makes this an important case, not just for the Kyoto Protocol, but also for democracy and the rule of law.”

“Friends of the Earth cannot let the Government of Canada defy its domestic law on climate change,” said Beatrice Olivastri, CEO of Friends of the Earth Canada. “If we cannot enforce the KPIA, it makes a mockery of the democratic process in the current session of Parliament and any private member’s bill that is considered. How can we debate future commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when we fail to enforce the current law of the land on climate change?”

For a copy of the ruling please visit www.ecojustice.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth Canada (613) 241-0085 ext. 26

Chris G. Paliare, Paliare Roland Barristers (416) 646-4318

Hugh Wilkins, Ecojustice (416) 368-7533 ext. 34

Albert Koehl, Ecojustice (416) 533-1231 (French and Spanish inquiries)

2008 Media releases | Environmental justice |

Canada’s top court upholds right to launch environmental class action lawsuits

For immediate release
November 20, 2008

Canada’s top court upholds right to launch environmental class action lawsuits

OTTAWA — Environmental advocates are hailing a precedent-setting ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada today in the case of St. Lawrence Cement Inc. v. Barrette, which upheld the right for citizens to launch environmental class action lawsuits.

Represented by pro bono lawyers from Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund) and the firm of Lauzon Bélanger, the Quebec Environmental Law Centre and Friends of the Earth Canada intervened in the dispute to defend the rights of Canadians to use class action procedures in environmental nuisance cases. The groups also sought to challenge a controversial Quebec Court of Appeal decision that would have prevented class action lawsuits over environmental harm.

“This is a massive victory for everyday citizens and the environmental community,” said Will Amos, a lawyer from the uOttawa-Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic who co-argued the case. “In terms of access to justice, in terms of enhanced environmental protection through nuisance claims, and in terms of the entrenchment of the polluter pays principle, we are very pleased with this decision.”

The Supreme Court also settled a longstanding debate under Quebec’s civil law system by ruling that nuisance claims only require proof of “abnormal inconvenience”, and do not require proof of wrongdoing or “fault”. “The result is that future environmental nuisance claims will be more easily proven under a no-fault regime, and polluters will have even more incentive to clean up their act to avoid being sued by their neighbours,” stated Amos.

“The Court not only confirmed that citizens play an important role in bringing environmental nuisance claims, it upheld one of the most important principles in environmental law — that polluters must pay.” said Jean-Francois Girard, Director of the Quebec Centre for Environmental Law.

The lawsuit began when a class action brought by neighbours of a controversial Quebec City cement factory sought compensation for damage caused by the factory’s operation, including noise, odour, and dust problems. Although the Quebec Superior Court upheld their claim and ordered St. Lawrence Cement to pay $15 million in damages, the Quebec Court of Appeal reversed this decision, concluding that nuisance claims could not be brought as a class action proceeding and that only landowners could participate. Today’s decision upheld the Superior Court decision.

“This decision of the Supreme Court reinstates the possibility of implementing class action procedures in environmental cases, a possibility that had been, for all practical purposes, shut out by the Quebec Appeal Court,” stated Michel Bélanger, counsel at Lauzon Bélanger in Montreal.

“Through our intervention in the citizens’ case, we were seeking to uphold citizens’ rights to launch environmental class action lawsuits so that Canadians can do what is needed when the government cannot or will not take adequate action to protect the environment,” stated Beatrice Olivastri, CEO of Friends of the Earth Canada. “We congratulate Madame Barrette, Monsieur Cochrane and their colleagues on their success and thank them on behalf of all Canadians. Because of their fortitude in pursuing their case, the court has protected access to environmental justice both in Québec and in the rest of Canada.”

For more information, please contact:

Will Amos, Ecojustice (613) 562-5800 ext. 3378
Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth Canada (613) 724-8690
Michel Bélanger, Lauzon Bélanger Inc. (514) 927-6195
Jean-François Girard, Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement (514) 577-3715

2008 Media releases | Environmental justice |

Le droit d’intenter des recours collectifs en matière d’environnement

Diffusion immédiate - Le 20 novembre 2008


Le plus haut tribunal au Canada appuie le droit d’intenter des recours collectifs en matière d’environnement


OTTAWA – Les environnementalistes applaudissent une décision qui fait précédent, rendue par la Cour suprême aujourd’hui dans la cause Ciment du Saint-Laurent inc. c. Barrette, où le tribunal confirme le droit pour la population d’intenter des recours collectifs en matière d’environnement.


Représentés par des avocats pro bono de l’organisation Ecojustice (autrefois Sierra Legal Defence Fund) et de la firme Lauzon Bélanger, le Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement et Les Ami(e)s de la Terre Canada sont intervenus dans le litige pour défendre le droit des Canadiennes et des Canadiens à intenter des recours collectif dans les causes de nuisance environnementale. Ces organismes ont aussi demandé à contester un arrêt controversé de la Cour d’appel du Québec qui aurait interdit les recours collectifs concernant des dommages environnementaux.


« La décision rendue aujourd’hui est une immense victoire pour le monde ordinaire et pour la communauté environnementale », a déclaré Me Will Amos, un avocat de la Clinique de droit de l’environnement d’uOttawa- Ecojustice qui a co-plaidé la cause. « Qu’il s’agisse de l’accès à la justice, d’une protection accrue de l’environnement par le biais de causes de nuisance ou de l’enchâssement du principe du pollueur payeur, nous sommes extrêmement heureux de cette décision. »


La Cour suprême a également résolu une ambiguïté de longue date du système de droit civil québécois en statuant que les réclamations de nuisance n’exigeaient qu’une preuve d’« inconvénient anormal » et non celle de la commission d’une « faute ». « Il en résulte que de futures réclamations pour nuisance à l’environnement seront plus faciles à établir dans un régime sans égard à la faute et que les pollueurs seront d’autant plus incités à dépolluer leurs extrants pour éviter des poursuites de leurs voisins, » a conclu Me Amos. 


« Non seulement le tribunal a-t-il confirmé que les citoyens et citoyennes jouaient un rôle crucial dans le dépôt de réclamations pour nuisance à l’environnement, mais il a soutenu un des plus importants principes du droit de l’environnement, celui de la responsabilité financière des pollueurs », a ajouté Jean-Francois Girard, directeur du Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement.


Cette poursuite a débuté avec un recours collectif intenté par les voisins d’une cimenterie controversée de Québec pour obtenir compensation des dommages causés par le fonctionnement de l’usine, dont des problèmes de bruit, d’odeur et de poussière. Bien que la Cour supérieure du Québec ait accueilli leur réclamation et ordonné à Ciment Saint-Laurent de verser 15 millions $ en dommages, la Cour d’appel du Québec a infirmé cette décision, statuant que les réclamations pour nuisance ne pouvaient faire l’objet d’un recours collectif et que seuls des propriétaires pouvaient s’en prévaloir. La décision rendue aujourd’hui a rétabli la décision de la Cour supérieure.  


« Avec cette décision de la Cour suprême, c’est l’application de la procédure de recours  collectif dans les dossiers d’environnement qui redevient possible, ce qui avait été, à toutes fins pratiques, écarté par la Cour d’appel », a déclaré Me Michel Bélanger, avocat chez Lauzon Bélanger à Montréal.


« Avec notre intervention en appui à ce recours de simples citoyen(ne)s, nous voulions rétablir leur droit à intenter des recours collectifs liés à l’environnement afin que les Canadiens soient en mesure de faire le nécessaire quand le gouvernement ne peut ou ne veut pas prendre les mesures qui s’imposent pour protéger l’environnement », a conclu Madame Beatrice Olivastri, directrice générale des Ami(e)s de la Terre Canada. « Nous félicitons Madame Barrette, Monsieur Cochrane et leurs collègues pour ce succès et les remercions au nom de tous les gens du pays. C’est grâce à leur détermination à poursuivre ce combat que le tribunal a protégé l’accès à la justice environnementale, tant au Québec que dans le reste du Canada. »


Pour plus d’information, veuillez contacter :


Me Will Amos, Ecojustice (613) 562-5800, poste 3378
Beatrice Olivastri, Les Ami(e)s de la Terre Canada (613) 724-8690
Michel Bélanger, Lauzon Bélanger Inc. (514) 927-6195
Jean-François Girard, Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement (514) 577-3715

2008 Media releases | Climate and energy |

Canada wriggles off the hook for violating Kyoto law

Media release

For immediate release
October 20, 2008

Canada wriggles off the hook for violating Kyoto law

(Toronto, October 20, 2008) After months of deliberation, Canada’s Federal Court released a decision late yesterday regarding the Government of Canada’s alleged violation of the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA), a federal law that required Canada to take specific action to meet binding international commitments to fight climate change.

The lawsuit was launched on behalf of Friends of the Earth Canada in June by pro bono lawyers from Paliare Roland Barristers and Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund). It sought a declaration from the court that the government had failed to meet the legal requirements of the KPIA by missing critical deadlines and failing to uphold its legal duty to publish regulations. The Court ruled that the legislation itself is not justiciable — meaning it is not an issue the Courts can resolve.

“It is distressing that such crucial legislation would be beyond the realm of the courts,” said Ecojustice lawyer Hugh Wilkins. “If we can’t turn to the courts to ensure that the laws of the land are upheld, I fear our government will continue to drift towards unaccountability on climate change and other issues Canadians care deeply about.”

The Federal Court’s decision, if left unchallenged, allows Canada’s woeful inaction responding to the climate change crisis to continue.

“This decision is shocking and a stake in the heart of democracy since it appears we cannot enforce Canadian domestic law,” said Friends of the Earth Canada Chief Executive Officer Beatrice Olivastri. “Friends of the Earth had counted on the KPIA law to compel this government to act honourably and take appropriate climate protection measures.”

“The Court has sent a message that the government can pick and choose which laws to obey,” said eminent Canadian lawyer Chris Paliare. “We will undoubtedly be considering further legal action to ensure that the Government is held accountable.”

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that has been ratified by 180 countries to date and sets targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Of the 38 industrialized nations with binding international targets, Canada is the only country that has indicated that it does not intend to meet its international obligations.

Read the Federal Court’s ruling.

For more information, please contact:

Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth Canada (613) 241-0085 ext. 26

Chris G. Paliare, Paliare Roland Barristers (416) 646-4318

Hugh Wilkins, Ecojustice (416) 368-7533 ext. 34

Albert Koehl, Ecojustice (416) 533-1231 (French and Spanish inquiries)

2008 Media releases | Environmental justice |

Pétition de dernier recours pour sauver le parc Benny

Communiqué de presse

Le rezonage du parc Benny contrevient aux droits de la population établis dans la Charte montréalaise des droits et responsabilités

(Montréal, le 2 septembre 2008) Un groupe de citoyennes et de citoyens a déposé aujourd’hui une pétition basée sur la Charte montréalaise des droits et responsabilités — reconnue par l’UNESCO — où ils demandent à l’ombudsman de la Ville de Montréal d’enquêter sur un processus de consultation qualifié de biaisé à l’arrondissement de Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

« Les parcs urbains sont un instrument crucial pour aider les personnes qui vivent en ville à réduire leur empreinte écologique », explique Diane Chambers, initiatrice de la pétition. « Il nous faut plus et non moins d’espaces verts. Voila pourquoi nous demandons à l’ombudsman de la Ville de Montréal de scruter à la loupe le processus de rezonage du parc Benny et, durant cette période, de suspendre toute activité de réaménagement en cours. Nous croyons qu’il faut contester un processus déficient de consultation et que la seule solution appropriée à ce problème est la restauration au parc Benny de son statut de ‘parc’. »

Le parc Benny est un parc urbain situé au nord du complexe Benny Farm. Il est question de le réaménager pour y installer un complexe sportif et récréatif, d’abord envisagé sur un site adjacent. Le rezonage de l’ensemble du parc — et non seulement du site actuellement réservé au complexe sportif et récréatif — en fait une cible de choix pour d’autres réaménagements, plutôt qu’un parc urbain protégé. Des citoyen-nes réclament par pétition le rétablissement du statut du parc Benny et la médiation de l’ombudsman de Montréal dans la planification du complexe sportif.

« Ma famille va souvent au parc Benny, » fait valoir Rajeev Ramtuhol. « Nous ne pouvons laisser notre communauté être dépossédée de cet important parc urbain alors que tout le monde sait qu’il nous faut plus et non moins d’espaces verts. C’est ce que nous offre le parc Benny, ainsi que de l’air propre pour nos enfants. Nous ne pouvons sacrifier cette ressource. »

Des résident-es signataires de cette pétition ont demandé aux Ami(e)s de la Terre — un organisme environnemental bien connu — de surveiller la réception et le traitement de la pétition par l’Ombudsman de la Ville de Montréal.

« Quand on considère la Charte montréalaise des droits et responsabilités et la planification maladroite du réaménagement du parc Benny, on ne peut que se demander si les responsables de l’arrondissement ont tenu compte du respect de la Charte », commente Beatrice Olivastri, p.-d.-g. des Ami(e)s de la Terre Canada. « Il n’existe, à notre connaissance, aucune autre ville canadienne à offrir la norme de justice environnementale qui caractérise Montréal et sa Charte. Par contre, une charte significative doit être appliquée, et nous allons surveiller avec beaucoup d’intérêt l’intervention de la population en appui au
parc Benny. »

Lors de la mise en oeuvre de la Charte montréalaise des droits et responsabilités, en 2006, l’ombudsman de la Ville de Montréal est devenue son « gardien » et a acquis de vastes pouvoirs d’enquête, y compris le droit de recommander des mesures correctives appropriées. Le Bureau de l’ombudsman a rapporté avoir reçu, depuis 2006, 81 requêtes relatives à la Charte, qui ont donné voie à 69 enquêtes.

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Pour plus de renseignements, contacter:

Beatrice Olivastri, p.-d.-g., 613-241-0085, poste 26, ou 613-724-8690 (cellulaire)

Diane Chambers, signataire de la pétition visant à sauver le parc Benny, 514-486-7756

Les Ami(e)s de la Terre Canada est une voix en faveur de l’environnement, qui s’active à l’échelon national et international pour inspirer le renouveau des collectivités et de la Terre par un travail de recherche, d’éducation et de plaidoyer. C’est le volet canadien des Amis de la Terre International, une ONG présente dans 69 pays.

Visitez www.foecanada.org pour lire la pétition et faites votre part pour sauver le parc Benny!

2008 Media releases | Environmental justice |

Citizens launch last resort petition to save Benny Park

Media release

Benny Park rezoning process denies public rights promised by Montreal Charter of Rights, Responsibilities and Commitments

(Montreal, September 2, 2008) Today, a citizens group filed a petition under the UNESCO-recognized Montreal Charter of Rights, Responsibilities and Commitments calling on the Montreal Ombudsman to investigate faulty proceedings employed by the borough of Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

“Urban parks are a key tool to help city dwellers reduce their ecological footprint,” says Diane Chambers. “We need more greenspace, not less. So we’ve asked the Montreal Ombudsman to put the rezoning process for Benny Park under the microscope and, while doing so, suspend all development activities under way. We believe the faulty consultation process must be challenged and that the only adequate way to remedy that process is to have Benny Park returned to its ‘park’ status.”

Benny Park is an urban park located north of Benny Farm complex. It is slated to be redeveloped for a sports and recreation complex that was originally planned for an adjacent site. The re-zoning of the entire Park — not just the site currently selected for the sports and recreation complex — leaves it an open target for further development instead of a protected urban park. Citizens are petitioning to reinstate Benny Park’s status as a park and for mediation by the Montreal Ombudsman in the planning processes regarding the sports complex.

“My family uses Benny Park often,” says Rajeev Ramtuhol. “We cannot allow our community to be hoodwinked into losing this important urban park when everyone knows we need more, not less green space. Benny Park provides green space and clean air for our children and we can’t afford to lose it.”

Residents involved with the petition have requested that Friends of the Earth — well known environmental organization — monitor the treatment and progress of the petition to the Montreal Ombudsman.

“When you think of the Montreal Charter of Rights, Responsibilities and Commitments, and then consider the bumbling Benny Park planning process on the other hand, you’ve got to wonder if the Borough bureaucracy was paying attention to Charter compliance,” says Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth Canada. “As far as we know, no other Canadian city offers the same standards of environmental justice as Montreal does with its Charter. At the same time, you have to enforce a Charter to make it meaningful and we will be watching the Benny Park intervention with great interest.”

When the Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities was implemented in 2006, the Montreal Ombudsman became its “guardian” and acquired broad investigative powers including the right to recommend appropriate corrective measures. Since 2006, the Ombudsman office has reported receiving 81 Charter requests with a resulting 69 investigations.

- 30 -

For information, contact:

Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, (613) 241-0085 ext. 26 or (613) 724-8690 (cellular)
Diane Chambers, Petitioner to Save Benny Park (514) 486-7756

Friends of the Earth Canada is a voice for the environment, working nationally and internationally to inspire the renewal of communities and the earth through research, education and advocacy. It is the Canadian member of the 69 country strong Friends of the Earth International.

Visit www.foecanada.org to read the petition and help save Benny Park!

2008 Media releases | Climate and energy |

Friends of the Earth takes federal government to court over Kyoto failure

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release — June 18, 2008

Friends of the Earth takes federal government to court over Kyoto failure

Lawsuit demands government obey the will of Parliament

TORONTO — In a federal courtroom today, Canada will become the first country ever to be brought to court for failing to comply with its legal commitments to combat global warming.

On behalf of Friends of the Earth Canada, pro-bono lawyers from Paliare Roland Barristers and Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund) will be in court today challenging the Government of Canada for violating the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA), a federal law which came into force less than one year ago.

“The case is about defending the fundamental principle that the government must be accountable and comply with the law,” said Ecojustice lawyer Hugh Wilkins. “The government cannot pick and choose which laws to obey. The law is the law.”

The KPIA sets out mandatory legal obligations and deadlines that the government is required to meet, including the publication of a climate change plan and the enactment of regulations to ensure that Canada takes effective and timely action to meet its international treaty obligations regarding under the Kyoto Protocol. The lawsuit alleges that the federal government has not complied with these requirements or met the deadlines set out in the Act.

“Put simply, Canada has failed to comply with the law,” said eminent Canadian lawyer Chris Paliare. “We are asking the court to declare that the government is bound by the law and must be held accountable to the will of Parliament.”

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that has been ratified by 180 countries to date and sets targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Of the 38 industrialized nations with binding international targets, Canada is the only country that has indicated that it does not intend to meet its international obligations.

“While other industrialized countries actively work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, our government has offered pollution holidays for emitters for decades to come,” said Friends of the Earth Canada Chief Executive Officer Beatrice Olivastri. “This government has broken the law and, as Canadian citizens, we have both a moral and legal imperative to insist on enforcement of our own laws on climate action.”

The lawsuit seeks a declaration from the Court that the government has not complied with the law and an order requiring it to do so.

The hearing will commence at 9:30 am on Wednesday June 18, 2008 at the Federal Court, 180 Queen Street West in Toronto.

For further information please contact:

Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth Canada (613) 241-0085 ext. 26
Chris G. Paliare, Paliare Roland Barristers (416) 646-4318
Hugh Wilkins, Ecojustice (416) 368-7533 ext. 25
Albert Koehl, Ecojustice (416) 533-1231 [French interviews]

Read the Media backgrounder

2008 Media releases | Water |

Government of Canada must deal with the Devil

For immediate release
June 12, 2008

Government of Canada must deal with the Devil

Friends of the Earth Canada and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce petition Canadian Auditor General for answers on Devils Lake Outlet, before permit to pollute is re-issued

(Ottawa / Winnipeg) The Devil’s in the details — especially when enforcing an environmental safeguard agreement established three years ago over the controversial Devils Lake Outlet in North Dakota. One year ago, the Federal House of Commons convened an emergency debate to discuss the Outlet’s operations. With no indicators of progress in sight Friends of the Earth Canada and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce have joined to petition the Auditor General of Canada to ensure Canadian politicians and officials protect Canadian waters against the deleterious impacts associated with the Devils Lake Outlet.

The Petition submitted earlier today calls for public disclosure by Canada’s Ministers of the Environment and Foreign Affairs, including the actions taken by both the Canadian Ambassador to the United States and the Consul General, on matters agreed to by Canada and the USA in the August 2005 Multi-layered Safeguard Agreement.

“If Canada has not received assurances on execution of the safeguard terms,” says Beatrice Olivastri, CEO of Friends of the Earth Canada, “then Canada must insist the outlet be closed down permanently. Allowing this boondoggle to continue sets an unacceptable precedent for trans-boundary water issues to come.”

Under the 2005 Agreement, Canada and the United States were expected to work together on the construction of an advanced filtration/disinfection system, an early detection and monitoring system for water quality and aquatic nuisance species and take immediate measures to prevent the spread of any aquatic nuisance species that pose significant risk to the Basin should any be identified. The Red River and Lake Winnipeg, both downstream from the Devils Lake Outlet, are important natural, recreational and economic resources for the entire region.

The Canadian petition arrives just prior to the reissuance of a permit to continue operating the Devils Lake outlet with only a rudimentary gravel filter in place. The permit will allow unaltered operation of the outlet until 2013.

“Economically and environmentally the stakes are huge,” says Graham Starmer, President of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. “We need the political will to prevent the ill.”

The AG Petition process was established by Parliament to ensure Canadians receive timely answers from federal ministers on specific environmental and sustainable development issues that involve federal jurisdiction. Friends of the Earth and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce believe that Canadians have the right to such answers on the enforcement of the 2005 Environmental Safeguard Agreement on the Devils Lake Outlet.

Contact information for media:

Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth Canada, (613) 241-0085 ext. 26, (613) 724-8690 (cellular) www.foecanada.org.

Graham Starmer, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, (204) 948-0107, (204) 781-0492 (cellular)

2008 Media releases | Environmental justice |

Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights (CEBR)

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release
June 5, 2008

New law gives Canadians legal right to healthy environment
Cornerstone environmental legislation introduced by environmental groups

OTTAWA — Three leading environmental organizations are using the United Nations’ World Environment Day to launch the first Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights (CEBR), model legislation that would enshrine in law the right of all Canadians to a healthy environment.

The proposed Environmental Bill of Rights was researched and drafted by pro bono lawyers at Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund), on behalf of Friends of the Earth Canada and the Sierra Club Canada. The groups are asking parliamentarians from all federal parties to advance the legislation through the House of Commons.

“We are calling on our political leaders to rise above the gridlock of a minority government to embrace this transformative piece of legislation,” said Margot Venton, one of the Ecojustice lawyers who drafted the legislation. “Passing the Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights is both a rare and urgent opportunity for all parties to show political leadership at a time when it is sorely needed.”

The Bill would strengthen Canada’s framework for protecting the environment, by establishing a statutory (rather than a constitutional) right to a healthy environment and by imposing a legal duty upon Ottawa to protect this right. Environmental rights are well established in law. Over 100 countries recognize the right to a healthy environment in their constitutions, and Ontario, Quebec, Yukon and Northwest Territories have provided a statutory right to a healthy environment.

“It’s time that Canada caught up with the rest of the world in recognizing the rights of citizens to a healthy environment,” said Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth Canada. “Canadians, everywhere in this country, deserve protection against environmental destruction and its negative impacts on their health.”

Beyond establishing this basic environmental right, the Bill would also guarantee key procedural rights, such as access to environmental information, the ability to participate in environmental decision-making, and the ability to request investigations and policy reviews. As well, it would empower Canadians, in specific and limited circumstances, to sue the federal government when it fails to enforce its environmental laws.

“Canadians deserve environmental accountability, and the federal government must earn the trust of Canadians,” said William Amos, a lawyer at the uOttawa Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic. “If federal laws and regulations are not being enforced, citizens need affordable recourse to the judicial system.”

The enforcement provisions of the proposed Bill are similar to federal and state laws passed in the U.S. in the 1970s that give citizens the ability to take legal action when environmental laws are not being enforced. Canada’s provincial and territorial laws, as well as certain federal laws like the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, provide for limited citizen enforcement mechanisms.

“This is a historic opportunity for Parliament,” said Jean Langlois, National Campaigns Director of Sierra Club Canada. “The interests of individual Canadians are compromised when decisions run roughshod over our common natural legacy. Our legal system currently provides limited and costly opportunities for the public to address such injustices. The CEBR would finally give all Canadians the tools necessary to protect their environmental rights.”

For more information, please contact:

Will Amos, Ecojustice (613) 562-5800 ext. 3378, cell (613) 255-7505 (English/French)
Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth (613) 241-0085 x26, cell (613) 724-8690
Jean Langlois, Sierra Club Canada, (613) 241-4611, cell (613) 266-5326 (English/French)

Media backgrounder

Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights — Summary

2008 Media releases | Environmental justice |

Right to launch environmental class action lawsuits

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release
March 27, 2008

Groups intervene in Canada’s top court to protect right to launch environmental class action lawsuits

OTTAWA — Lawyers for two environmental groups will be intervening at the Supreme Court of Canada today, challenging a controversial Quebec Court of Appeal decision that could impair the rights of citizens to launch class action lawsuits over environmental harm.

Represented by pro bono counsel from Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund) and the firm of Lauzon Bélanger, the Quebec Environmental Law Centre and Friends of the Earth Canada will be intervening in the landmark St. Lawrence Cement Inc. v. Barrette case.

The lawsuit began as a class action brought by neighbours of a controversial Quebec City cement factory, which operated for 42 years. The neighbours sought compensation for damage caused by the factory’s operation, including decades of noise, odour, and dust problems.

The Quebec Superior Court upheld their claim and ordered St. Lawrence Cement to pay $15 million in damages. However, the Quebec Court of Appeal reversed this decision, concluding that nuisance claims could not be brought as a class action proceeding, and that the right to bring such claims was limited to property owners, as opposed to tenants or the spouses and children of owners. This decision was appealed to the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeal’s decision surprised many legal observers, as it runs counter to the principle of enhanced access to justice. “By limiting the availability of the class action procedure in environmental nuisance cases, an important environmental protection tool for ordinary Canadians was undermined,” said Will Amos, Ecojustice staff lawyer who will be arguing the case. Beatrice Olivastri, CEO of Friends of the Earth Canada added, “We are intervening to ensure that access to environmental justice is protected and promoted both in Québec and in the rest of Canada.”

The case will also highlight the broader issue of how and when individual citizens can bring private nuisance lawsuits to protect their environment, in particular when industrial emission regulations provide inadequate protection for neighbouring homes, or when government regulators do not effectively enforce the law.

“Although Canadians want and expect their governments to control industry’s pollution, there are gaps in local standards and implementation measures that must be overcome,” stated Michel Bélanger, counsel at Lauzon Bélanger in Montreal.

“There is still a role to be played by ordinary Canadians in bringing environmental nuisance claims,” said Jean-Francois Girard, Director of the Quebec Centre for Environmental Law. “This area of law must be interpreted according to the principles of polluter-pays and environmental cost internalization.”

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For more information, please contact:

Will Amos, Ecojustice (613) 562-5800 ext. 3378
Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth Canada (613) 724-8690
Michel Bélanger, Lauzon Bélanger Inc. (514) 844-3037
Jean-François Girard, Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement (514) 392-5723