Environmental Law Centre Society
| Specific Topics of Lobbying Communications | Intended Outcomes | Associated Subject Matters |
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Asking government to conduct careful environmental assessment and regulation of the proposed West Coast Olefins Ltd. Ethylene Project in Prince George and associated projects, including asking that any Environmental Assessment be conducted by an independent panel of experts in a process that includes public hearings, and failing that, the intended outcome was that no decision be made that would prejudice the ability of Too Close to Home and Zoe Melitis to re-apply for establishment of such a panel and process, and that details in the draft Environmental Assessment Office report be amended to reflect our view of the facts.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation
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Energy, Environment, Municipal Affairs
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Asking that the Wildlife Act be amended to provide legal protection for bear dens across the province and that regional regulations be developed to provide specific regionally appropriate provision to protect bear dens. See the report at: https://elc.uvic.ca/publications/protecting-bear-dens/
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Conservation, Environment, Forestry
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Environmental law reform, in particular implement the reform of laws governing mining in British Columbia, in accordance with the BC Mining Law Reform platform, found at https://reformbcmining.ca/reports/
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Introduction, amendment, passage or defeat of any Bill or resolution in or before the Legislative Assembly
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Conservation, Energy, Environment, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Mining
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Reforming the Mineral Compensation Regime in BC
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Conservation, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Mining
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Seeking designation of the Fraser River from Hope to below Chilliwack as a Provincial Wildlife Management Area titled Heart of the Fraser Wildlife Management Area: https://elc.uvic.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2020-02-01-ELC-Letter-to-Minister-Conroy-2021OCT15.pdf
The intended outcome is for the Minister to take steps under s. 4(2) of the Wildlife Act to establish a Heart of the Fraser Wildlife Management Area, after first inviting First Nations to consider partnering in such an initiative that could be – or evolve into -- an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Decision by the Executive Council or a member of the Executive Council to have the private sector instead of the Crown provide goods or services to the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Conservation, Environment, Forestry, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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Shared Environmental Law Centre report Cleaning Up Coles Bay: The Urgent Need to Restore Traditional Shellfish Harvesting Sites of the Pauquachin First Nation. Also shared an accompanying letter from the Chief of the Pauquachin First Nation, asking for provincial government action to clean up the pollution of shellfish at Coles Bay, and develop a coast-wide Healthy Shellfish Initiative. The intended outcome is for the Ministers to follow the recommendations in the report, including:
1. Establish a British Columbia Healthy Shellfish Initiative, in partnership with the federal government. The rehabilitation of Coles Bay should be immediately initiated as a pilot project and model to inform the coast-wide program.
2. Set a provincial goal of recovering and re-opening 80% of closed shellfish beds by 2027. (Modelled on the goal approach of the Puget Sound Partnership)
3. Set up and support a multi-stakeholder partnership-facilitating agency to liaise between First Nations, federal and local governments, and other stakeholders. (Modelled on the Puget Sound Partnership)
4. Legally require that prompt Pollution Identification and Correction measures be taken whenever significant contamination of shellfish is detected. These efforts should be Indigenous led and include Indigenous traditional knowledge, as appropriate.
5. Legally require local multi-party restoration efforts when shellfish beds are closed for harvesting, modelled on the Shellfish Protection Districts operating in Washington State.
6. Support expansion of water-quality testing capacity and frequency to ensure that harvesting continues to be safe, with a priority given to enhance the role of First Nation Guardians and the First Nation Health Authority.
7. Create incentives for water quality improvement and shellfish bed restoration. (e.g., rebates for septic upgrades, sewage connections, etc.)
A preliminary intended outcome was to seek a meeting with the Cabinet Ministers to discuss the above-noted submissions.
The report can be found here: : https://elc.uvic.ca/publications/cleaningupcolesbay-municipalshellfishreport/.
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation
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Conservation, Environment, Fisheries, Health, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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Submitting law reform proposals relating to the Water Sustainability Act, including relating to water bottling and water export.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Introduction, amendment, passage or defeat of any Bill or resolution in or before the Legislative Assembly, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation
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Agriculture, Conservation, Environment, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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We forwarded two reports that the Environmental Law Centre had recently published:
• Reducing Wildfire Damage by Encouraging Prescribed and Cultural Burning https://elc.uvic.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Reducing-Wildfire-Damage-by-Encouraging-Prescribed-and-Cultural-Burning.pdf
• Protecting Indigenous Cultural Heritage Resources on Private Land: Potential Strategies and Tools for Nations, Recommendations for Provincial and Local Government Reform https://www.tsilhqotin.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-01-30-Protecting-Indigenous-Cultural-Heritage-High-Res.pdf and
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Environment, Forestry, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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