Environmental Law & Policy

Climate change considerations in the new federal impact assessment regime

Jun 27 2020 - 10:00am to 12:00pm

Canada’s new federal impact assessment legislation came into force in August 2019. It includes explicit requirements to take into account climate change considerations during assessment and decision-making phases. What does this mean? Details are still emerging, primarily in the form of draft guidance set to be finalized in the very near future. This Saturday Morning at the Law School session presents the new legislative context and comments on the details of climate change considerations available to date, including implications for review and approval of major resource projects. The presentation will also relate this material to the broader context of implementing Canada’s international climate change commitments and related domestic law and policy measures.

This event is sponsored by the Alberta Law Foundation.

More info & registration Read More

Making Sure Canada Never Misses Another Climate Target

Jun 17 2020 - 11:00am to 12:30pm

As a nation, we have missed every greenhouse gas reduction target set by the Canadian government prior to the current 2030 target, and are currently not on track to meet the 2030 target. While governments can claim credit for setting long-term goals, several short-term, and sometimes hard, necessary steps remain to achieve them.  Read More

New Bill 22 proposes changes to series of environmental tools in the name of “red tape reduction”

Edmonton – A new bill was proposed by the provincial government on June 11, 2020, which takes aim at removing “red tape” to reduce costs, speed up approvals, and eliminate regulations the government deems unnecessary. The new Red Tape Reduction Implementation Act, 2020, was proposed by the provincial government on June 11, 2020. The omnibus bill includes 14 changes across six ministries that would affect land use activities within our protected parks, oil sands project approvals, and energy efficiency–among other concerning environmental issues. Read More

The polluter pays principle in Alberta: Where to from here?

Jun 24 2020 - 12:00pm

You can’t get blood from a stone, or so the saying goes. So where goes the polluter pays principle in Alberta, both today and into the future?

The polluter pays principle can be implemented through a host of regulatory mechanisms with varying efficiency and effect. Join the ELC’s Jason Unger for a lunch time webinar that will provide a review of Alberta’s approach to the polluter pays principle and how it is applied. This webinar will provide a review and highlight two recent ELC reports: Read More

New report on the intersection of the Polluter Pays Principle and insolvency laws

At the Environmental Law Centre blog, Jason Unger writes about the "polluter pays principle" and its intersection with the economic challenges Alberta faces resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and low energy prices.

…it remains unclear how our society will uphold and promote the polluter pays principle, not only today and tomorrow but well into the future.

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Miistakis Monday: Do We Need a Definition of Biodiversity Conservation?

Jun 8 2020 - 12:00pm

From the Miistatkis Institute:

What does biodiversity conservation mean? We can define biodiversity, and we can catalogue the conservation mechanisms (parks, laws, education, research, advocacy, etc.), but how do we assess if a specific activity will conserve biodiversity. Join us a for a panel discussion about a proposed way of describing biodiversity conservation, and whether this is even needed.

Our panelists are: Read More

Alberta Coal Policy scrapped, making open-pit coal mining more accessible than ever along the eastern slopes of the Rockies

Alberta is cancelling a long-standing coal policy that provided broad protections within our mountain and foothill regions, making it easier to develop open-pit mines in more ecologically sensitive areas. 

Edmonton – On May 15, 2020 the Government of Alberta announced that they were rescinding  A Coal Development Policy for Alberta (Coal Policy) which has provided sweeping environmental protections for coal development since the 1970’s. This has raised concerns about how this will impact Alberta’s treasured mountains and foothills along the eastern slopes of the Rockies. Read More

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