Ecojustice

10/07/2026

We've just dealt with the announcement of the federal government's controversial Bill C-39 i.e., the Bulldoze Nature Bill. Now, the government is proposing to change how Bill C-39 is reviewed in Parliament. Ecojustice and other civil society groups are calling for a different approach.

Rather than sending the bill to a newly established special legislative committee, the government should refer its different parts to the relevant House of Commons standing committees, where MPs can hear from independent experts and examine the bill in detail.

ICYMI: Bill C-39 is 243 pages long and would amend 18 statutes and four regulations, with implications for the environment, public health and safety, workers’ rights, trade and transportation. It is unprecedented.

A bill of this scope deserves meaningful parliamentary scrutiny.

Read the full release to learn more about the call for a proper committee review.

https://ecojustice.ca/news/civil-society-groups-demand-meaningful-parliamentary-review-of-the-bulldoze-nature-bill/

10/01/2026

PONI #1 is officially designated. PONI #2 could be next. And today is the last day to speak up.

This morning the federal government designated the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a Project of National Interest, putting it on an accelerated path toward approval. Now, the feds will shift to Roberts Bank Terminal 2, which is being considered for the same treatment.

Why this matters: RBT2 would expand industrial development in the Fraser River estuary. This is critical habitat for Fraser Chinook salmon that the last 74 Southern Resident Killer Whales depend on.

The project will also increase underwater noise and the risk of vessel strikes for Southern Residents.

👉 These are impacts that demand careful assessment, but the government wants shortcuts.

Where you come in: The comment period closes today. Send your letter and tell the federal government to keep RBT2 out of the PONI framework.

HERE: https://na3.hubs.ly/y0Fj2L0

10/01/2026

🚨The West Coast oil pipeline has been designated a Project of National Interest (PONI).

Just days after the federal government tried to comfort us with commitments to ocean protection (and oil spills), it now puts forward its real intention.

The federal government has officially moved the proposed million-barrel-a-day pipeline onto Schedule One of the Building Canada Act (BCA), putting it on an accelerated path toward approval and giving it sidedoor shortcuts around the Species at Risk Act.

This is the first PONI designation under the controversial legislation, and it sets a dangerous precedent for how the rest of major projects will be fast-tracked while key environmental safeguards are weakened or bypassed.

The proposed pipeline route ends at Roberts Bank in the Fraser River estuary — one of the most important ecosystems for Chinook salmon: the lifeline of the last 74 Southern Resident Killer Whales.

We’ve been warning about the consequences. Now, we’re going to keep fighting for the Fraser River estuary, Southern Resident killer whales and the laws that protect them.

Read more: https://na3.hubs.ly/y0Fftk0

09/29/2026

“The package of changes to environmental law over the last year-and-a-half … since this government first tabled the Building Canada Act has truly been like beyond anything we’ve ever seen.” - Margot Venton, Ecojustice nature director on the threats to nature from Canada's controversial Bill C-39.

Read more: https://na3.hubs.ly/y0DX3c0

09/27/2026

"The Carney government has lost its bid to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Ottawa no longer has a credible plan to meet Canada’s 2030 emissions target, after a judge ruled the case can proceed to a full hearing.

The case is based on the Canadian Net Zero Emissions Accountability Act, a Trudeau-era legislation that requires setting national targets for greenhouse gas emissions and establishing a credible plan to meet those goals.

The three young climate activists leading the challenge, Marie Maltais, Sophia Mathur and Shirley Barnea, along with Environmental Defense and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, argue that recent policy decisions have made the 2030 targets unachievable."

Sign the statement of support for young climate litigants >> https://na3.hubs.ly/y0DM9F0

Source: IPolitics, Sept. 21, 2026

09/26/2026

"A lawyer for the youth applicants sees this as an early win.

"Our clients were optimistic about their chances," said Fraser Thomson, a staff lawyer at the environmental law charity Ecojustice.

"The court has confirmed that this case should proceed. The time for delay is over and our clients will move as expeditiously as possible to advance this case.""

Learn more >> https://na3.hubs.ly/y0DM8C0

Source: CBC News, Sept. 21, 2026

09/25/2026

Great news! 🎉

Following the federal government’s attempt to stop the youth and NGO-led climate accountability case from proceeding, the court has sided with litigants, finding no legal or factual basis to throw out the case. Onward.

Marie, Shirley, Sophia, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and Environmental Defence Canada, represented by Ecojustice lawyers, launched a legal challenge this past summer aimed at holding Prime Minister Carney’s government accountable to the Canada Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act (CNZEAA).

CNZEAA sets two legally binding requirements:

✔️ that the federal government must have a science-based target, and
✔️ that it must have a credible plan to achieve that target.

Over the past 18 months, the federal government has rolled back climate policy and gutted key pillars of Canada’s climate strategy, leading the litigants to argue that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government doesn’t have a plan to hit its 2030 climate targets. Indeed, its own reports reveal Canada is nowhere near on track.

“This isn’t just irresponsible,” says Ecojustice lawyer Fraser Thomson. “it’s against the law, and it puts Canadians’ futures at risk.”

Sign the statement of support for youth climate litigants now >> https://na3.hubs.ly/y0DM790
Learn more >> https://na3.hubs.ly/y0DM7-0

09/25/2026

Have you been meaning to learn more about the landmark Mathur et al. v Ontario Charter challenge, but haven't had the time to?

We've just made it easy.

Press play, sit back, and relax as Ecojustice lawyer Fraser Thomson and youth litigants Alex and Shae walk you through:

✅ What's happened in this case so far;
✅ The legal twists and turns since it launched seven years ago; and
✅ The legal precedents Mathur has set for other climate cases in Canada.

Ecojustice lawyer Fraser is joined by Alex and Shae, two youth liti...

09/23/2026

Have you registered yet for tomorrow's online webinar on the groundbreaking youth-led Mathur et al. v Ontario case?

We're excited to see you.

REGISTER NOW 👉 https://na3.hubs.ly/y0Dzz-0

09/23/2026

Two major projects. One critical estuary ecosystem. Many of the same risks.

The proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline and Roberts Bank Terminal 2 have different purposes: One would move up to one million barrels of oil a day to the B.C. Coast, while the other would expand container shipping at Canada's largest port.

But both would rain down on the same fragile ecosystem.

Both would bring major increases in industrial activity and vessel traffic to the Fraser River Estuary and Salish Sea, while wiping out 177 hectares of estuary habitat ... A key breeding ground for Chinook salmon that the Southern Resident Killer Whale depends on.

And both are being considered for designation as Projects of National Interest under the Building Canada Act, which would provide a pathway around protections in the Species at Risk Act.

The public comment period for the West Coast Oil Pipeline has now closed. But there is still time to speak up about Roberts Bank Terminal 2. The federal government is accepting public comments on the proposed RBT2 designation until October 1.

Use our newset action tool to tell the federal government: Do not designate Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a Project of National Interest.

Take action: https://na3.hubs.ly/y0Dzx50