AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
HOW STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS CONTRIBUTE TO A PROSPEROUS AND RESILIENT CANADA
This timely report demonstrates to importance of adhering to strong environmental laws. A number of new federal and provincial legislative changes threaten to undermine important environmental assessments.
From the Introduction in the report:
"These are some of the examples illustrated in this report of environmental disasters and significant cumulative effects that have happened in Canada as a result of weak, poorly implemented or badly enforced environmental laws. These stories should serve as a wake-up call to all Canadians about the risks of proposed legislation allowing exemption of so called “national interest” projects from many environmental, health and safety standards, and similar provincial bills.
The report also provides examples of how environmental impact assessments and collaborative governance have helped improve project design to avoid unacceptable risks and deliver better results for communities. Environmental impact assessment and strong environmental laws help prevent environmental problems from occurring in the first place. Without them, disasters happen.
Strong environmental laws do not hurt the economy, they ensure that projects deliver real benefits without leaving Canadians on the hook for costly clean-ups. In this time of economic disruption, the last thing Canadians need is irresponsible deregulation of the laws that protect them. Especially now, as climate change continues to take a growing economic toll – along with the loss of lives and homes – we must not lose sight of what’s at stake.
CLICK HERE to read the report
LINK to the report on the West Coast Environmental Law Website