Category: Canada
Linking the Principles of Restorative Justice and Procedural Environmental Rights
by Patricia Doiron Restorative Justice and Procedural Environmental Rights as Relational Hiking in a mountain range near a flowing river brings a sense of awe, beauty, and connection. When walking through this environment, you might find yourself intersecting with a myriad of ecosystems both consciously and unconsciously. There is the raindrop that falls from the…
How the Aarhus and Escazú Agreements Could be Used in Developing the CEPA Framework for the Right to a Healthy Environment
by Rebecca Waxman On June 13, 2023, Canada recognized the right to a healthy environment for the first time in a national law, through Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act, which amended the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). CEPA defines “healthy environment” as one which is “clean, healthy and sustainable.”[1] This…
Reflections on the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s Citizen Submission Process
by Rowan Markesteyn This post is part of the Lessons from the Aarhus Convention and Escazú Agreement for Procedural Environmental Rights in Canada blog symposium. Public participation in environmental decision-making and access to environmental justice have been globally accepted as fundamental human rights since 1992 when the Rio Declaration adopted principle 10, codifying this idea. Two…
Lessons from the Aarhus Compliance Committee on Legal Costs and Access to Environmental Justice
by Anna Stabb This post is part of the Lessons from the Aarhus Convention and Escazú Agreement for Procedural Environmental Rights in Canada blog symposium. Introduction Access to justice is a fundamental value that ensures everyone has equal opportunity to seek fair resolutions, remedies, and protection through the legal system. One of the most significant barriers…
How Canada’s Federal and Provincial Governments Collaborate Against the Public Right to Access Environmental Information
by Drew Yewchuk, Allard School of Law This post is part of the Lessons from the Aarhus Convention and Escazú Agreement for Procedural Environmental Rights in Canada blog symposium. Secrecy enables government messaging control and defeats democratic accountability. The right to information is foundational to democratic participation in the conduct of public affairs. When journalists…
