Blog

In November, Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence (LAND) joined by our grassroots clients, the Friends of the Attawapiskat River (the Friends), attended the Western Mining Action Network’s biennial conference, Mining Justice in the Climate Crisis in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal).

The provincial Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is pioised to make a decision for steel mill operator Algoma Steel in Sault Ste Marie for a request for an environmental permit, known as an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) for emissions at its iron and steel manufacturing plant. If the province says YES, it would allow Algoma Steel emit benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter at levels vastly exceeding the provincial standards.

“Guardians of nature include first and foremost Indigenous peoples and local communities,” remarked the United Nations at the opening address of the world’s largest ever global biodiversity conference, COP16, that got underway this week in Cali, Columbia.

Join us in sending a letter supporting a Regional Assessment for the Ring of Fire that ensures downstream communities are not left behind and community members have a voice.

On July 26, 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) delivered a landmark decision in Ontario (Attorney General) v Restoule, 2024 SCC 27, unanimously finding that the Crown had breached their treaty promises to the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes under the 1850 Robinson-Superior and Robinson-Huron Treaties (“Robinson Treaties”).

On June 6, 2024, Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence (LAND) was one of many nonprofits across Canada to host an event in recognition of Ocean Week Canada 2024. Our event, “Protecting Indigenous Laws, Lands and Waters” illustrated the urgent need for an effective legal framework to safeguard Canada’s biodiversity and highlighted the critical role that Indigenous laws and knowledge play in these efforts.