Press Category: Species Protection

Ministers’ announcement milestone in creating Conservation Area for Southern Strait October 13, 2011  Vancouver – Today’s announcement of an agreement between the Federal and BC Provincial governments regarding seabed rights in the proposed National Marine Conservation Area in the Southern Strait of Georgia was greeted by enthusiastic support by the Georgia Strait Alliance. The announcement by Minister Kent and Minister…

by Mark Hume The Federal Court of Canada has stuck the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with an $80,000 legal bill because, in a court battle over orca habitat, the government “displayed reprehensible, scandalous or improper conduct that is deserving of reproof or rebuke.” DevonPage, executive director of Ecojustice, a not-for-profit legal foundation, said the decision “is exceptional” and its…

January 17, 2010 Environmental groups headed back to court to uphold killer whale victory   VANCOUVER – Environmental groups vowed today to fight the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ (DFO) appeal of a decisive and precedent-setting Federal Court ruling that declared that  DFO must protect critical habitat of killer whales and other aquatic species. DFO seeks to overturn the decision…

December 7, 2010 Federal Court rules DFO failed to protect B.C. resident killer whale critical habitat VANCOUVER – Conservation groups, represented by Ecojustice, have won a landmark decision (see below) in the Federal Court which ruled today that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has failed to adequately protect critical habitat of B.C.’s resident killer whales. The win ensures stronger…

Case could determine future of Canada’s at-risk species June 15, 2010 VANCOUVER – Conservation groups, represented by Ecojustice, are back in Federal Court today after launching a lawsuit against Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) over the protection of B.C.’s resident killer whales. If successful, the case will ensure stronger legal protection for all of Canada’s endangered species. The…

Confidential government document reveals BC ignoring science, failing to protect Muk Muk’s home February 11, 2010 Vancouver, BC -Environmental groups today issued a letter that puts the governments of British Columbia and Canada on legal notice that recovery strategies for 43 endangered and threatened species in BC must immediately be rewritten.  The recovery strategies failed to identify known critical habitat–the…

September 10, 2009 Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) The federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), which came fully into force in 2004, is Canada’s national law to protect endangered species. One of the main tools used in SARA to help an endangered or threatened species survive and recover is the recovery strategy. A recovery strategy is a scientific document…

‘Trial and error’ approach leaves whales vulnerable claim environmental groups April 20, 2009 VANCOUVER, BC – A lawsuit to protect Canada’s two populations of resident fisheating killer whales is back in court today as environmental groups fight for legal protection of their critical habitat. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is seeking to have the case thrown out of…

Stunning policy reversal could mark turning point for 85 remaining whales February 25 2009 VANCOUVER, BC – After British Columbians celebrated the unexpected arrival of two newborn killer whales last week, there is another new cause for hope for BC’s imperilled killer whale populations. This week, the federal government issued an Order that will provide legal protection for the endangered…