Press Category: Species Protection

Feds Lose Round 1 of Battle to Protect Orca Habitat January 26, 2009 Victoria, BC – The Federal Court has ruled that Sierra Club of Canada and Georgia Strait Alliance may join a recently filed lawsuit against the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, after DFO tried to block the two groups’ participation. The lawsuit, filed by lawyers with Ecojustice, alleges that the…

Dept of Fisheries and Oceans facing second suit over critical habitat protection January 21, 2009 Vancouver, BC – From the small streams of southern BC, an endangered minnow continues to expose the federal government’s reluctance to protect endangered species. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is now facing a second lawsuit after ignoring its duty to protect critical habitat…

Federal and provincial officials agreed not to identify critical endangered species habitat September 8, 2008 Vancouver, BC – In a closely-watched lawsuit about the endangered Nooksack dace, leading environmental groups will present new evidence in Federal Court tomorrow (Tuesday, September 9 at 11 a.m. at 701 West Georgia Street in Vancouver) that the provincial and federal governments have colluded in…

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 VANCOUVER, BC – The Nooksack Dace, an endangered fish found in small streams in BC’s Fraser Valley, is one step closer to protection with the re-release of a recovery strategy that identifies habitat critical to its survival and recovery (“critical habitat”). The federal government identified the dace’s critical habitat only after being sued by a coalition of…

May 23, 2007Killer Whale FactsOrcas, also known as Killer Whales, are members of the dolphin family and are the highest predators in the food chainOrcas are highly intelligent mammals that live in matriarchal units comprised of a mother and one or more of her offspring, which congregate into larger social groups known as podsBiologists classify orcas in the Northeast Pacific…

Aug 22, 2007 Sierra Legal on behalf of the Wilderness Committee, Environmental Defence, and Georgia Strait Alliance, last week started a court case in Federal Court against the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans’ decision to release the National Recovery Strategy for the Nooksack Dace without including the location of its critical habitat. The following provides background to this case. Background…

Scientists say feds ignored evidence to avoid protecting habitat AUGUST 23, 2007 VANCOUVER, BC – Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans for refusing to identify critical habitat – contrary to scientific advice – and, thus, gravely weakening the recovery strategy for the Nooksack dace, an endangered fish that lives in small streams…

Federal Government could face lawsuit over further delays May 23, 2007 VANCOUVER, BC – After nearly a year of unlawful delays, the latest caused by the Canadian military, environmental groups issued a warning to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) today to release the Recovery Strategy for BC’s famous resident killer whales, or face a lawsuit. The Southern Resident Killer Whales…

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) was first introduced into the House of Commons in February of 2001. The new Act is the result of numerous cross-Canada consultations and built on the policy of previous legislative proposals over a nine-year period. The overall goal of the Species at Risk Act is to prevent wildlife species from becoming extinct or lost…

June 26, 2007 VANCOUVER, BC – After a year’s delay and a threat of legal action, the federal government has released the long-awaited recovery strategy for BC’s endangered Southern resident killer whales and threatened Northern resident killer whales. Environmentalists, who prompted the recovery strategy’s release by threatening a lawsuit, offered cautious praise. They noted that the most essential component of…