Our team recognizes the importance of protecting our clients’ traditional territories and lands and safeguarding their traditional uses of their lands for future generations. To that end, we support our clients’ efforts to meet their long-term strategic goals and objectives in relation to the environment.
We work closely with Indigenous governments and communities to assert their section 35 rights respecting the environment, and establish unique, culturally-appropriate environmental protection regimes that aim to identify, regulate, remediate and prevent contamination and pollution and harms to land, air and water on our clients’ territories and lands.
We also work with our clients to develop and implement laws relating to environmental assessment, management and protection.
Our team can help put in place mechanisms for the review of the potential impacts of certain proposed projects.
As we support Indigenous governments and communities as they develop environmental protection and assessment regimes, we are alive to the pressures that many face in trying to balance a desire for development with the need for sustainable environmental practices. Our aim is to help our clients get that balance right.
Our work includes:
- drafting and implementing environmental assessment, management and protection laws
- providing strategic legal and policy advice to Indigenous governments and communities that are considering exercising their inherent right of self-government through jurisdiction over the environment
- negotiating with Indigenous governments and federal and provincial departments, ministries and agencies about environmental protection and assessment concerns
- negotiating co-management arrangements
- negotiating agreements under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act
- negotiating with various levels of government to create parks or protected spaces and to develop protective regimes for at-risk species or traditional activities
If you would like to talk to a lawyer practicing in this area, please contact: