Great horned owl sitting in a tree.

A true paradigm shift? Discerning the fine print of the provincial government’s draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework 

The provincial government proposes a more holistic approach to stewarding lands and waters through their Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework. Our gap analysis reveals that the Framework lacks sufficient rigor and clarity regarding its intended legal power.

J50 and J42, Southern Resident Killer Whales swim in the Salish Sea.

Trans Mountain Expansion & Southern Resident killer whales: Project background

Raincoast Conservation Foundation represented by Ecojustice have worked through the courts to protect Southern Resident killer whales from the threats posed by the Trans Mountain Expansion project.  Timeline 2013 – Raincoast and Living Oceans, legally represented by Ecojustice, file as formal intervenors in the National Energy Board’s review of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX)….

Salmon circle on the rocky bottom of the Fraser River.

Approval of Trans Mountain expansion puts Fraser River salmon and Salish Sea estuaries at risk

The Fraser River in British Columbia remains one of the world’s most productive salmon rivers. Equally significant is the Fraser River’s estuary, which serves as vital habitat for fish, bird, and mammal species that are linked across thousands of kilometers of the Northeast Pacific Ocean. All Fraser River populations of salmon…

A killer whale in the foreground, with a container ship behind it in the mouth of the Fraser River.

We’re headed back to court for killer whales

Today we are returning to court with partners Ecojustice and Living Oceans Society to challenge the federal government’s re-approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Our lawyers at Ecojustice submitted a motion to the Federal Court of Appeal this morning, asking for leave to launch a judicial review of Cabinet’s decision. We contend that Cabinet…

Two killer whales come to the surface of the Salish Sea.

Misty MacDuffee on CFAX 1070 talking about the approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline

The day after the federal government approved the Trans Mountain Pipeline yet again, Raincoast’s Wild Salmon Program Director, Misty MacDuffee spoke with Mark Brennae on CFAX 1070 to talk pipelines, whales, and how humans are implicated in the disappearance of species. There is, of course, the risk of an oil spill or a vessel strike, but the noise and disturbance on both inbound and outbound tankers is always a certainty. And that noise can reduce the whales ability to echolocate and communicate…

Southern Resident killer whales surface in a group in the Salish Sea.

Backgrounder: Trans Mountain approval wrong choice for endangered killer whales and climate

Timeline and quick facts by Ecojustice, Living Oceans Society and Raincoast Conservation Foundation. If built, the Trans Mountain pipeline project would lead to a sevenfold increase in tanker traffic — for a total of 408 trips per year — through critical Southern Resident habitat…

J50 and Family in the Salish Sea

We won our legal challenge to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion

Today we can all celebrate a significant win in our efforts to protect Southern Resident killer whales, Fraser River salmon and the Salish Sea. This morning, the federal court of appeal unanimously ruled that the Canadian government’s approval of the Trans Mountain Expansion project violated its legal obligations to protect endangered Southern Resident killer whales…

A quiet sunny day on the The Fraser River.

Wild Salmon, Pipelines and the Trans Mountain Expansion

As the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population continues to struggle from the combined forces of noise, pollution and food (i.e. Chinook) availability, Raincoast Conservation Foundation has released a report that highlights the risks posed to wild salmon in the Lower Fraser River from an expanded Trans Mountain pipeline…