Environmental Managers Association of BC’s Annual Legal Update
Lawson Lundell lawyers Jennifer Nyland and Jonathan Andrews spoke at the Environmental Managers Association (EMA) of BC’s Annual Legal Update on January 31, 2024. Lawson Lundell was a co-sponsor of this event.
Their presentation, titled "Federal and Provincial Turf Wars Over Environmental Regulation," covered recent developments on the federal/provincial division of powers for governing environmental matters, including the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision that Canada’s Impact Assessment Act goes beyond federal jurisdiction, and the Federal Court’s decision that Canada’s single use plastics ban is also overly broad. Jennifer and Andrew also discussed the ever-present federal/provincial tension as to who has authority to enact environmental laws in Canada and the implications of these recent decisions.