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2020-05-29
Nova Scotia Court Confirms Province Failed to Protect Endangered Species
May 29, 2020 HALIFAX – Environmental groups applaud today’s landmark decision from the Nova Scotia Supreme Court stating that the Government of Nova Scotia must meet legal requirements to protect species at risk. These requirements include creating recovery plans for listed species and identifying species’ core habitat. In September 2019, East Coast Environmental Law, represented by Ecojustice lawyers, intervened in a judicial review of the Minister of Lands and Forestry’s failure to fulfill mandatory duties to protect at-risk species under Nova Scotia’s Endangered Species Act (ESA). This was the first time the ESA had been interpreted by a court in Nova Scotia. Representatives from Ecojustice and East Coast Environmental Law made the following statements in response to the Court’s ruling: Sarah McDonald, Ecojustice lawyer said: “Today’s decision confirms that Nova Scotia’s ESA is the law, and not a set of vague or voluntary guidelines. The Minister is required to fulfill the law’s mandatory requirements to protect some of the province’s most vulnerable species. “This is a landmark victory for the province’s endangered species. The Court’s decision reinforces the fact that stopping biodiversity loss is urgent and important, and in order to do so the government must take seriously its duty to follow existing species…
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