The proposed Gull Island facility underwent a joint federal-provincial environmental assessment more than a decade ago. Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador want to know if the law requires a fresh assessment now, since it has been so long since the original assessment was conducted.

This backgrounder provides an overview of project designation for federal impact assessments under the Impact Assessment Act and provincial environmental assessments in Newfoundland and Labrador under the Environmental Protection Act and Environmental Assessment Regulations, 2003.

In January 2025, the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Newfoundland and Labrador (“Regional Assessment”) concluded. This backgrounder offers an overview of the Regional Assessment, explaining its origins and purpose as well as the role it is expected to play in the future regulation of offshore wind developments in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Municipalities have important powers and responsibilities to enact policies and by-laws on matters like land-use, zoning, and development that can play a major role in protecting and stewarding wetlands. This introductory Guide explores what policy and legal tools are available to municipalities in Nova Scotia that may be used to steward wetlands, and it provides examples of how these tools are being used now.

Submission on the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Nova Scotia: Draft Report

Submission on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 Proposed Plan of Priorities and Proposed Watch List Approach

Submission on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 Right to a Healthy Environment Draft Implementation Framework.

Submission on the Draft Report for the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Newfoundland and Labrador

An environmental rights advocacy toolkit prepared by East Coast Environmental Law to support public engagement in a campaign to win a right to a healthy environment in Nova Scotia.

A model bill of Environmental Rights and Responsibilities for Nova Scotia, drafted by East Coast Environmental Law to support a campaign to win a right to a healthy environment in Nova Scotia.

An evaluation of the Government of New Brunswick’s performance under its Species at Risk Act.

East Coast Environmental Law Submission on the Draft Terms of Reference for the Regional Assessment in the Ring of Fire Area

Brief submitted to the Nova Scotia Law Amendments Committee on Bill No. 471, the proposed Advancing Nova Scotia Opportunities Act.

Throughout Nova Scotia, individuals, community groups, and environmental organizations often find themselves wondering whether legal tools exist to prevent or put a stop to environmental harms. East Coast Environmental Law receives numerous inquiries asking that question, and many ask specifically what it would take to get an injunction. This audio guide offers an overview of injunctions in Nova Scotia, explaining what they are, what forms they take, what it takes to get them, and the risks involved in seeking them.

A report evaluating the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s performance under the province’s Endangered Species Act.

Under the Fisheries Act, one of Canada’s oldest laws enacted over 150 years ago, the federal government is charged with protecting our oceans, clean water and fish habitat. When changes were made five years ago, all political parties supported the updated law, and enabled the regulatory and policy framework to protect, restore and sustain Canada’s fisheries – and the waters that support them – for the benefit of generations to come. The modernization of the Act was widely viewed as long overdue.

A review of federal Crown law and policy frameworks to identify existing mechanisms to manage underwater noise pollution in Canada.