February 12th, 2025 Authors: Alexander Qanbery and Blaise Matlock Indigenous governments require resources to provide services to their communities. While, in Canada, some funding for services in Indigenous communities comes from federal and provincial governments, these transfers typically have strings attached: colonial ideas about how the funds can be spent and the year-to-year political whims […]
News & Posts
Building Momentum: First Nations Challenge Ontario’s Free Entry Mining System
January 28th, 2025 Authors: Gillian Chamberlain, Areej Safdar, Julia Singer, John-James Stranz, Kristen Theriault In a 2023 ruling, the Supreme Court of British Columbia found that the province has a duty to consult Indigenous peoples prior to registering mineral claims on their territories. Similarly, the Supreme Court of Quebec recently confirmed that the Quebec government […]
Ottawa Hosts International Talks on the Future of Plastics
Author: Dania Ahmed As the world grapples with an escalating plastic pollution crisis, the need for a comprehensive and binding international agreement has never been more pressing. This sentiment was evident as national delegates gathered at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-4), held in Ottawa, in April 2024. Despite […]
B.C. court acknowledges the costs of Free Entry mining system – what does it mean for Indigenous peoples in Ontario?
Author: Julia Brown A recent decision from the Supreme Court of British Columbia on mineral exploration may be useful to Indigenous peoples in Ontario arguing that they are entitled to deeper consultation and accommodation in the context of early mineral exploration activities. In Gitxaala v British Columbia (Chief Gold Commissioner) (“Gitxaala”), the Court was asked […]
Protection through Partnership: To Meet the UN’s 30x30 Target, Canada Should Look to International IPCA Models for Guidance
Authors: Kirti Vyas, Bridget Allen O’Neil, Angela Dittrich Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured journalists at the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that Canada will meet its “25 by 25 target.” Protecting 25 percent of Canada’s lands and oceans by 2025 is a promising step towards the more ambitious international goal of […]
Ontario Must Commit to Doing Cumulative Impact Assessment in the Ring of Fire to Uphold Its Treaty No.9 Promises
Authors: Kameron Faridani, Sawyer Fobert, and Jeremy Korb Introduction A 2021 court decision from British Columbia sets a precedent that should give Ontario pause. It establishes a precedent that likely means Ontario needs to systemically assess the cumulative impacts that developing the Ring of Fire (“ROF”) will have on Aboriginal and treaty rights. Yahey v […]
Upstream Threats to a New IPCA Announced at COP15
Osgoode’s Environmental Justice & Sustainability Clinic student Lo Stevenson also attended the Conference of the Parties (COP15) for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal last month. In Lo’s recent blog, they argue that area-based conservation should proceed at the watershed level to protect critical habitats from upstream effects: As negotiations draw to a close […]
COP15: 'Kick Out Environmentalists and Industry': Small Scale Fisheries, Conservation Economies, and Human Rights in the Convention of Biological Diversity
In Emma’s complimentary blog after attending COP15 for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, she discusses the tension between environmental goals and economic goals, alongside the need for conservation economies in the context of the Convention of Biological Diversity: Environmental goals regularly bump up against the realities of economic demand and governmental pushes for […]
COP15: Article 8(j) and Quality vs Quantity in 30x30
Osgoode’s Environmental Justice & Sustainability Clinic student Emma Workman attended the Conference of the Parties (COP15) for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal last month. In Emma’s recent blog, she examines Indigenous Peoples’ role in achieving area-based conservation goals around 30x30: At the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), […]
Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands: How the Gitanyow Are Protecting the Land through their own Laws
By Sheren Kamaei For millennia, the Gitanyow Nation have exercised their legal authority (also known as “Ayookxw”) to protect and manage the land, air, water, and resources of their Lax’yip (also known as territories). These territories span 55,000km² in the Nass River Watershed, Upper Kitwanga River, and Upper Kisiox River. The Constitution of the Gitanyow […]
