Centre for Law and the Environment, Vancouver, BC (2026)

01/30/2026

Next week, as part of Indigenous Alliance Week, we also have another exciting event happening on Friday: Aboriginal Law in Practice: A Big-Law Informed Perspective

Join us for a conversation with Abigail Green and Amelia Harman, Associates at Pape Salter Teillet LLP in Toronto, ON.

They will share insights on:
• working at large international law firms
• completing Master’s degrees in Public Policy and Indigenous Law
• clerking at the Federal Court and Supreme Court of Canada
• how these experiences led them to and inform their current practice in Aboriginal Law.

They will also discuss their work in Aboriginal law, with a focus on UNDRIP implementation and energy-related matters.

📅 Friday, February 6, 2026
🕧 12:30–1:30 PM
📍 UBC Allard Hall, Indigenous Classroom (Room 123) & Zoom
🥪 Lunch provided from an Indigenous catering company (first-come, first-served basis).

While registration is not required for in-person attendees, RSVPs are strongly encouraged to help us plan food and accommodate dietary restrictions. For virtual attendees, please RSVP to receive the Zoom link, which will be emailed on the morning of the event. Please RSVP using the QR code or this link: https://qualtricsxm5xgktqxss.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eM21jGbcBoivj7M

01/30/2026

Next week, as part of Indigenous Alliance Week, ILSA, ILS, CLE, ELG & UBC Future Minerals Initiative are hosting a really exciting event: Gitxaała v British Columbia: Unpacking the BC Court of Appeal Decision.

Join us for a timely discussion on the landmark Gitxaała v. British Columbia (Chief Gold Commissioner) decision, where the BC Court of Appeal affirmed that DRIPA is legally enforceable and found BC’s mineral claim regime to be inconsistent with UNDRIP.

We are excited to welcome:
✨ Ruben Tillman, Associate at Ng Ariss Fong Lawyers & Counsel for the Gitxaała Nation
✨ Jessica Clogg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel at West Coast Environmental Law

Together, they will discuss the case, its implications for Indigenous rights, and what it means for the future of BC’s mining laws.

📅 Wednesday, February 4th, 2026
🕧 12:30–2:00 PM
📍 UBC Allard Hall, Farris Hall, rm 106 & Zoom
🥪 Lunch provided from an Indigenous catering company (first-come, first-served basis)

While registration is not required for in-person attendees, RSVPs are strongly encouraged to help us plan food and accommodate dietary restrictions. For virtual attendees, please RSVP to receive the Zoom link, which will be emailed on the morning of the event. Please RSVP here: https://qualtricsxm5xgktqxss.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_diJ8BUwuYmX7z1k

01/21/2026

Don’t miss a thing. Sign up for the Centre for Law & the Environment (CLE) Newsletter to receive updates on our events, opportunities and environmental law insights.🌿

📬 Scan the QR code or visit the following link to join our mailing list: https://e1.envoke.com/ext/pages/ecdf94bed36ee353098651f40a2a8200

Our next newsletter will be released soon—sign up today.

01/13/2026

Happy New Year! We are excited to announce our first event of 2026:
🔥Reclaiming Fire & The Right to Burn 🔥

Please join us during lunch on January 26th for a fireside chat with Professor Jocelyn Stacey! Professor Stacey will discuss her work with the Tŝilhqot’in Nation, beginning with their experiences during the 2017 wildfires and continuing through their efforts to revitalize qwen (fire) laws. The Nation’s journey in reclaiming fire shows how Indigenous resurgence provides pathways out of the climate crisis while also attending to its colonial roots and decolonizing the responses to it.

A copy of the article Professor Stacey will be discussing can be found open-access in the Journal of Human Rights and the Environment (JHRE): https://www.elgaronline.com/view/journals/jhre/aop/article-10.4337-jhre.2025.0007/article-10.4337-jhre.2025.0007.xml

11/22/2025

The Centre for Law & the Environment and the UBC Centre for Climate Justice are pleased to present:

💨🪞Smoke & Mirrors: The Imperial Arc of AI Magic 💨🪞

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into global technological systems, it is often described as “magical” or beyond human control. These narratives raise important questions: What legal responsibilities and histories are obscured when AI is framed as magic? And how does this rhetoric echo colonial uses of enchantment to justify dispossession, exploitation, and environmental harm?

In this fireside chat, Dr. Kristen Thomasen will explore how “AI magic” narratives shape public perception, weaken accountability, and undermine global efforts to regulate a rapidly expanding industry with significant ecological and climate impacts.

📅 Friday, November 28, 2025
⏰ 12:30–1:30 PM PT
📍Allard Hall, Fasken Classroom (Room 122), University of British Columbia

We look forward to a timely and important conversation.

11/14/2025

The Centre for Law & the Environment is pleased to present our first Speaker Series event of the 2025-2026 academic year:

🌿 Native Plants & Indigenous Law: Unsettling Colonial Landscapes — A Fireside Chat with Dr. Pamela Spalding 🌿

🗓 Friday, November 21 | 12:30–1:30 PM PDT
📍 Allard Hall, Room 123 (Lunch provided)
💻 Virtual Option via Zoom — scan QR code

Drawing from her recent article, “Making Space for Indigenous Legal Relationships with Plants in Aboriginal Law” (published in the Centre for Constitutional Studies's "Our More Than Human Constitutions" special double issue of the Review of Constitutional Studies, Oct. 2025), Dr. Spalding will explore how important relationships between native plants and Indigenous peoples are often overlooked in legislation, case law, environmental assessments, and modern treaty negotiations.

Attendees are invited to read the article in advance - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/x2zmtjr0njxv5z0slla34/AJ3TXenn8KRlqS-4rGTPhRY?rlkey=qh9gqavny31s8tjihgxgb2rdi&st=38rdsk14&dl=0
- or simply come ready to learn!

11/04/2025

Are you curious about what it’s really like to practice environmental law?

Join the Environmental Law Group (ELG) and the Centre for Law & the Environment (CLE) for our annual Careers in Environmental Law Panel to hear from practicing environmental lawyers and learn about diverse career paths in this dynamic and impactful field.💼🌎

🗓️ Thursday, November 13 | 12:30–1:45 PM PST (lunch provided!)
📍 Allard Hall, Room 106 + via Zoom (https://ubc.zoom.us/j/66499363710?pwd=DbXRlYuQ8YvX4YKlDoubtps0KkfTTf.1)

This year, we are honoured to host three distinguished panellists from across the environmental law landscape:
🌿 Joanna El-Mikati, Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law
🌿 Keith Brown, Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP (Vancouver)
🌿 Emma Lehrer, Administrative Crown Counsel, BC Prosecution Service (Environmental & Animal Welfare Prosecutions)

This event offers law students a valuable opportunity to gain insight into career paths, challenges, and opportunities in environmental law.

We hope you’ll join us for an engaging and inspiring discussion! 🌱

10/29/2025

🌿Meet the CLE 2025–2026 Team!🌿

Now that the fall term is well underway, the Centre for Law and the Environment (CLE) is pleased to introduce our team for the 2025–2026 academic year.

While former Director Dr. Stepan Wood is on sabbatical, Dr. Sara Ghebremusse has assumed the role of Interim Director. Dr. Ghebremusse is an Assistant Professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, Academic Director of the Future Minerals Initiative, and a Principal Co-Investigator with the Canada Climate Law Initiative. Her research and teaching focus on mining law and governance, law and development, transnational law, and business and human rights, with particular attention to the interests of Indigenous peoples and mining-affected communities.

Joining her is Rebecca Smith, a second-year JD student at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, who is serving as the CLE Coordinator for the academic year. Rebecca is passionate about environmental and Aboriginal law and holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts & Science and Environment & Society, with a Minor in Indigenous Studies, from McMaster University.

We look forward to another great year of advancing environmental law and justice through research, education, and community engagement.

If you see Dr. Ghebremusse or Rebecca around Allard, please feel free to say hello or reach out by email:
Director - [email protected]
Coordinator - [email protected]

10/19/2025

📢 Rally to Protect SELEK-TEL-, Goldstream River
https://www.facebook.com/share/17RnpVttJg/

We are sharing this event, organized by the Wilderness Committee - Vancouver Island, W̱SÁNEĆ Elder ZȺWIZUT Carl Olsen, and the Goldstream Protectors, for members of our community who may wish to engage in environmental and Indigenous advocacy:

The Malahat highway expansion on Southern Vancouver Island poses a significant threat to SELEK-TEL-, the Goldstream River, a critical salmon-bearing stream on the territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations. This expansion will remove over 700 trees, increase water temperatures, and risk permanent loss of salmon habitat, all without adding additional lanes to the highway. Salmon from this river are vital both to the endangered Southern Resident orcas and as a nutrient source for forest ecosystems. Additionally, the W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples have stewarded these lands and harvested salmon here since time immemorial, and the proposed project has the potential to infringe on rights to hunt and fish as formally protected under the Douglas Treaties.

Rally Details:
📅 Date: October 22
⏰ Time: 12–1 P.M.
📍 Location: BC Legislature, Front Lawn
🪧 Bring: Friends, family, and signs (also provided)

For further information or to get involved, visit the Wilderness Committee website: https://www.wildernesscommittee.org/SaveGoldstream or contact [email protected]

Note: This event is organized by external groups. The Centre is sharing for informational purposes only and to highlight ongoing environmental and Indigenous advocacy efforts.

10/08/2025

We are pleased to announce the panellists for our upcoming panel on Canada’s New Legislation on Major Projects (Federal Bill C-5 & BC’s Bill 15).

We are honoured to welcome Dr. Jocelyn Stacey (Peter A. Allard School of Law), Aria Laskin (JFK Law Vancouver), and Matthew Nefstead (West Coast Environmental Law) in person, as well as Sara Mainville (JFK Law Toronto) and Dr. Jeffrey Warnock (Western University Law) virtually.

Join us for a discussion of these legislative reforms and the potential legal challenges that may arise.

🗓 Thursday, October 9, 2025 | 12:30–2:00 PM
📍 Allard Hall, Room 106 (food and drinks provided)
💻 Virtual option: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/66721606943?pwd=E8lYdQtmhX7R9TzFqCnoDCmtwK2ukR.1

10/04/2025

Join the Centre for Law and the Environment, UBC Centre for Climate Justice, Canada Climate Law Initiative, BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council, and the UBC Future Minerals Initiative on October 15 at UBC Robson Square for First Nations Mining Litigation in BC: Insights from the Gitxaała and Xatśūll Legal Challenges.

This panel will examine two landmark legal challenges shaping the future of mining and resource governance in British Columbia. Speakers will discuss the Gitxaała Nation’s challenge to BC’s mineral tenure regime and the Xatśūll First Nation’s judicial review of decisions surrounding the Mount Polley mine disaster. Together, these cases illustrate how First Nations are using the courts to assert jurisdiction, demand accountability, and redefine the legal landscape of resource development in BC.

We’re honoured to welcome Chief Linda J. Innes (Gitxaała Nation), Chief Rhonda Phillips (Xatśūll First Nation), Former Chief Bev Sellars (Xatśūll First Nation), and Jessica Clogg (West Coast Environmental Law), with Bob Chamberlin as facilitator.

🗓 October 15, 2025 | 5–8 PM
Doors open at 5:00 PM, with the event starting promptly at 5:30 PM, followed by a reception.
📍 C680 HSBC Hall, UBC Robson Square, Vancouver, BC
🔗 Register here: https://allard.ubc.ca/about-us/events-calendar/first-nations-mining-litigation-bc-insights-gitxaala-and-xatsull-legal-challenges

09/28/2025

Canada’s recent push to “streamline” environmental assessments and consultation for major projects has sparked major concerns. Indigenous communities have raised alarms about the lack of consultation, the risks of undermining UNDRIP and FPIC, and the environmental consequences of these changes.

Join ELG, ISLA, and CLE on Oct 9, 12:30–2pm for a panel on Canada’s recent legislative changes to major project approvals, focusing on federal Bill C-5 and BC’s Bill 15. Hear from legal practitioners and academics on what these changes mean and the challenges ahead.

📍 Room 106 (food + drinks provided)�
💻 Virtual option: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/66721606943?pwd=E8lYdQtmhX7R9TzFqCnoDCmtwK2ukR.1

Centre for Law and the Environment

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11/22/2025

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