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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Only Legitimate Rule: A Reply To Maclean's Critique Of Ecolawgic, Bruce Pardy
The Only Legitimate Rule: A Reply To Maclean's Critique Of Ecolawgic, Bruce Pardy
Dalhousie Law Journal
Is autonomy "natural"? In Ecolawgic: The Logic of Ecosystems and the Rule of Law, I argue that a legal system of intrinsic neutrality is one over which no political office or branch of government has control and in which individuals have the autonomy to pursue their own interests. In 'Autonomy in the Anthropocene," the preceding article in this issue, Jason MacLean challenges the thesis of Ecolawgic. MacLean argues that autonomy is not a feature of neutral legal systems but a product of cultural norms and regulation. He maintains that Ecolawgic's prescription provides neither optimal economic outcomes nor effective environmental protection. …
Autonomy In The Anthropocene? Libertarianism, Liberalism And The Legal Theory Of Environmental Regulation, Jason Maclean
Autonomy In The Anthropocene? Libertarianism, Liberalism And The Legal Theory Of Environmental Regulation, Jason Maclean
Dalhousie Law Journal
Can there be autonomy in the Anthropocene? Libertarian environmental law scholar Bruce Pardy's Ecolawgic: The Logic of Ecosystems and the Rule of Law argues that contemporary environmental law violates the right to autonomy and runs afoul of the rule of law. Pardyproposes an alternative model ofenvironmental law premised on the logic of ecosystems and free markets. Pardy's Ecolawgic suffers, however from the very same conceptual infirmities that substantially undermine the real-world application of the free market paradigm on which Ecolawgic is largely based. Notwithstanding this critical flaw, Ecolawgic may be read as an aspirational model of environmental law and policy …
Environmental Assessment As Planning And Disclosure Tool: Greenpeace Canada V. Canada (Attorney General), Martin Zp Olszynski
Environmental Assessment As Planning And Disclosure Tool: Greenpeace Canada V. Canada (Attorney General), Martin Zp Olszynski
Dalhousie Law Journal
In Greenpeace Canada v. Canada (2014), the applicants successfully challenged the adequacy of the environmental assessment report prepared in relation to a proposed nuclear power plant. In assessing that report, the Federal Court described environmental assessment as an "evidence-based and democratically accountable" decision-making process. In this comment I suggest that this characterization represents the most significant-if perhaps also long overdue development in Canadian environmental assessment law since the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Friends of the Oldman River Society v. Canada. I also discuss some of the implications of this characterization, including the extent to which environmental effects must be …
"And The People Of The Province": Egspa's Social Deficit, Susan Tirone, Lkaren Gallant, Katie Sykes
"And The People Of The Province": Egspa's Social Deficit, Susan Tirone, Lkaren Gallant, Katie Sykes
Dalhousie Law Journal
The success of the Nova Scotia Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act (EGSPA) depends on citizen action, changes in attitudes and in the way citizens conduct their lives. In this article the authors discuss the challenges associated with encouraging citizen engagement with EGSPA, and in promoting public awareness and attitudes that support sustainability in Nova Scotia.
Negotiating The Interface Of Environmental And Economic Governance: Nova Scotia's Environmental Goals And Sustainable Prosperity Act, William Lahey, Meinhard Doelle
Negotiating The Interface Of Environmental And Economic Governance: Nova Scotia's Environmental Goals And Sustainable Prosperity Act, William Lahey, Meinhard Doelle
Dalhousie Law Journal
The year 2012 marks the fifth anniversary of the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act (EGSPA). The Act is an experiment in improving government performance in promoting sustainable prosperity through the process of setting legislative goals and enhancing accountability This article provides an overview of the Act and an assessment of its performance over these first five years. As such, it supplies the context for the other contributions to the collection of essays on EGSPA in this issue of the Journal. The authors conclude that the Act has had a positive impact on government action on sustainable prosperity and that …
From Idea To Practice: Sustainable Development Efforts In Manitoba, A John Sinclair, Lisa Quinn
From Idea To Practice: Sustainable Development Efforts In Manitoba, A John Sinclair, Lisa Quinn
Dalhousie Law Journal
With a renewed global interest in achieving a more sustainable society, the authors reflect on the history of institutionalizing sustainable development in their province, Manitoba, and consider its future. This paper outlines that province's approaches to developing and advancing sustainable development and discusses the success of these approaches in shaping, guiding, and furthering sustainable development in the province. This is achieved through examination of legislation and review of sustainable development documents as well as interviews with various participants in the process including members of the Manitoba Round Table for Environment and Economy and members of the more recent Manitoba Round …
In Search Of "Compass And Gyroscope": Where Were Adaptive Management And Principled Negotiation In Nova Scotia's Forest-Strategy Process?, Peter N. Duinker
In Search Of "Compass And Gyroscope": Where Were Adaptive Management And Principled Negotiation In Nova Scotia's Forest-Strategy Process?, Peter N. Duinker
Dalhousie Law Journal
In his landmark 1993 book entitled Compass and Gyroscope: Integrating Science and Politics for the Environment, Kai Lee outlined the need for stronger processes in support of sustainable development. The science of adaptive management and the politics of principled negotiation were offered as the most promising approaches. The author uses these concepts to evaluate the process used to develop Nova Scotia's natural resources strategies of August 2011, specifically the forest strategy following the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act. The findings show that, by comparison with similar policy-development processes used elsewhere in Canada, the Nova Scotia process lacked both foresight …
Canada’S Species At Risk Act And Atlantic Salmon: Cascade Of Promises, Trickles Of Protection, Sea Of Challenges, David Vanderzwaag, Maria Cecilia Engler Palma, Jeffrey Hutchings
Canada’S Species At Risk Act And Atlantic Salmon: Cascade Of Promises, Trickles Of Protection, Sea Of Challenges, David Vanderzwaag, Maria Cecilia Engler Palma, Jeffrey Hutchings
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
This article reviews through a three-part format the role and efficacy of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in trying to save SARA-listed inner Bay of Fundy (iBoF) Atlantic salmon and other Atlantic salmon populations at risk from the brink of extinction. The cascade of SARA promises is first discussed, including: the independent assessment of the status of the species based on best available scientific information; the protection of listed species, their residences and critical habitat; and the two-stage recovery planning process. The trickles of protection actually delivered by SARA in relation to Atlantic salmon are next described, including the …
Proceeding With (Pre)Caution: Environmental Principles As Interpretive Tools In Applications For Pre-Trial Injunctions, Heather Mcleod-Kilmurray
Proceeding With (Pre)Caution: Environmental Principles As Interpretive Tools In Applications For Pre-Trial Injunctions, Heather Mcleod-Kilmurray
Dalhousie Law Journal
In many cases of imminent environmental harm, a trial may take years. To prevent harm in the meantime, pre-trial injunctions are essential. The author highlights the important role of interlocutory injunctions in Canadian environmental litigation, uncovers the judicial assumptions and attitudes toward the environment which these decisions reveal, and proposes a precautionary approach to interpreting the interlocutory injunction test in environmental cases. She argues that prevailing judicial attitudes and presumptions in relation to environmental claims often negatively influence how the discretionary elements in procedural rules governing pre-trial injunctions are applied. Although there has been much analysis of principles such as …
Canada, The Eu And Arctic Ocean Governance: A Tangled And Shifting Seascape And Future Directions, David Vanderzwaag, Timo Koivurova, Erik J. Molenaar
Canada, The Eu And Arctic Ocean Governance: A Tangled And Shifting Seascape And Future Directions, David Vanderzwaag, Timo Koivurova, Erik J. Molenaar
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
The objective of this paper is to examine (in a historical perspective) the roles of the European Union (EU) and Canada in governance and regulation of human activities in the Arctic Ocean. Section two describes the existing “tangled” nature of governance in the Arctic with a focus on law of the sea, approaches and challenges in the region, as well as on EU and Canadian participation in the activities of the Arctic Council. The “shifting seascape” in governance is next highlighted in section three with a review of increasing calls for change from scholars and other groups, recent governance initiatives …
The Kyoto Protocol: Reflections On Its Significance On The Occasion Of Its Entry Into Force, Meinhard Doelle
The Kyoto Protocol: Reflections On Its Significance On The Occasion Of Its Entry Into Force, Meinhard Doelle
Dalhousie Law Journal
When the Kyoto Protocol was signed in December 1997, there were high hopes in some quarters that it marked the beginning of a global commitment to climate change mitigation. In the past seven years, however, the Protocol has languished while many of the kev, States have done little to implement it. Until the fall of 2004 it was uncertain whether the Protocol would ever enter into force. To the surprise of many, with ratification by Russia, it came into effect on February 16, 2005, only three years before the start of the first period of commitments to reduce greenhouse gas …
The Allocation Of Civil Liability For Damage To The Marine Environment In The New Canadian Law Of Merchant Shipping, Or The Polluter Pays How Much?, Hugh M. Kindred
The Allocation Of Civil Liability For Damage To The Marine Environment In The New Canadian Law Of Merchant Shipping, Or The Polluter Pays How Much?, Hugh M. Kindred
Dalhousie Law Journal
Infrequent but catastrophic incidents of pollution by ships have attracted worldwide attention to the regulation of the merchant shipping industry for the protection of the marine environment. Under the detailed legal regime that has been established, ships and their owners are held strictly liable for the pollution of the oceans that they cause. Less well known but equally well established are other principles of maritime law that allow shipowners to limit their liability for the expense and damage their polluting ships incur. Canada has recently undertaken a major reform of its shipping laws and, in the process, it has revamped …
Liability For Damage To The Marine Environment From Ships, Michael White
Liability For Damage To The Marine Environment From Ships, Michael White
Dalhousie Law Journal
Marine pollution damage from ships is not a major problem in Australian jurisdictions, but there are regular incidents. The Australian law relating to marine pollution from ships closely follows the international conventions. Australia is a party to almost all of the relevant IMO conventions and, as is required for common law countries, the domestic legislation to give effect to them needs to be put in place. This has been done for the most part by the Commonwealth, the states and the Northern Territory as Australia is a federation. The Commonwealth and the states have established adequate enforcement resources for the …
From Kyoto To Marrakech; A Long Walk Through The Desert: Mirage Or Oasis?, Meinhard Doelle
From Kyoto To Marrakech; A Long Walk Through The Desert: Mirage Or Oasis?, Meinhard Doelle
Dalhousie Law Journal
This article reviews the results of four years of negotiations of the parties to the UNFCCC,3 from the Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997 to the Marrakech Accords in 2001. This process was intended to provide the details and operational rules needed for parties to make decisions on whether to ratify and how to implement the Kyoto Protocol in time for the start of the first commitment period in 2008. The author analyzes the Marrakech Accords with respect to the Kyoto Mechanisms, reporting, verification, compliance, and developing country issues, and concludes that the Kyoto Protocol in itself is a negligible step …
The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, Arctic Council And Multilateral Environmental Initiatives: Tinkering While The Arctic Marine Environment Totters, David Vanderzwaag, Robert Huebert, Stacey Ferrara
The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, Arctic Council And Multilateral Environmental Initiatives: Tinkering While The Arctic Marine Environment Totters, David Vanderzwaag, Robert Huebert, Stacey Ferrara
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
The Arctic marine environment is not pristine, as commonly imagined, but is facing numerous pressures,' the most serious arguably coming from outside the region. Melting of sea ice, linked to global warming, threatens the long-term survival of various species including polar bears and has potential to seriously disrupt ocean currents. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including pesticides, industrial compounds and combustion by-products, are transported via air and water currents from regions outside the Arctic and become concentrated in the fatty tissues of animals." The pollutants threaten not only the well being of wildlife but the health of northern residents heavily dependent …
Protecting The Built Environment Of Newfoundland And Nova Scotia, Marc C. Denhez
Protecting The Built Environment Of Newfoundland And Nova Scotia, Marc C. Denhez
Dalhousie Law Journal
For most Canadians, "environment" is their city or town, where they reside, work, and spend most of their leisure hours. The quality of this urban or semi-urban environment will have a significant impact upon their everyday life, including stress, cultural identity, and sense of historic continuity. Conserving the cultural and aesthetic values represented by the buildings which constitute this environment therefore deserves attention. One way for such buildings to be saved is to be purchased by someone dedicated to their retention; but since it is impossible to thus acquire all valuable buildings, this article looks at alternate approaches. There are …