We’re legally challenging the federal government’s approval of Roberts Bank Terminal 2

When they approved the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project, the Canadian government also approved the destruction of federally-protected Critical Habitat for endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Represented by Ecojustice and alongside the David Suzuki Foundation, Wilderness Committee, and the Georgia Strait Alliance, we argue that the approval is unlawful.

Critical Habitat is defined under the Species at Risk Act as habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and must be protected from destruction. To proceed with the project, a permit is required by Fisheries and Ocean Canada that allows the destruction of this legally protected habitat. To issue such a permit, the federal government would have to contravene their own legislation. They would also act in a manner inconsistent with the findings of their federal Impact Assessment Agency. 

We will continue to champion a thriving Fraser River Estuary that supports the recovery of Southern Residents and over 100 other at-risk species. This is a place worth fighting for, one that whales, fish, birds, and people have depended on for generations.   

You can help

Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.

We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.