Today, our clients finally get their day in court.
For the past three years, Ecojustice lawyers have been working with Paula Williams, Christine Dujmovich, Voters Taking Action on Climate Change and Communities and Coal to challenge the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s approval of the Fraser Surrey Docks coal export facility — a project that comes with unacceptable climate risks.
Coal is one of the dirtiest fossil fuels on the planet. It pollutes the air we breathe and accelerates climate change, putting human health and the environment at risk. The Fraser Surrey Docks project would see up to four million tonnes of American thermal coal shipped through communities in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland and exported overseas — burning that coal will release up to seven million tonnes of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere each year.
Our clients do not want their communities to become conduits for American coal, and they are scared of the health impacts this project could have on their families, their neighbours and the climate we all depend on.
The communities that face the brunt of the risks of the Fraser Surrey Docks coal project deserve a fair and lawful review of the project. The evidence we’ve filed with the Court suggests that the Port’s project review process was anything but fair and gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias. And that’s why we’re going to court.
Getting to this point has not been easy. But after three years of successfully fighting off a barrage of motions and other tactics that have delayed our clients day in court, including an attempt to strike out our case entirely, we’re still standing and ready to roll.
Stand with us as we head to Federal Court to fight for fair decision-making that puts community concerns first.