Ecojustice Blog – Climate
Posted on July 12, 2020 (updated: July 10, 2020)
Staying alive: 7 courageous young Ontarians appear in virtual hearing to fight for safe climate
Photo by David LeBlanc
We are at a critical, make-or-break moment in the legal fight to protect current and future generations from climate catastrophe.
Today, I am joining seven young Ontarians for a special virtual hearing that will decide the fate of their landmark climate lawsuit. If we’re successful, the youth will get the chance to go before the court at a later date and argue that the Ford government violated their rights to life, liberty and security of the person when it stripped back Ontario’s climate targets in 2018. If we lose, the province will get its way and put an early end to this legal challenge.
The youth at the heart of this climate case won’t back down without a fight — they are literally fighting for their futures.
They know what’s at stake for them, their peers, and their communities. That’s why, even in the face of a global pandemic and the government’s legal maneuvers, they remain undaunted.
They want the chance to pursue their dreams of running successful businesses or becoming lawyers, to practice their cultures and continue to access traditional foods and medicines, to spend time in natural environments that are healthy and thriving, and to have families of their own one day.
I’m honoured to represent these courageous young people in today’s hearing, alongside fellow Ecojustice lawyer Fraser Thomson and lawyers from Stockwoods LLP. Together, we will make sure the government doesn’t get away with its attempt to deny our clients their day in court.
My clients know that, in order to make their dreams a reality, they need their government to take ambitious climate action now — and they’re willing to go to court to make that happen.
Will you support these young climate leaders clients at this critical moment in their legal fight?
It is only thanks to supporters like you that Ecojustice can take on groundbreaking environmental cases and sustain those fights, even when our opponents try to stop us in our tracks. Please, if it’s within your ability to do so, consider making a special gift to Ecojustice today.
