A new chapter in environmental advocacy in New Brunswick has begun with the creation of the New Brunswick Environmental Law Society, a public-service organization dedicated to advancing the development and understanding of environmental law in the province.
The Society was founded by a group of environmental advocates from New Brunswick who have previously contributed to several environmental initiatives in the region. Among them is Michel LeBlanc DesNeiges, a long-standing environmental advocate.
The Society will function primarily as a think tank while also developing initiatives aimed at encouraging greater public participation in the legal process.
Under the leadership of Mr. DesNeiges, the Society intends to build a strong provincial membership and organize a range of events and activities. Its first public initiative will be a major environmental law conference to be held at the Université de Moncton from March 1 to 3, organized in collaboration with the university’s student environmental law society. The keynote speaker will be Supreme Court of Canada Justice Michel Bastarache.
Over the past fifteen years, Mr. DesNeiges has been involved in a number of environmental initiatives. A graduate of the Université de Moncton, he holds degrees in psychology and environmental studies. He has founded or helped establish several environmental organizations, including Écoversité, the Green Media Foundation, the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper, and the Hann Baykeeper in Senegal.
Through the Green Media Foundation, Mr. DesNeiges has also participated in various environmental communication and planning projects, including the preparation of the Town of Bouctouche’s green plan, the production of an Internet video series, and the television program Blue Green.
According to Mr. DesNeiges, the Society seeks to contribute to a broader understanding of environmental law for the benefit of environmental organizations, the general public, and other non-legal institutions. The Society also has a mandate to support the student environmental law society at the Université de Moncton.
Law students at the Université de Moncton have recently established a student chapter of the Society. The group’s first initiative was the submission of a policy paper to the university’s academic authorities recommending the creation of a Centre for Sustainable Development Law and the establishment of a public-service environmental law clinic.
Mr. DesNeiges anticipates that the clinic would initially focus on areas such as Indigenous and First Nations law, environmental mediation, and municipal and land-use law.
“The use of legal tools to advance environmental issues remains relatively new in New Brunswick,” Mr. DesNeiges explained. “The objective is to develop a network capable of responding to the legal needs of a broad range of community stakeholders, including environmental non-governmental organizations.”
The Society also seeks to promote the use of collaborative and preventative legal mechanisms where appropriate. In particular, it intends to encourage the use of environmental mediation as a means of resolving disputes without resorting to litigation, while recognizing that adversarial proceedings may sometimes be necessary.
Membership in the Society is open to both lawyers and non-lawyers, including citizens, members of First Nations communities, university researchers and professors, teachers, other professionals, and representatives of municipal governments.
Over the longer term, the Society aims to strengthen environmental governance in New Brunswick by fostering greater collaboration between the legal community, academic institutions, environmental organizations, and the broader public.
