We are the only environmental legal aid program in BC that connects people with private environmental lawyers, empowering communities to use the law to protect the environment.
Since 1989, the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund (EDRF) has supported community efforts to defend the health of the environment and build a more sustainable British Columbia. The EDRF is one of the only sources of environmental legal aid in BC and one of the very few programs of its kind in Canada.
We have distributed more than $5 million in grants to over 700 First Nations, individuals and community groups from every region of the province, building the capacity of communities to engage with the law effectively on environmental issues. In many cases the EDRF has supported public interest cases that would otherwise not proceed or be unrepresented. The Fund has been successful because of the generosity of a roster of environmental lawyers who work at our partially pro bono rates.
The EDRF is administered by a Management Committee of the Board of the West Coast Environmental Law Association, with staff support from Access to Justice staff lawyers Shawn Smith and Jessica Magonet, and program manager Alida Morris.
The EDRF has supported people and communities who otherwise would not have been heard to raise their voice and win major environmental victories. For stories from some previous recipients, see EDRF Grantees.