Vancouver. West Coast Environmental Law is calling for nominations for the Dr. Andrew Thompson award. The award, recognizing a significant lifelong contribution to environmental protection and sustainability in British Columbia though the law, has been described by the University of Victoria Faculty of Law as “the province’s top award for Environmental Advocacy.”
This year the award will be given to an individual who has worked at the intersection between Aboriginal and environmental law and/or through Indigenous environmental law to make an outstanding contribution to environmental protection and sustainability in British Columbia.
“We have seen time and again the transformative potential when First Nations take action, grounded in their own laws, and backed up by Canadian constitutional law, to protect the land and resources of their territories from unsustainable development,” said Jessica Clogg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel of West Coast Environmental Law. “With this year’s Andrew Thompson award, we want to celebrate those who are at the cutting edge of these legal strategies –be they traditional knowledge holders, lawyers or political leaders –for their contribution to building a more sustainable future for all of our children.”
The Andrew Thompson Award was established in 2002 by West Coast and the Thompson family as a legacy to Dr. Thompson. Andrew Thompson was a pioneer in the fields of environmental and natural resource law, as well as working with First Nations peoples to protect their environment. In addition to authoring many publications and texts and teaching at UBC’s law school, Dr. Thompson chaired several commissions and inquiries, including the West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry and the BC Utilities Commission.
The nomination process closes October 15, 2014. A short list will be announced shortly thereafter, and members of the public will be invited to vote on a people’s choice. Both a judge’s award and the people’s choice award – a cash prize of $2000 each – will be announced November 4, 2014 at the 40th Anniversary Celebration for West Coast Environmental Law.
West Coast Environmental Law is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting the environment through law. Since the 1970s West Coast’s staff lawyers have successfully worked with communities, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and all levels of governments, including First Nations governments, to develop proactive legal solutions to protect and sustain the environment.
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For more information contact:
Jessica Clogg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel – 604-6o1- 2501.
For the nomination form and criteria, visit www.wcel.org/AndrewThompsonAward