Citizen's Guide to Quebec Environmental Law

The law is like freedom: it only wears out when you don't use it... From the graphite mine in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge to oil exploration in Ristigouche, including the Energy East pipeline, citizens who are mobilizing to protect their living environments and the health of ecosystems often have to deal with the rules of Quebec environmental law. How can we find our way? What is the legal value of our commitments regarding climate change, protected areas, and endangered species? What are the various possible remedies to play a true "watchdog" role in the face of private companies and the State?
Written for the general public and illustrated with numerous examples from current events, this Citizen's Guide to Quebec Environmental Law is not a treatise intended for lawyers: it is a popular work, a tool for training and popular education. Commented throughout the pages by the illustrated characters Jus (the law) and Legum (the law), the text allows for an understanding of several basic legal concepts. Based on the affirmation of the right to a healthy environment in the Quebec Charter, Jean Baril structures his work around access to information and justice in environmental matters as well as public participation in decision-making.
This book provides an introduction to the Sustainable Development Act, the Environment Quality Act, the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies, the role of the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE), monitoring measures and citizen recourses, and finally, the environmental jurisdiction of municipalities. Learning about the content of these rules is all the more important since a major reform of the Environment Quality Act, the main framework law for the environment in Quebec, came into force in 2018.
At a time when companies are not hesitant to take legal action, this guide could prove very useful to all citizens, environmental groups, and municipal officials who are concerned about environmental protection. And you, what would you do if an oil pipeline had to pass through your backyard or under a river in your area?