In the midst of unprecedented spring wildfires and anticipation of more record-breaking summer heatwaves, climate litigation is on the rise in Canada.
Courts are being asked to determine whether governments are doing enough to safeguard the health and lives of Canadians experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis.
A group of seven youth sued Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government in November 2019 for replacing the province’s previous greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target with a significantly weaker and unscientific one. The Mathur v Ontario case made history early this spring when a judge ruled — for the first time in Canada — that courts can consider whether a government’s response to climate change infringes upon human rights.
