Lawyers and summer students from the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) will be giving a presentation in Timmins this summer.

CELA will be joined by the Friends of the Porcupine River Watershed for a presentation about the core services both organizations provide, and environmental issues concerning Northern Ontario. The main goal of the presentation is, according to Alexandra Robertson, a CELA Summer Student, to inform residents about everyday environmental issues that can affect them, and ways those problems can be addressed or resolved.

“We’re going to talk about things like indoor environmental contaminants, which can negatively affect people’s health,” Robertson said, “which include things like Raid-On or asbestos. We’re also going to talk about how they can improve the energy efficiency of their homes, through different programs as well as through energy conservation.”

Energy saving tips won’t be the only thing on the agenda. Presentation attendees will also learn about some Environmental laws.

“We’re going to talk about different pieces of law that they may not know about,” Robertson explained, “for instance: in Ontario we have an Environmental Bill of Rights that allows people to participate in environmental decision making that affects them, either by commenting on the bill’s laws or asking the government to look at decisions that its made. So really there’s a lot of stuff that I think people can learn from this presentation.”

CELA has partnered with the Friends of the Porcupine River Watershed to address issues regarding the Porcupine River Watershed and the ongoing sewage bypass issues.

“It’s going to be a good opportunity for residents to hear a little more about the work they’ve been doing in the community and how they can get involved with that if they’d like to,” said Robertson.

While the Friends will be talking about the work they’ve been doing, there will also be lots of information about general environmental issues. Things like indoor air pollution, energy efficiency and different remedies people have for environmental issues under the law will all be discussed at the presentation.

CELA gives these presentations about the environment across the province, presenting different topics depending on the needs of a certain community. This summer they’re coming to Timmins and Thunder Bay.

“We chose Timmins and Thunder Bay,” Robertson explains, “because CELA is launching a Northern Ontario services pilot project in September to try and increase direct service to Northern Ontario. And we’re interested in learning more about the communities and their needs and making connections and talking to people now.”

Jacquelyn Wilson, a lawyer for CELA, gave more details about the Northern Services Pilot Project.

“The Northern Services Pilot Project is going to launch in September and there’s going to be a lawyer stationed somewhere in Northern Ontario, to be determined,” she said. “And the idea of that will be to continue doing more public legal education, and also to do intake. So, to make sure that people in Northern Ontario are aware of CELA’s services, can access them, and then can get assistance if appropriate with their legal needs relating to the environment.”

CELA is hoping the Northern Ontario Pilot Project is turned into a permanent division.

CELA is an Ontario-wide legal aid clinic that has a province-wide mandate and has always provided services to Ontario’s North. The presentation will aim to make sure people are aware of those services that can help address their environmental issues.

The pumping stations at Porcupine Lake are also going to be discussed at the Environmental meeting in August, and will be touched on by the Friends of the Porcupine River Watershed.

“CELA’s made a request to meet with the Ministry of the Environment and the City of Timmins about the ongoing sewage bypass issue,” Wilson said. “So we’re hoping to be able to meet with them while we’re in town.”

The Public Presentation on Environmental Issues and Environmental Rights will take place on Thursday, August 9th, from 3-4 PM at the Senator Hotel.

The presentation is free for the public and all are welcome to listen to and discuss environmental issues facing our community. There’s no registration process or fee.

For more information on CELA, you can visit their website here.