Ontario’s top court has ordered a new hearing for a youth government-led constitutional challenge of the provincial’s emissions target.
The Ontario Court of Appeal’s ruling sends the case back to the lower court for a new hearing. It found the lower court judge’s analysis was flawed on some key points and the case raised important issues that should be considered afresh.
Ecojustice, an environmental law charity that backed the young people who brought the challenge, called it a landmark victory.
“The seven youth are optimistic and will push forward with the new hearing, with all the urgency the climate crisis demands,” the charity said in a written statement.
The case is the first in Canada to consider whether governments’ approach to climate change has the potential to violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Appeal Court decision lays a “solid foundation” for the young people to win in a …