The Legacy Fund for the Environment is a Quebec environmental organization. We partner with citizens’ groups in pursuing legal actions to defend the environment. We fund legal actions (from demand letters to lawsuits) and the studies needed to succeed:
We can also fund other studies needed by citizens’ groups in their quest for environmental or biodiversity protection.
We are there to help you with our experience:
In addition to funding cases, the Legacy Fund is also involved in many projects aiming to promote awareness and create discussions surrounding innovative legal approaches to protect the environment. For example, the Legacy Fund has been working on a fiscal analysis project and is working with other actors on putting together a chair in environmental dispute resolution.
We have financially assisted many citizens groups and environmental organizations for a variety of cases.
Our team is composed of motivated individuals with expertise ranging from biodiversity conservation to environmental law.
Campbell Stuart, over 35 years with the law firm Colby Monet; former mayor of Montreal West; environmental and community activist with Les Amis du parc Meadowbrook, Green Coalition, CRE Montréal, Santropol Roulant, L’Abri en Ville, Little Red Playhouse and others; former ED of the Bukasa Island Community Development Project in Uganda, and Vice-President and Director of the Legacy Fund for the Environment.
Marianne is a law student at the Faculté de droit de l’Université de Montréal and secretary for Sustainable Youth Canada. Growing up, she always cared about the environment, getting involved in the implementation of compost systems at her high school and at Dawson College. Marianne is honing her legal mind on the board of the Legacy Fund with real-world cases and hopes to use her legal knowledge to build a greener future.
Dida Berku, a retired lawyer, has represented many environmental groups over her 40 year career. A Côte Saint-Luc city councillor since 1990, she has a vast experience in municipal law and politics and has served on many boards and municipal council commissions across the island and as leader of the Majority for the Montreal mega-city from 2002-05. She is responsible in CSL for the Master Plan and the protection of the Meadowbrook golf course. She has six beautiful grandkids who love butterflies.
Sylvie Clermont, retired after a career in health, has been active on the environment her whole life. First, in workplace recycling projects, later in environmental advisory committees in towns where she lived. Since retirement, she is invested full-time in protecting the environment and biodiversity: in MARE, the Green Coalition, the Réseau Demain le Québec and now the Legacy Fund for the Environment. Through her work Sylvie builds strong links between groups, to build a strong citizen’s movement to face our many challenges. Sylvie is a mother of three and grandmother of three.
Rob Horwood is a retired lawyer with 26 years experience in the federal public service, 15 of which as a legislative drafter, six as a legal advisor for three federal Departments and five in the Competition Bureau. His legislative drafting work was concentrated on drafting complex environmental regulations. Before that, he worked as a public-interest lawyer in the private sector advocating for the interests of low-income consumers and for environmental and indigenous groups. He joined the Legacy Fund in 2023, as chair of the Case Intake and Management committee.
Tara is a non-profit management consultant with over 20 years experience in Human Resources across various industries and in several countries. Tara has long been involved in environmental protection activities in the workplace, including organizing team-building beach clean ups in the Gulf of Finland, chairing Corporate Citizenship and Green committees on Cirque du Soleil touring shows and managing the HR function at Greenpeace Canada. Tara joined the Legacy Fund for the Environment as a director and treasurer in October 2023.
Sue Stacho has been an environmental activist for 24 years with the Green Coalition, Sauvons l’Anse-a-l’Orme, Save Fairview Forest. She also manages garden projects with students at nearby schools and is always looking for ways to get kids out of the classroom and into nature.
Jason Prince, an urban planner, coordinated action-research at McGill’s School of Urban Planning from 2008 until 2013, in efforts to improve neighbourhood quality of life in the context of two mega-projects, the McGill University Health Centre and the Turcot Interchange. Jason works in and teaches the social economy and continues to believe in the power of collective action to transform communities. Jason co-edited three books on problems facing cities. He lives above a pizza shop with two teenagers and several suffering plants.
We always welcome donations to fund our cases, and encourage volunteers to join us, no matter the contribution and time commitment.
