Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) has been part of the environmental law sector from the very beginning, and is one of the few organizations with a deep understanding of how rights and privileges we enjoy today came into being. CELA knows how hard-won those victories were.

CELA also knows how fragile gains are and how easily they can be lost. One of the driving forces behind the creation of the CELA Foundation was a desire to protect and document the history of environmental law and environmental decision-making. 

Today, the CELA Foundation maintains digital and physical collections that document the history of environmental protection across the country. Some come from CELA’s historical records. Other collections were rescued when their original online homes were shuttered. The archive reflects work by government agencies, watchdog authorities, nonprofit organizations, lawyers, and many of the country’s most influential environmental advocates.