The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50800
ASSOCIATES Cindy Vaillancourt and David-Emmanuel Roberge surrounded by law students at the University of Haiti Two Montreal lawyers see the environmental challenges Haitians face first-hand on a trip to teach local law students. BY GLENN KAUTH t's February 2009, and Cindy Vaillancourt and David-Em- manuel Roberge are landing in Haiti. It's a far cry from frigid Montreal, where the pair spend much of their days in front of computer screens as environmental lawyers at McCarthy Té- trault LLP. Roberge marked his 31st birthday on the plane. The celebration quickly gave way to shock when one of the reasons for their trip appeared outside the window: swathes of defores- tation threatening to devastate the island nation's ecosystem. "When you actually land in Port-au-Prince, you can see it," says Vaillancourt, 28. "It's visual. You can see mountains with [just] some rare trees remaining there." The plane trip began a two-week-long effort to help the coun- try plant new seeds for dealing with its environmental problems. The goal was to teach law students at the State University of Haiti about environmental regulation through a pro bono partnership between McCarthys and Lawyers Without Borders. 14 APRIL 2009 www. mag.com "They're actually facing huge challenges [with the] environ- ment in Haiti," says Vaillancourt. "It's starting to be more obvious than anywhere else with the hurricanes, the flooding, the soil erosion, the tropical storms. All of these are major problems that they're facing." But, she adds, even the basics are a challenge. "Just the management of waste, which is something we take for granted in Canada, for them it's a big issue. Access to potable water is a problem in Haiti." Roberge faced those issues first-hand when he went to wash up. He was unpleasantly surprised to find the smell of human waste in the water. Outside, meanwhile, the streets were a mess. "Port-au-Prince is more or less an open garbage bin. You would see rubbish everywhere," he says, noting the discord between Haitians' stylish dress and the condition of their streets. "You would even see piles of waste on corners. People gather waste on corners and from time to time they burn it." COURTESY LAWYERS WITHOUT BORDERS