Non-Profit Board Members

Join the CELA board!

Position: Board Member
Type: non-profit board of directors / unpaid
Organization: Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA)
Location: Most meetings are held virtually; our AGM is hybrid in Toronto ON.

The Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) invites interested applications or nominations for qualified individuals to express interest in joining our Board of Directors.

CELA works toward protecting public health and the environment by seeking justice for those harmed by pollution or poor decision-making, and by changing policies to prevent pollution-related problems in the first place.

Since 1970, CELA has used legal tools, conducted public legal education, undertaken ground-breaking research, and advocated for increased environmental protection, and to safeguard communities against environmental injustices. As a specialty clinic funded by Legal Aid Ontario, our primary focus is on assisting and empowering low-income people and disadvantaged communities.

CELA is a specialty legal aid clinic, funded by Legal Aid Ontario, with a service mandate to provide legal representation across the province of Ontario to individuals and groups who qualify for our services in the area of environmental law. In particular CELA provides services to those who would not be able to afford a lawyer, on important matters such as the protection of drinking water, prevention of pollution that impacts their health, and providing input to decision makers on significant environmental safety issues.

The members of CELA’s Board of Directors provide governance and oversight of CELA’s strategic priorities, wise use of its resources, and connection to client communities and the agencies that serve them. We look for members who bring professional skills as well as members who represent the communities we serve.

All Board Members must commit to honour the mission and values of the organization which can be seen at https://cela.ca/cela-values-statement/ and https://cela.ca/our-mandate/

CELA strives to ensure that the Board is comprised of members of the communities to be served by the clinic. Reasonable efforts are made to include persons representative of the low-income community, persons reflecting the diversity of the community, persons with experience working with community agencies, persons with financial, management, and legal skills, and persons from the environmental non-governmental and environmental professional sectors.

CELA encourages applicants for its Board of Directors from equity‐seeking groups, including but not limited to individuals who are Indigenous, Black, racialized, LGBTQI2S, persons with disabilities, and women.

Please provide your expression of interest to CELA’s Board Secretary and Office Manager/Executive Administrator at tracy @ cela.ca . 

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

An application package will be provided to you upon receipt of your expression of interest, which will include an explanation of our Board member application process. We are currently recruiting for 2026.

 

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APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE
CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ASSOCIATION (CELA) 2026

Thank you for your interest in CELA.

Below is background information about CELA membership, followed by a request for information should you be interested in applying to be a member of CELA and a Board Director. We sincerely thank in advance all of those who express interest by way of application through our Nomination Committee.

CELA is committed to inclusion and equity and strives to ensure that our Board of Directors reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We are committed to removing barriers that are faced by equity-seeking groups and encourage (but do not require) members of these groups to self-identify as such in their cover letters. In accordance with the current compositional needs of our Board of Directors, CELA encourages applicants from equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to individuals who identify as Indigenous and/or LGBTQI2S+, persons with disabilities, members of Black, racialized/visible minority communities, and others who may contribute to diversification of ideas.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Election to CELA’s Board

CELA is a not-for-profit corporation continued under s. 211 of the Canada Not for Profit Corporations Act 2009, S.C. c. 23.

The members of the corporation are the standing Board of Directors and new members must be approved by the Board.

CELA’s primary source of funding is Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) and it is a specialty Ontario Legal Aid clinic with a province-wide mandate. CELA also carries out special projects that advance our mandate through grants and other sources of funding.

Decisions about new members of CELA/Directors of the Board will be made by the Board having regard to the combination of Board characteristics, skills and experience that put the Board in the best position to fulfill CELA’s mandate. This includes LAO’s requirements that the Board have financial, legal and management skills, and that the members of the Board are members of the community or communities CELA serves or are persons who have a substantial association with or interest in the community or communities CELA serves.

All expressions of interest in joining CELA’s Board are welcome and regardless of whether and applicant is approved for membership, all such expressions of interest are sincerely appreciated.

Commitment

The responsibilities of Board members include oversight and governance through the CELA Board of Directors. The Board is responsible to set the strategic direction of CELA, and to oversee its policies and priorities.
The CELA Board meets at least five times per year. Directors are expected to attend Board meetings, absent of good reason not to do so. Directors are expected to provide additional support as needed, for example, participating in sub-committees, and to commit to at least 20 hours work annually, over and above preparing for and attending Board meetings.

Mission:

Our Mission: CELA advances health, equity, and environmental well-being by empowering under-resourced communities through legal representation, education, and collaboration to improve laws and government decisions for all.

CELA’s goals including the provision of responsive and empowering client services, empowering clients to advocate for themselves; laying the groundwork for the next generation of environmental rights, and ensuring CELA has renewed and sustainable capacity for the future.

CELA works and advocates to:

• protect human health and our environment by seeking justice for those harmed by pollution or poor environmental decision-making or prevent such problems from occurring in the first place,
• advocating for comprehensive federal, provincial, and indigenous laws, standards and policies that will protect and enhance public health and environmental quality in homes, neighbourhoods, workplaces and the outdoor environment,
• increase public participation in environmental decision-making, working in partnerships with the public, public interest groups, and colleagues in a variety of disciplines to foster long-term sustainable solutions to environmental concerns and resource use,
• prevent harm to human and ecosystem health through application of precautionary measures.

Detailed information about CELA’s current and past work can be found at CELA’s website: http://www.cela.ca

CELA’s charitable arm is the Canadian Environmental Law Foundation. Some members of the CELA Board are also members of the CEL Foundation Board. More information about the Foundation’s mission and programs can be found at the CELF website: https://celafoundation.ca/

YOUR INFORMATION

If you are interested in applying to be a member of CELA and thus a Board Director, please complete the information required by this form, sign it, and send an electronic version of this form and your resume to:
Tracy Tucker, Secretary of the Board, at tracy@cela.ca

If you need help filling out this form, please contact CELA’s Executive Director, Theresa McClenaghan at theresa@cela.ca

If you are selected for an interview, which will be virtual, we will provide flexibility as to time of day and will strive to provide additional accommodation in the interview format if required.

1. First and Last Name:

2. Contact Information
Phone:
Email:
Address:

3. Canada Not For Profit Corporations Act requirements (check the box beside each statement)
a. I have not been declared incapable by a court in Canada or in another country ☐
b. I am an individual who is 18 years of age or older ☐
c. I do not have the status of bankrupt ☐

4. CELA aims to have Board representation that reflects the communities we serve or are persons who have a substantial association with or interest in the community or communities CELA serves, as well as needed Board skills and experience. Please answer the questions below with a brief explanation. If the answer to any question is no, or if you are uncomfortable providing the information, you may leave that question blank.

a. CELA Client Community
Have you or a group you are affiliated with been represented by CELA in the past? (CELA desires to include the perspectives of its client community on the Board).

b. Low-income Community
Do you have lived experience in or experience working with or on behalf of a low-income, vulnerable or disadvantaged community?

c. Diversity
Is there any information about you that you would like CLEA to be aware of in relation to equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to individuals who identify as Indigenous, LGBTQI2S+, persons with disabilities, members of Black, racialized/visible minority communities, or others who may contribute to diversification of ideas?

d. Community Agencies
Are you a member of or do you have experience working with or on behalf of one or more community agencies that serve the public (including both not for profits and government agencies)?

e. Environmental Non-governmental Groups
Are you a member of or do you have experience working with a community or citizens group or not for profit that advocates for environmental and health improvement?

f. Financial, Management, Legal
i. Do you have financial skills? (please explain)
ii. Do you have management skills? (please explain)
iii. Do you have legal skills? (please explain)

g. Other relevant skills in work done by CELA
Do you have other relevant skills that may relate to CELA’s substantive work, beyond those identified above? Examples include scientific, health, indigenous knowledge, naturalists, fundraising, community organizing, communications, etc. (please explain)

h. Are you a member of or are you an existing CELA client or do you have any other potential conflicts of interest with CELA’s Board? (if you are a current client, we would suggest deferring your application to sit on our Board until after your case is resolved).

5. References
Please provide 2 references, including name, telephone number and email, and a brief explanation of your relationship with the reference.

6. I have reviewed and support CELA’s mandate as set out above ☐

I declare that the statements made above are true. I apply for membership in CELA and if accepted, to be a Director on CELA’s Board

Signature

Date