The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) never considered the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions of the Pacific NorthWest LNG export terminal, according to documents revealed in a federal court this week. The documents were submitted to a federal court in Vancouver during a hearing to determine whether the information should be considered
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What B.C.’s New NDP Minority Government Means for the Environment
Three weeks have passed since the polls closed in B.C. and yet the final results of the provincial election are still rolling out. On Thursday, upon the conclusion of a no-confidence vote that ousted former Premier Christy Clark, NDP Leader John Horgan has been offered the opportunity to lead a new
Continue readingFirst Nations Case Against Site C Struck Down by Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear an appeal brought by the West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations that argues the federal government failed to consider their constitutionally protected treaty rights when approving the $9 billion Site C dam in northeast B.C. The rejection by Canada’s highest
Continue readingIf Saskatchewan Can Build a Geothermal Power Plant, Why Can’t B.C.?
While news of Saskatchewan’s plan for a small geothermal power plant was met with excitement by renewable energy advocates, experts say British Columbia is far better situated to capitalize on the technology yet has failed to do so. “It should be a little bit of a shock that a less good
Continue readingSpecial Committee Says Canadians Should Have Legal Right to Healthy Environment…Like the Rest of the Developed World
When it comes to developed nations Canada is a laggard on the environmental rights front. Legally speaking, Canadians don’t enjoy the right to a healthy environment like the citizens of 93 per cent of UN member countries do. But that could all change in light of a new set of recommendations
Continue readingNo, Asian Markets Will Not Fetch Better Prices for Canadian Oil: New Report
One of Ottawa and Alberta’s main arguments in defence of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline — that Alberta oil sold to Asian markets will command a higher price — is a myth, according to a new report released Wednesday by scientist and energy resources expert David Hughes. Contrary to
Continue readingSite C Dam Set to Finally Undergo Review of Costs and Demand
The controversial $9 billion Site C dam project will be sent for immediate review with the B.C. Utilities Commission if NDP Leader John Horgan becomes B.C.’s premier, according to a landmark agreement between the NDP and Greens. The agreement outlines the terms of a power-sharing agreement as well as a path
Continue readingKinder Morgan ‘Misleading’ With Claim Trans Mountain ‘Approvals Are in Hand,’ Says Chilliwack Resident
Kinder Morgan Canada’s president Ian Anderson may have misled potential investors in a statement released Thursday that claimed “execution planning is complete, our approvals are in hand” for the Trans Mountain pipeline, according to Ian Stephen, resident of Chilliwack B.C. and campaign director at the Waterwealth Project. “We are now
Continue readingFive Handy Facts About the Northern B.C. Oil Tanker Ban
A bill to restrict the movement of oil off the north coast of British Columbia has been formally tabled by the federal government in the House of Commons, according to a statement released by Transport Canada Friday. The proposed legislation, which would restrict tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of
Continue readingA B.C. Liberal Minority Government? Not So Fast
In the wee hours of Wednesday morning major news outlets like the CBC made the official call: the B.C. Liberals had won a minority government in the 2017 provincial election. Except they haven’t … quite … yet. Here’s how the numbers are currently being reported: B.C. Liberals 43 seats, NDP 41 seats,
Continue readingScientists Find Methane Pollution from B.C.’s Oil and Gas Sector 2.5 Times What B.C. Government Reports
New, groundbreaking research from a group of scientists shows B.C.’s estimates of methane pollution from oil and gas activity in the province’s Peace region are wildly underestimated. Using infrared cameras and gas detection instruments at over a thousand oil and gas sites during a three-year period, scientists from the David Suzuki
Continue readingB.C. Scales Down Energy-Saving Measures to Manufacture Demand for Site C: UBC Report
Way back in the good ole days of 2010, B.C. released the Clean Energy Act, a plan that required the province to conserve massive amounts of energy. And, all in all, B.C. has been pretty good at that. But that all changed in 2013 when the B.C. government approved the Site
Continue readingFive Facepalm-Worthy Facts from UBC’s New Analysis on the Site C Dam
The Site C dam no longer makes economic sense and construction on the project should be halted immediately, according to researchers from the University of British Columbia. That recommendation comes on the heels of a major new study that examines the business case for Site C given major changes in economic
Continue readingB.C. Quietly Grants Mount Polley Mine Permit to Pipe Mine Waste Directly Into Quesnel Lake
The B.C. Ministry of Environment has quietly granted the Mount Polley Mining Corporation permission to drain mining waste directly into Quesnel Lake, B.C.’s deepest fjord lake and a source of drinking water for residents of Likely, B.C., as part of a “long-term water management plan.” The wastewater discharge permit comes nearly
Continue readingFormer Corporate Lobbyists Running for B.C. Liberals Part of ‘Alarming Trend’: Watchdog
Five B.C. Liberal candidates running in the current election are also former lobbyists who advocated for corporations including Chevron, Pacific Northwest LNG and ExxonMobil in the offices of Premier Christy Clark and other top ministers, according to records contained in the B.C. Lobbyist Registry. None of the candidates’ profiles on the
Continue readingModernize the National Energy Board? Here’s How
Want to modernize Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB)? Bring the regulatory agency — first founded way back in 1959 when the realities of climate change weren’t readily known — into alignment with our carbon-constrained present. That recommendation, coming from the Pembina Institute, comes in a report released Friday to coincide with
Continue readingTeck Mining Lobbyist’s Donation to BC Liberals ‘Listed in Error,’ Company Says
Political donations made to the BC Liberals under the name of a prominent Teck Resources lobbyist were actually made by the company and were registered in error, according to the company. A joint investigation between DeSmog Canada and University of Victoria researcher Nick Graham of the Corporate Mapping Project uncovered seven
Continue readingBreaking: BC Liberal Political Donation Scandal Investigated by RCMP
Elections BC will refer its ongoing investigation into potentially illegal political donations made to the BC Liberals to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, British Columbia’s Chief Electoral Officer, Keith Archer announced Friday. “This investigation has been referred to ensure that it will in no way impede Elections BC’s administration of the
Continue readingBreaking: BC Liberal Political Donation Scandal Investigated by RCMP
Elections BC will refer its ongoing investigation into potentially illegal political donations made to the BC Liberals to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, British Columbia’s Chief Electoral Officer, Keith Archer announced Friday. “This investigation has been referred to ensure that it will in no way impede Elections BC’s administration of the
Continue readingPolitical Donations By Top Kinder Morgan Staff Draw Call for Elections BC Investigation
Elections B.C. has been asked to investigate political contributions made to the BC Liberals by high-ranking Kinder Morgan staff, including president Ian Anderson. The democracy advocacy group Dogwood submitted a formal complaint to Elections B.C. this week after discovering a series of political donations from individuals connected to Kinder Morgan’s Trans
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