On Monday, a group of landowners and farmers from BC’s Peace River Valley launched the first of seven legal challenges that threaten to derail the government’s $9 Billion planned Site C Dam. This challenge is rooted in the government’s decision to ignore key concerns raised by the Joint Review Panel for
Continue readingAuthor: Damien Gillis
The Common Sense Canadian: The untold story behind the central coast herring fishery fiasco
Herring gillnet boats outside Kitasu Bay just before giving up on this year’s fishery (Tavish Campbell) This is the untold story behind one of the most heated standoffs over fish which the BC coast has ever witnessed – the recent clash between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Heiltsuk celebrate as herring gillnet boats leave central coast empty
Video by Diana Chan “We did it!” declared Heiltsuk Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett to a jubilant crowd at the fisheries office near Bella Bella this afternoon, as the herring gillnet fleet departed the central coast empty. “This was our no-go zone,” said Slett, holding up a map of Area 7
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: DFO clings to bad science, refuses to close herring fishery in Area 7
Despite harsh criticism from scientists and First Nations of DFO’s flawed forecasting methods for the health of herring stocks, the department’s Director General, Pacific Region Sue Farlinger acknowledged today that she was unable to commit to the closure of a gillnet fishery in Area 7. Farlinger flew to Bella Bella
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Progress on herring standoff but Area 7 gillnet opening remains contentious issue; talks continue today
A long-awaited face-to-face meeting between Heiltsuk Nation leaders and senior DFO management finally went ahead yesterday at the central coast fisheries office currently being occupied by Heiltsuk members. DFO Regional Director General Sue Farlinger flew up to Bella Bella amid an increasingly heated standoff over herring fishery issues late Monday afternoon. Following nearly 3
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Heiltsuk Nation occupies DFO office in face of expected herring fishery
Heiltsuk Nation members confront DFO officers at Denny Island coast guard station (Pacific Wild) Tensions continue to escalate on the waters of the Great Bear Rainforest over a highly controversial herring fishery, as members of the Heiltsuk Nation are now occupying the local DFO office in opposition to a planned gillnet
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: ‘By any means necessary’: Heiltsuk vow to stop herring gillnet fishery
The Heiltsuk Nation is vowing to stop DFO’s opening of a gillnet fishery amid threatened herring stocks in Area 7 by “any means necessary”, after DFO refused to listen to leaders’ concerns in emergency talks yesterday afternoon. The gillnet fishery comes in the wake of a highly controversial seine fishery
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: First Nation taking herring concerns to Jimmy Pattison’s Canfisco
Commercial seine boat in Spiller Channel (Pacific Wild) Bella Bella, BC A delegation of Heiltsuk First Nations and their supporters will be taking the central coast community’s concerns over a recent herring fishery in their territory to to the Jimmy Pattison-owned Canfisco processing plant in Vancouver this afternoon. Pattison is the largest owner
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: DFO uses stealth to open herring fishery despite First Nations ban
Heiltsuk Hereditary Chief Harvey Humchitt in 2012 (Damien Gillis) The Department of Fisheries and Oceans angered members of the Heiltsuk First Nation on BC’s central coast by opening a commercial herring fishery last night – despite the community’s insistence that there should be no fishery this year, based on unhealthy
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Last day for public comments on Woodfibre LNG proposal
Rendering of proposed Woodfibre LNG project near Squamish, BC Citizens have until Midnight Monday to submit their comments to the current phase of environmental assessment into the controversial Woodfibre LNG proposal, near Squamish. The project and its Indonesian billionaire proponent Sukanto Tanoto have garnered intense scrutiny from citizen groups, First Nations
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Shocking critique from Site C Panel Chair should have govt pulling plug
Site C Joint Review Panel, with Chair Harry Swain seated in middle (250 News) In a highly unorthodox move for a person in his position, the chair of the Joint Review Panel for Site C Dam has come out with harsh words for the $9 Billion project and the BC government’s hurry to
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Landmark Treaty 8 lawsuit challenges Site C Dam, LNG
A sweeping lawsuit filed this week by the Blueberry River First Nations from northeast BC threatens the province’s resource agenda – including the proposed Site C Dam and shale gas and LNG development. As a party to Treaty 8, the First Nation was guaranteed the right to continue practicing its traditional way of
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Harper slashes federal taxes for BC LNG industry
Stephen Harper announces the Government’s intent to support the creation of BC’s LNG industry in Surrey, BC (PMO) Prime Minister Stephen Harper jumped on the BC LNG ship this week with the announcement of federal support for the embattled industry during a speech in Surrey, BC. A PMO press release trumpeting
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Asian LNG prices take record 60% plunge from last year
Asian spot market prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) have plunged by a single year record of 61.7% since February 2014, according to Platts JKM (Japan/Korea Marker) – a leading source of benchmark prices for the industry. Average prices for March delivery peaked at a historic high of $20.20 per million British thermal units (MMBtu)
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Federal Court denies BC Hydro’s request to hurry up Site C challenge
Peace Valley ranchers Ken and Arlene Boon are plaintiffs in several Site C Dam challenges (Damien Gillis) A federal court judge has denied BC Hydro’s motion to rush a legal challenge against the crown corporation’s planned Site C Dam project. Hydro sought to expedite the hearing in May in order to keep
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Mount Polley investigation: Whitewash follows tailings flood – culprits let off the hook
Aerial image after Mount Polley mine tailings spill (Cariboo Regional District) The recently concluded “independent” investigation into the Mount Polley tailings pond rupture essentially exonerates the various culprits in what was likely the worst environmental catastrophe in BC history. The report can only be seen as a whitewashing of the world record 25 million cubic metres of
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Ease radioactive waste dumping restrictions, say North Dakota shale oil producers
Trucking costs for radioactive waste in North Dakota’s Bakken oil field are too high, says the industry Read this eye-opening Jan. 28 Reuters story on the push from North Dakota shale oil producers to loosen restrictions around the dumping of radioactive waste – a cost-cutting measure as prices for their
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: LNG, Fracking and BC’s Energy Future: Nanaimo event
BG Group’s Methane Lydon Volney tanker (Photo: BG Group) The Common Sense Canadian’s Damien Gillis and retired KPMG partner and chemistry Ph.D Eoin Finn will be in Nanaimo Wednesday night to discuss the province’s energy vision. Finn has been a leading voice on the economic and safety risks of the proposed
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: LNG shocker: Squamish rejects pipeline builder’s drilling permit
Squamish council rejects Fortis BC application for test drilling (Instagram/ Dan Prisk) In a surprising show of municipal political power – even in a region that has demonstrated strong misgivings regarding proposed LNG development – Squamish council has rejected Fortis BC’s controversial permit application for test drilling in a Wildlife Management
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: 2015: Year of reckoning for Canada’s fossil fuel economy
On Monday, as Canadians got back to work following the holidays, the price for crude oil dipped below $50/barrel for the first time since 2009, offering a glimpse of the profound changes in store for the country in 2015. With some $60 Billion in oil/tar sands projects now in peril –
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