IN-DEPTH Originally published by the Narwhal Local conservation group asks province to cancel cutblocks containing ancient yellow cedars and unofficial bear sanctuary Judith Lavoie Jun 5, 2020 10 min read
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B.C. Grants Cermaq Permit to Apply 2.3 Million Litres of Pesticide to Clayoquot Sound Salmon Farms
The province has given the go-ahead for Cermaq Canada to use up to 2.3 million litres of a pesticide called Paramove 50 to remove sea lice from fish at 14 salmon farms in Clayoquot Sound, but opponents fear the mixture of hydrogen peroxide, surfactants and other chemicals will harm other
Continue readingAncient Glass Sponge Reef Smothered By Salmon Farm Waste in B.C.
As Tavish Campbell dropped his remote camera into the water close to a salmon farm in the Broughton Archipelago, his heart sank. Earlier in the day, during a dive, he was awestruck by the sight of an ancient, rare and previously undiscovered glass sponge reef in the water off Port Hardy,
Continue readingGwich’in Call on Canadians to Speak Out Against Trump’s Arctic Drilling Push
Canadians are being urged to fight against a push by U.S. President Donald Trump to fast-track drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the calving grounds of Porcupine caribou herd. The Trump administration, which last fall slipped a provision allowing drilling in the Arctic Refuge into
Continue readingCaribou on the Brink: B.C. Herd Reduced to Three Females Points to Failure to Protect Endangered Species
The much-studied South Selkirk mountain caribou herd is teetering on the brink of extinction. That discovery this month has focused international attention on the disaster faced by the only herd that roams between the U.S. and Canada, but biologists are warning that the crisis extends to other herds in the south
Continue reading‘It’s An Environmental Law-Free Zone’: B.C. Auditor General Asked to Investigate Unregulated Placer Mining
Placer mining kills fish, damages streams, poses a risk to drinking water and jeopardizes Indigenous rights, but the activity is virtually unregulated and brings little money into government coffers, says a report urging B.C. Auditor General Carol Bellringer to conduct an audit of the province’s failure to adequately regulate placer operations.
Continue readingCanada’s Upcoming Fish Farm Rules Likely to Prop Up Industry, Critics Warn
As the federal government considers bringing in new laws to govern fish farms, there is widespread skepticism that the government will act in the public interest. Tensions surrounding salmon farming are running particularly high in British Columbia where more than 100 operations dot the south and central coast. Many of the
Continue reading‘Last Stand’ Film Documents B.C.’s Role In Accelerating Demise of Mountain Caribou
Film producer. biologist and wildlife photographer David Moskowitz was shocked to find that old-growth logging is continuing in B.C.’s interior temperate rainforest, despite clear evidence that it threatens fragile herds of endangered mountain caribou and, as he worked on his latest film, he tried to figure out how caribou and
Continue readingSeeking the Science Behind B.C.’s Wolf Cull
Even if you live on Vancouver Island you’re not likely to have seen the elusive coastal wolves that populate its northernmost corners. These genetically unique wolves, which are distinct from their land-locked cousins, live an atypical life for a grey wolf, living in remote estuaries and consuming a diet of mostly
Continue readingCanada’s Governments Don’t Have Real Plans to Fight or Adapt to Climate Change: New Audit
Canada talks the talk, but fails to walk the walk on climate change, according to a cross-country audit of climate change planning, emissions reductions and the likelihood of Canada meeting any of its targets. The audit, conducted by federal environment commissioner Julie Gelfand and auditors general of nine provinces and three
Continue readingMismanagement of Canada’s Largest National Park Is Attracting International Scrutiny. Here’s Why.
One year ago, after scathing reports by international agencies, the federal government promised to better protect Wood Buffalo National Park, with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna saying a warning from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, followed by an equally dire assessment by the International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
Continue readingThe Race for Adaptation in an Increasingly Acidic Salish Sea
Underneath the picturesque Salish Sea there are churning currents, with water swooshing in from the open ocean and surges of nutrient-rich fresh water from creeks and rivers that alter the sea’s chemistry — and can make life tough for species trying to survive in a rapidly changing environment. And that’s why
Continue readingB.C. Moves Ahead With Review of Controversial Environmental Assessment Process
There are so many problems with B.C.’s current environmental assessment process that a review, announced Wednesday by Environment Minister George Heyman, will almost certainly mean improvements, say environmental groups. Heyman said it is clear that the public has lost trust in the process, leading to conflict and uncertainty and government’s priorities
Continue readingSome Federal Scientists Still Not Free to Speak About Work Under Trudeau Government
Remember the bad old days when federal scientists were muzzled by the Harper government and, even when health, safety or the environment were threatened, researchers were not allowed to talk about their findings? A 2013 survey commissioned by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) found nine out
Continue readingWhat Canada Can Learn From Germany’s Renewable Revolution
Changing from an energy system powered by fossil fuels to one based on renewable energy takes long-term planning, innovation and a buy-in from citizens, industry and all levels of government, says deep decarbonization expert Manfred Fischedick, an advisor to the German government during its transition from a country reliant on
Continue readingB.C. Not Prepared for Climate Change Disasters, Not On Track to Cut Emissions: Auditor General
B.C. is woefully unprepared to deal with climate change catastrophes, despite recent floods, droughts and forest fires, and the province is not dealing effectively with the root cause of climate change, meaning it is unlikely to meet its 2020 or 2050 greenhouse gas emission targets, says a highly critical report
Continue readingThe Weaver-Horgan LNG Kerfuffle Explained
B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver becomes downright indignant at suggestions he has retreated even a fraction from the LNG ultimatum he first delivered during a year-end interview with DeSmog Canada. “If B.C. starts to focus again on trying to land an LNG industry given all that has happened, I
Continue readingB.C.’s Fugitive Gas Pains: Report Calls for Crackdown on Biggest Polluters
A potent, heat-trapping gas is being released into the atmosphere from B.C.’s oil and gas wells at a much higher rate than shown in industry and government reports and immediate action is needed, a new study by the David Suzuki Foundation confirms. The findings, released Wednesday, follows on the heels of
Continue readingHow a U.S. Company is Suing Canada for Rejecting Quarry in Endangered Whale Nursery
When a Canadian federal-provincial environmental review panel ruled in 2007 that a proposed quarry would go against community core values and would threaten right whales and other marine life in the Bay of Fundy, groups that had fought against the project believed that was the end of the story. But, that
Continue readingB.C. Quietly Releases Emissions Update That Shows It’ll Blow 2020 Climate Target
Figures in a B.C. greenhouse gas inventory released quietly before Christmas show emissions have risen for four of the last five years. Previously the province released a full public report on emissions, including inventory methodology, every two years but in December the government released a excel spreadsheet simply listing emissions figures
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