Author: Rafe Mair

Anthony Swift writes for Switchboard, which is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Here’s what he has to say on clean-up: “Raw tar sands bitumen is nearly solid at room temperature and must be diluted with toxic natural gas liquids to create the thick sludge that travels

This is neither a complicated nor a long story – but it’s a tragic vindication for a hell of a lot of people who have been telling the story, ignored at best, more often vilified. Look at page 1 of the story in the Vancouver Sun, May 11 under the

This is neither a complicated nor a long story – but it’s a tragic vindication for a hell of a lot of people who have been telling the story, ignored at best, more often vilified. Look at page 1 of the story in the Vancouver Sun, May 11 under the

Civil Disobedience has had successes in the past in BC but too often there have been one or two who have refused to obey the law and once they have been jailed, the protest has petered out. We must organize such that scores, even hundreds, defy the law and are

Christy Clark has stumbled from one gaffe to another since she took office. She must go and soon; if she stays, it will be the best news the NDP could get…Never mind the weeping that a split vote cost them Chilliwack and a turncoat won in Port Coquitlam – the

It’s indeed an overworked accolade but Dr. David Suzuki is a great man. In the Environmental world he is in that pantheon of heroes that include the likes of Rachel Carson, Jane Goodall, Thor Heyerdahl and Jacques Cousteau. Dr. Suzuki is a scientist but is better known as the man

The mainstream media has been appalling in its lack of coverage of key environmental and resource issues. BUT…are times changing? There is evidence that the mainstream media is covering the environmental corporate/political atrocities being inflicted on British Columbia. Meetings of First Nations are being covered and Damien Gillis’ videos and

Craig McInnes of the Vancouver Sun today has an article essentially supporting the Enbridge Pipeline and the tanker traffic down our coast. His position is that with all the science available these things can be done safely. Craig deserves a trip to the woodshed or, as also happened in my

Of course Christy Clark must resign. It’s not going to get better as time passes. I would be the last to say that the entire problem is of her doing – she was handed a poisoned chalice by Gordon Campbell who is the ultimate Teflon man; he pays nothing for

I think the Harper budget is a plus for the environment. It comes in a way from a roundabout look at things. The government will take habitat protection out of the Fisheries Act and will put developments on a “fast rack”. Why is this good news? Because we now have

The resignation of John Van Dongen from the Liberal caucus to become an instant one-man Conservative caucus has, for me at any rate, put the focus on John Cummins…How does Mr Cummins welcome to his new caucus a man who was so steadfast in his defence of fish farmers he

Rafe gives thanks to two tireless defenders of fish who’ve been at the centre of efforts to prevent the Harper Government from gutting the Fisheries Act: “What Otto brings is an unmatched resume of public service for our province. It was he who made public the plan to remove habitat

Tom Siddon, formerly Federal Fisheries Minister has seen religion and is critical of his old party for removing “habitat” from the Fisheries Act. Siddon said the wording would turn fish into a commodity and overlook the importance of the broader ecosystem that, for instance, allows British Columbia’s famous salmon resource

The Minister, Keith Ashfield, lamented in the House Wednesday that a jamboree in Saskatchewan last year was almost cancelled because a flooded field contained fish. This speaks volumes for this government – to trivialize the huge assault on habitat in this way shows that the federal government couldn’t care less

Mr. Langer has received and made public the news that under the Budget Omnibus Bill, the Fisheries Act will no longer protect fish habitat! Not only are they putting fish habitat in the hands of the pipeline builders and other despoilers of fish habitat, they are trying to slip this

Rafe asks the Common Sense Canadian’s readers to support the Wilderness Committee’s call to action, telling DFO to reject the proposed Kokish River private power project on north Vancouver Island which threatens, among other things, rare steelhead runs: “Thus has begun yet another rape of a river without any public

Where is Premier Clark? I believe that the provincial government has shared jurisdiction, yet she seems to think if she ducks her head British Columbians won’t notice her…Even if Premier Clark can avoid the pipelines issue, she sure as hell can’t avoid the tanker one. This will be a huge

To me there’s something fishy going on – rather like the story “when a husband sends his wife flowers for no reason, there’s a reason.” Why is Mr. Daniel giving 10 months notice of his departure, elevating Mr. Monaco to the president, who it would seem, is taking over the

What an interesting pair of stories – on the one hand Transport Canada has said that tanker traffic is safe on our pristine west coast while another tells of Enbridge repairing its faulty pipeline that resulted in yet another spill for the company this past May in the Northwest Territories.

In a Vancouver Sun op-ed this week, former BC deputy minister Bob Plecas offers some advice to Premier Christy Clark on how to win the next election. Here is one of his suggestions, indeed his first choice: “The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. Demand Alberta share in the revenue from the