Flooding in 2017 and 2018 displaced thousands of British Columbians. Families in the Okanagan, Boundary and Kootenay regions saw their homes flooded, belongings washed away as they struggled to stay safe.
To say that Teck’s Frontier Mine was controversial is an understatement. For some, the open pit oil sands mine was a litmus test of Canada’s commitment to real climate action – not to mention stripping over 20,000 hectares of wetlands, old-growth forest and peatland and creating massive toxic tailings ponds. For others, it was the source of future prosperity and jobs for Alberta’s flagging economy.
When I hear about the arrest of peaceful land protectors, I think about all the times I’ve heard that colonialism happened “a long time ago.” This is 2019. It never ended. When I see colonial violence in action I grieve not only for those brave people who stand peacefully as they are overwhelmed on their own lands, but also for future generations who will be forced to pay for our hubris.
-Hayalthkin’geme (Carey Newman), OBC, MSM, Audain Professor of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Victoria
We are facing a climate emergency and a biodiversity crisis. Canadians are already experiencing floods, fires, ecological disruption and as our planet continues to warm, our collective well-being is deeply under threat.
There is still time to chart a course to a safe future for all – but we won’t be able to stop this crisis without federal investments in climate action and nature conservation and biodiversity protection.
The saga surrounding the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker expansion project (TMX) saw two major developments this month.
Support crumbles when costs exceed $12 billion, new poll finds
OTTAWA – Only 16 per cent of Canadians approve of the federal government spending more than $12 billion to build the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline, according to a national poll released today by Nanos Research. Meanwhile, 59 per cent of people in Quebec (43 per cent in the rest of the Canada) say taxpayers shouldn’t pay a cent toward the project.
Estimated cost jumps from $7.4B to $12.6B, prompting calls for government to abandon the project
VANCOUVER, BC, Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territories - A $5.2 billion cost increase for the Trans Mountain pipeline and tankers project will saddle taxpayers with an unacceptable burden if the project moves ahead, say lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law.
In January 2020, the BC government invited the public to share their views about a climate adaptation strategy for British Columbia. This submission outlines West Coast's primary concerns when it comes to preparing the province for climate impacts, and lists seven recommendations for the government to incorporate into its climate preparedness and adaptation strategy.
Narrow Federal Court of Appeal decision is a blow for reconciliation and sustainability, lawyers say
VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – BC is not doing enough to investigate, prepare for, and protect taxpayers from the looming costs of climate change, say 25 BC-based organizations and 4 leading academics.