All posts by Guest Post

Energy, Environment

44 ‘serious’ leaks reported at B.C. oil and gas sites in the past year

Editor’s note: A Natural Resources Canada news release from September 18, 2020 stated “There are 25,000 oil and gas well sites in B.C., of which approximately 770 are considered orphan. In addition, there are currently 7,933 dormant well sites in the province.”

By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and the Investigative Journalism Foundation.

Oil and gas companies operating in British Columbia have reported 44 “serious” leaks at wellsites over the past year, according to publicly available BC Energy Regulator records. 

Continue reading 44 ‘serious’ leaks reported at B.C. oil and gas sites in the past year →
Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

‘I wish we had our territory back’: Influx of float homes in Clayoquot Sound forces Tla-o-qui-aht families to go farther for traditional foods

By Nora O’Malley, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

This is article is part of a series of stories on Nuu-chah-nulth clam gardens.

Clayoquot Sound, B.C. – From the captain’s seat of his fishing boat called ‘La Fortune’, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN) fisherman Leo Jon Manson popped the lid off the proverbial can of worms labelled ‘float homes’. 

Float homes are encroaching cultural and harvesting sites in Tla-o-qui-aht territory, says Manson. One spot in particular, Lemmens Inlet, a protected body of water located just north of Tofino that cuts into Meares Island, has succumbed to the region’s “laidback” regulations on float homes.

“We still have some spots in our territory, but we have to travel farther away from Opitsaht or Načiks (Tofino). We have to go farther back in the inlets. Our local grounds are gone, pretty much,” Manson said.

Continue reading ‘I wish we had our territory back’: Influx of float homes in Clayoquot Sound forces Tla-o-qui-aht families to go farther for traditional foods →
Politics

Carney’s cabinet selections clarify climate priorities before upcoming election

By John Woodside, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

With an election widely expected to be around the corner, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s  choice of cabinet ministers reveals his approach to this tense political  moment, observers say. 

For voters who  care about climate, the headline is that former Environment and Climate  Change Minister Steven Guilbeault, the longtime environmental activist  who has frequently drawn the ire of conservatives and the fossil fuel  industry, has been shuffled to a new far less controversial role. No  longer overseeing policies aimed at slashing emissions, from the carbon  price to oil and gas emissions cap, he will now serve as Carney’s Quebec  Lieutenant — the government’s leading voice in Quebec — as well as  Minister of Parks Canada and Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity. 

Continue reading Carney’s cabinet selections clarify climate priorities before upcoming election →
Health

Air quality in the City of Courtenay is improving thanks to local initiatives, report says

By Madeline Dunnett, The Discourse,  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Air quality in Courtenay is improving while pollution caused by wood stove smoke has been steadily decreasing over the past five years, according to a recent report presented to the City of Courtenay council.

Continue reading Air quality in the City of Courtenay is improving thanks to local initiatives, report says →
Politics

Elbows up plus — retaliation is just part of the story, Alberta legislature hears

By George Lee, The Macleod Gazette, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Elbows up has earned its place as a catchphrase of the moment for a Trump-and-tariffs Canada where patriotism suddenly got cool again. But perhaps also worth considering is the not-so-sexy cliché nose to the grindstone, as provinces like Alberta reorient their economies to become less reliant on the U.S.

Both ideas rose from the floor of Alberta’s legislature this week, as Donald Trump’s pronouncements, commentary and policies continued to sow economic havoc and news cycle confusion and unpredictability.

Continue reading Elbows up plus — retaliation is just part of the story, Alberta legislature hears →