All posts by Guest Post

Energy

Alberta’s oil and gas cleanup problem is growing

By Janetta McKenzie, Pembina Institute

Alberta taxpayers, municipalities, and rural landowners are facing increasing costs and harms from inactive and orphaned oil and gas wells, Calgarians heard at a town hall Tuesday evening.

Co-hosted by the Pembina Institute, Alberta Environmental Network, For Our Kids and the Polluter Pay Federation, the Clean Up Your Mess town hall included expert presentations and first-hand landowner experiences of the growing oil and gas cleanup problem.

On April 9th, 2026, more than 4,000 wells and hundreds of other pieces of infrastructure were transferred to the Orphan Well Association following the closure of Long Run Exploration. This is the largest transfer to the OWA in Alberta’s history, doubling the association’s inventory overnight. Despite a 100 per cent increase in orphan wells, the levy paid by industry is rising by only seven per cent this year.

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Industry, Rivers & Oceans

Local volunteers challenge the expansion of a BC quarry near fish-bearing creeks

By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A small quarry on Cortes Island, BC, could soon grow to more than four times its current size and local streamkeepers say the province may be considering the expansion without a full picture of nearby creeks, wetlands and fish habitat.

Island United, a local construction company, runs the Cortes Pit — a rock and gravel quarry in Whaletown. The company is asking the province to greenlight its plans to expand the quarry from 1.25 hectares to 5.16 hectares, add gravel washing and a concrete plant and extract about 40,000 tonnes of rock and gravel each year.

In a formal objection, Cortes Island Streamkeepers, a local volunteer group that monitors and restores island streams, is asking the province to pause the application while it works to set the record straight on what it calls “misleading information” about nearby streams and fish presence.

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Community, Industry

Concerns Regarding Proposed Cortes Island Quarry Expansion and Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts on Cortes Island

Public letter from Cortes Island resident Chris Dragseth to Premier David Eby

Dear Premier Eby,

I am writing as a full-time resident of Cortes Island for nearly seventeen years. During this time, I have actively participated in community planning processes, including the development of the Official Community Plan under the Strathcona Regional District. Throughout these discussions, the community has consistently emphasized the importance of preserving Cortes Island’s rural character, ecological integrity, and long-term sustainability while seeking balanced economic opportunities appropriate for a small island community.

In recent years, however, Cortes Island has undergone significant change that is placing increasing strain on both the environment and the year-round residents who call this island home. A growing number of wealthy seasonal property owners have purchased and redeveloped properties into large estate-style residences. While property ownership itself is not the issue, the scale and nature of this development have generated disproportionate impacts on local infrastructure, the environment, and community well-being.

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Indigenous Nations History

Fishing net defies time, resurfaces 2,000 years later in Tsawwassen

By Radha Agarwal, Delta Optimist, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A rare 2,000-year-old fishing net unearthed in Tsawwassen is undergoing conservation at the First Nation’s repository, providing a window into the coastal life that flourished in the region millennia ago.

“It really highlights the deep cultural importance of fishing for our people. It’s a privilege to be able to care for and hold a piece of our ancestors’ history and perpetuity,” said Tia Williams, Archaeology Coordinator at the Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN).

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Indigenous Nations

‘There needs to be some sense of balance’: Cattlemen’s Association president talks DRIPA challenge

Energeticcity.ca, Local Journalism Initiative

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The president of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association (BCCA) spoke to Energeticcity.ca about potential roles the organization would seek regarding a challenge to the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIPA).

A press release issued on Wednesday, May 6th, says the BCCA will seek intervenor status – a party acting on behalf of individuals or an organization – in the case surrounding the Pender Harbour and Area Residents Association.

Continue reading ‘There needs to be some sense of balance’: Cattlemen’s Association president talks DRIPA challenge →