Hi, this is Aaron Gun, your member of Parliament for North Island-Powell River. I’m reaching out to personally invite you to join me on Cortes for a public town hall this Thursday, April 9th, starting at 7:00 PM at Manson’s Hall. Doors will open at 6:30.
Continue reading 7 PM April 9: Aaron Gunn Town Hall on Cortes IslandAll posts by Guest Post
BC comes under fire after cutting fees on LNG, pipeline projects
By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
BC’s energy regulator is weakening oversight at a time when it should be making it stronger, according to environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and public‑health experts in the province.
The BC Energy Regulator (BCER), a Crown corporation funded largely by the companies it oversees, recently lowered levies for LNG Canada, Woodfibre LNG and the Coastal GasLink pipeline. The fees are collected “to meet [BCER’s] regulatory obligations and recover expenses,” the regulator says on its website.
LNG Canada’s annual levy fell from $900,000 to $600,000, Woodfibre’s from $2.5 million to $1.4 million and Coastal GasLink’s per‑kilometre charge dropped from $1,700 to $420.
Continue reading BC comes under fire after cutting fees on LNG, pipeline projects
New Westminster aims to protect tenants from extreme heat
Editor’s note: Will any other municipalities or regions follow this example?
By Theresa McManus, Freshet News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
New Westminster tenants aren’t allowed to freeze to death in their apartments — nor should they be allowed to succumb to heat in their homes.
That’s the motivation behind bylaws that will require New Westminster landlords to maintain safe temperatures in at least one living space in rental units occupied by a tenant. City council unanimously supported three readings to business bylaws at its March 30 meeting.
“This is a very exciting piece of work that the city is taking on,” said Coun. Nadine Nakagawa. “To the best of my knowledge, we are the first municipality in Canada to take this move to protect renters against extreme heat.”
Continue reading New Westminster aims to protect tenants from extreme heat
Area C Director’s Report: Strathcona Gardens tax for Quadra considered
From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,
The March 25 SRD Board meeting was certainly memorable, with between 80-100 residents of Quadra Island and Area C crowding into the boardroom’s public gallery and overflowing into the foyer. They were there to observe as the Board considered a report regarding adding Quadra Island (or all of Area C) as annual tax paying participants of the Strathcona Gardens Recreation Service. That topic is what this report focuses on.
Some species benefited from BC’s 2021 heat dome — but at an enormous cost, study finds
Editor’s note: Millions of marine creatures may have perished in the Discovery Island’s during the 2021 heat dome. Their remains covered the beaches at places like Smelt Bay, Mansons Lagoon and Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island. Dr. Chris Harley, from UBC, initially told the media that more than a billion mussels, clams, sea stars and other invertebrates may have cooked to death in the area between Campbell River and Washington state. The article that follows cites his initial estimate. As more data became available, Harley revised that figure to possibly as many as 10 billion.
By Hope Lompe, National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Some plants and animals are better off than they were before the 2021 heat dome, despite a week of record-breaking heat intensity across Western North America.
In a study of approximately 50 species, researchers from across Canada found more than three quarters were negatively affected by the heat dome, while about 25 per cent actually saw a positive outcome.
Continue reading Some species benefited from BC’s 2021 heat dome — but at an enormous cost, study finds