All posts by Roy Hales

Environment

Treaty 8 Justice for the Peace Caravan

By Roy L Hales

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The Canadian and British Columbian governments may wish to ignore perceived treaty violations of the Site C Dam project,  but this determined group of people will not let them. Their bus left Ken and Arlene Boon’s farm, in the Peace River Valley, Monday. They want to be present when a Federal judge hears the West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations argue that this BC Hydro project infringes on their constitutionally protected rights to hunt, fish and trap the lands that will be submerged. The Treaty 8 Justice for the Peace Caravan will arrive in Montreal Sunday.

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Rivers & Oceans

Four Decades Of Gillnetting On Cortes Island

There are more than more 40 names on the Cortes Island Museum’s list of fishermen from the 1970’s. Some were wives, who worked alongside their husbands. Others may have been deckhands. The names of 28 boats are given, though not how many were working in any given year. Now there are two.[1] In this week’s radio program (podcast below), the owner of one of those 28 fish boats describes close to four decades of gillnetting on Cortes Island.

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Animals, Rivers & Oceans

Forcing EPA To Protect Salmon

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By Roy L Hales

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There have been salmon die-offs since the mid-1990s. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was on the verge of addressing this issue more than a decade ago. Vested interests objected.  The idea was shelved until last year’s drought. After water temperatures rose 4 degrees above the lethal ceiling (68 degrees F), 96% of the returning adult sockeye died before they could pass beyond the Lower Granite dam. Now a coalition of environmental groups  is forcing EPA to protect salmon in the Columbia and Snake rivers.

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Communications

The Developing World Leapfrogging Western Technology

By Roy L Hales

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Much of the planet does not possess the extensive financial, power, communications and automotive infrastructures that are commonplace in the West. This was a serious handicap throughout the 20th century. But as the planet transitions into new technologies,  there are reports of the developing world leapfrogging western technology to lead the way into a more sustainable future.

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Food, Food Security

Site C Will Submerge Needed Agricultural Lands

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British Columbia grows less than half of the fresh produce it needs. Much of what we consume comes from California. The ongoing drought conditions, and a weak loony, have sent vegetable prices spiralling 11.7% this year.  Fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables are becoming an occasional luxury for some middle-low income B.C. families. Though this will only worsen worse as global temperatures continue to rise, the government of BC is far more preoccupied with the get-rich promise of mega-energy projects. Once it is completed, Site C will submerge prime agricultural lands.

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