All posts by Roy Hales

Environment, Indigenous Nations

Will The Feds Intervene On Site C?

By Roy L Hales

The controversial Site C Dam project was rejected twice (back in the 1980s and 90s), before Premier Christy Clark’s government decided to go over the heads of provincial agencies like the BC utilities Commission and Agricultural Land Commission. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government  issued the necessary permits to start construction during the last Federal election. As Treaty 8 gave local First Nations use of the land this project will submerge, it seems likely that a treaty is being broken. Despite all of this, BC Hydro began what many view as the environmental destruction of the Site C Peace River Valley. Since then a new Canadian government has been elected. They spoke of the need for social license and promised a new era of respect for indigenous peoples. Will The Feds Intervene On Site C?

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Politics

How far has the Vancouver Declaration taken us?

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After two days of sometimes heated meetings behind closed door, Canada’s first ministers emerged with an agreement as to their overall goals for a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy.  The contentious issues, like carbon pricing mechanisms, emissions caps and oil pipelines, have been left for another First Ministers meeting in the fall. So How far has the Vancouver Declaration taken us?

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Forests

The Month Long Siege Of Chapman Creek Continues

This isn’t the first time that there has been disputes over logging in the Chapman Creek Watershed. In response to complaints from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), in 2014 the ‘Managed Forest Council hired Madrone Environmental Services to ascertain the cause of “increased turbidity” in the water supply (which services up to 30,000 households). Geoscientist Gordon Butt pointed to logging after the “onset of the fall rains” and concluded, “Although there has been no clear contravention of the regulations, it is clear to me that industry standards for protecting water quality have not been met in CH1. The short-comings are substantially more serious given the fact that this logging has been carried out in a highly sensitive watershed supplying a large population.” [1] When AJB Investments resumed logging operations in late January of this year, Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) responded with a blockade. The latest attempt at negotiation has just broken down and the month long siege of Chapman Creek continues.

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Transportation

Vancouver Will Have North America’s Largest Smart Bike Share

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By Roy L Hales

Miami based CycleHop is already operating bike share programs in more than 100 communities and universities in the United States and Canada.  New programs are currently under development in Long Beach (CA), West Hollywood (CA), Atlanta (GA), Cleveland (OH),  and Louisville (KY). However the biggest news comes  from across the border where, according to the city’s Manager of Street Activities, Scott Edwards, Vancouver will have North America’s largest smart bike share.

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