All posts by Rochelle Baker

Rochelle Baker is a staff reporter with Canada’s National Observer, thanks thanks to a grant from the Local Journalism Initiative of the Government of Canada. She previously worked as a newspaper reporter and photographer in BC’s Lower Mainland for over 7 years.
Politics

Emily Lowan sweeps BC Greens leadership, takes aim at NDP

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Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The BC Green Party has a new leader — 25-year-old Emily Lowan. Lowan cast her win as a generational transformation based on energy and optimism that will reshape politics in the province. 

At the announcement event on Wednesday, Lowan described her campaign as a “lightning rod of hope.” The climate advocate and organizer from Victoria won the leadership by a landslide, dominating the first ballot with 3,189 votes, followed by Jonathan Kerr with 1,908, and Adam Bremner-Akins trailing with 128 votes. 

Continue reading Emily Lowan sweeps BC Greens leadership, takes aim at NDP →
Energy, Politics

Feds, BC are shifting LNG risks to public purse, report claims

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ottawa and the British Columbia government are shifting financial risks of LNG companies onto the public purse while weakening commitment to the “polluter pays” principle, a new report suggests.

The federal and provincial governments are on track to provide almost $4 billion in support for fuel expansion of LNG exports on the West Coast, despite forecasts that global demand for the fossil fuel will peak well before most projects come online. 

Continue reading Feds, BC are shifting LNG risks to public purse, report claims →
Cost of Climate Change

Billions in federal buildings, roads and other assets at risk from climate change

By Natasha Bulowski – with files from Rochelle Baker, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

Canada’s auditor general wants to know whether the federal government is doing a good job protecting its assets — including dams, buildings, vehicles and more — from the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.

The Department of National Defence received a notification letter — obtained by Canada’s National Observer through an access to information request — that the auditor general is launching a performance audit of “Protecting Federal Assets From Climate Change.”

The audit is for the government-wide Greening Government Strategy but pays special attention to three key departments — Fisheries and Oceans Canada, National Defence and Public Services and Procurement Canada — to assess their progress on protecting their assets, services and activities from climate change.

Continue reading Billions in federal buildings, roads and other assets at risk from climate change →
Politics

NDP eyes comeback with a return to the left

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The federal NDP plans to rebuild by reclaiming political ground on the left, interim party leader Don Davies said in an interview with Canada’s National Observer.

The NDP is positioning itself as a progressive alternative to the Liberals, who have shifted to the right under Prime Minister Mark Carney, Davies said at a post-election town hall in Courtenay, BC on Sept. 10.

Continue reading NDP eyes comeback with a return to the left →
Rivers & Oceans

DFO ‘legacy of neglect’ leaves North Coast salmon to flounder

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Fisheries and Oceans Canada cut the monitoring of salmon streams along BC’s North and Central Coast, leaving critical stocks uncounted at the height of spawning season.

Seasonal “creek walkers” — contractors for the fisheries department (DFO) who trek along streams to record salmon returns — haven’t been hired as stocks return along the coast from Bella Bella to the Alaskan border, including major watersheds like the Skeena, Nass and Kitimat systems, says a coalition of conservation groups. 

Continue reading DFO ‘legacy of neglect’ leaves North Coast salmon to flounder →