By Natasha Bulowski, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada supports the goals of the European Union’s forestry trade rules, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says, after a leaked letter recently revealed the country’s efforts to water down proposed EU regulations right before the United Nations’ global biodiversity conference kicks off in Montreal.
Continue reading Leaked letter puts focus on Canada’s forestry trade priorities ahead of COP15Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Concerns over questionable RCMP tactics raised by an officer involved in the crackdown at the Fairy Creek old-growth blockades in the summer of 2021 are not surprising, says a lawyer representing dozens of activists.
There’s been no shortage of legal proceedings or social media videos focused on the treatment of protesters, said lawyer Karen Mirsky, who is the president of the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA).
But it is remarkable an officer was willing to risk voicing concerns about police behaviour to superiors, Mirsky said.
Continue reading Fairy Creek RCMP whistleblower’s concerns reflect a pattern of questionable enforcement at industry protests
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The BC Green Party has tabled legislation to uniformly protect bear dens, which double as winter nurseries, across the province.
Adam Olsen, Green MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, said the party’s private member’s bill is timely with bears bulking up before their winter hibernation — a critical period for pregnant sows, which give birth to their cubs in the safety of their dens.
Continue reading BC Greens push for provincewide protection for bear den ‘nurseries’
By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
This week Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs welcomed a delegation from across the country and beyond to the yintah (territory) for a Peace and Unity Summit. Through the four-day event, the chiefs brought together Indigenous leaders, politicians, conservation groups and others to uplift Indigenous sovereignty, share space and join in solidarity with the Hereditary Chiefs in their opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
“It’s really heartwarming to see all the people coming together in peace and unity across Canada to maintain the solidarity of the Wet’suwet’en,” Dinï ze’ (Hereditary Chief) Madeek told attendees at the event.
“You make history by being peaceful. By being here, being together, being united, knowing that we all have the same heart,” Dinï ze’ Na’Moks said.
Arrests weren’t part of the plan.
Continue reading Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs hosted a Peace and Unity gathering. RCMP made arrests
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Back-to-back closures of small community emergency rooms on North Vancouver Island over the weekend is another example of the overall erosion of the primary care system in rural communities, the BC Green Party and the BC Nurses’ Union say.
Due to ongoing staffing shortages, the emergency room at Port Hardy Hospital was temporarily closed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. That closure took place hard on the heels of another temporary emergency department closure at the neighbouring Port McNeill Hospital from 3 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m Sunday.
Continue reading Primary health care ‘collapsing’ in B.C. rural communities, critics say
