Tag Archives: BC Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

Disaster, Indigenous Nations

First Nations’ emergency capacity stressed as wildfire season rages on

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

This year, before students even closed their books for the summer, forest fires sparked throughout the region. 

The Cameron Bluff fire, which is believed to have been human-caused, grew to 229 hectares, closing Highway 4 for most of June – the only highway in and out for many West Coast communities.

One month later, the 16.6-hectare Klanawa River fire was discovered in what Huu-ay-aht Chief Councillor John Jack referred to as the shared territory between his First Nation and Ditidaht.

Continue reading First Nations’ emergency capacity stressed as wildfire season rages on →
Politics

B.C. budget a mixed bag on climate

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

B.C.’s budget viewed through a climate lens got mixed reviews from the province’s environmental and conservation sector following its release Tuesday. 

The province got kudos for bolstering funding for parks and trails for active transportation initiatives to get people out of their cars and on bikes and walking paths. But the budget was panned by those hoping to see a wholesale commitment to the protection of old-growth or urgent, large-scale reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Continue reading B.C. budget a mixed bag on climate →