Tag Archives: Courtenay-Alberni

Rivers & Oceans

Canada is claiming credit for tackling ghost gear, despite scuttling funding

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Canada continues to tout itself as a “world leader” in tackling ghost gear’s threats to marine life and coastal communities even though funding for the program dried up in 2024. 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO’s) former investments to address abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, were axed without explanation by the federal Liberals more than a year ago, said Gord Johns, NDP MP for the Courtenay-Alberni riding on Vancouver Island. 

Core pillars of the ghost gear program to retrieve the plastic pollution and responsibly dispose of, recycle, or return ghost gear, have been cut completely, or dramatically scaled back, since the program launched in 2020, Johns said. What’s more, Ottawa remains silent about future ghost gear funding after the release of the recent budget in November.

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Politics

Liberal Budget survives Non-confidence vote

On November 17, Canada’s Liberal Government narrowly survived a non-confidence vote on the Budget: 170-168. It passed because Green Party MP Elizabeth May supported the motion and four other opposition MPs abstained.

May told reporters that up until Question Period on the day of the vote, she had not seen any evidence that Prime Minister Mark Carney was going to try to address the climate crisis, or Indigenous reconciliation. Many Greens urged her to help bring the government down. 

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Politics

Tight Race in North Island–Powell River: Strategic Voters favouring Tanille Johnson

The federal election in North Island–Powell River (NIPR) may be far closer than recent projections suggest, but the ‘progressive’ vote is split between three parties (Green. Liberal and NDP). Some people are urging voters to rally behind a single alternative to Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn.

The Votewell and Smart Voting websites both declared the strategic vote in our riding  is the NDP candidate Tanille Johnson. As of Thursday, April 17, Johnson became the 18th Canadian candidate officially endorsed by Lead Now. So did the participants in a recent virtual townhall meeting on Cortes Island.   

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Forests

How Will the Parties Help BC Forest Workers?

By Isaac Phan Nay, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

It’s been hard to keep up with the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff trade war on Canada.

Punishing tariffs have been levied on steel, aluminum and automobiles and — critically for B.C. — softwood lumber.

“Tariffs are the top election issue for workers,” Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske said. “This uncertainty really has people very, very stressed out about the future of their jobs.”

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Politics

Vancouver Island NDP candidates aim to ‘make empathy great again’

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Unity, community and resistance were the rallying cries during a Vancouver Island NDP event Thursday night that drew more than 300 supporters. 

The election rally for Gord Johns, incumbent MP for Courtenay-Alberni and North Island-Powell River candidate Tanille Johnston featured live brass music and a jubilant and defiant crowd — some sporting orange wigs or draped in multicoloured Pride flags. 

A rainbow even made an appearance following a day of torrential rain.

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