From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,
The maples are blooming and early mornings are a feast for birder’s ears: I hope you are finding time to enjoy spring’s wonders. This report has an update on Quadra’s long-anticipated Recycle Depot and ongoing advocacy to get the promised long-term care facility for Campbell River back on track.
By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, Wil Crisp
This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and Point Source, a U.K.-based investigative journalism organization.
An LNG facility in Western Canada burned more gas in 2025 than any other liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on record in 2024, raising concerns about Canada’s claim it’s producing the cleanest LNG in the world.
Continue reading Malfunctioning Canadian LNG terminal burned more gas than estimated 2024 global record
Press release from the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
April 14, 2026– Hupacasath and Tseshaht Territories, Port Alberni, BC
The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) is relieved to hear that amendments to DRIPA are paused while the Premier looks for support with chiefs and opposition MLA’s. We know it is not because he is listening to the First Nations who have spoken out against amending DRIPA but rather his need to find enough MLAs to support his amendments. The premier needs to drop this initiative.
NTC says to the Premier, now it is time to work with First Nations and find solutions to what he feels is a huge problem. We would like good faith negotiations in person and no negotiating through the media. Also no short meetings and turn around times to respond to BC’s position. We want co-developed solutions. NTC has always been willing to look at options other than amending DRIPA.
Continue reading DRIPA: Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Says Its Time to Set the Record Straight!
The BC Seniors Advocate is calling upon the province to address a critical shortfall in long term care beds. There were 7,212 people on the waiting list during 2025 and the average wait time was 290 days. The number of seniors is increasing and the need for long term beds is expected to grow 49% by 2035. “We are in trouble,” warns Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Health Critic for the Conservative Party, “This is why I am pushing for ‘aging in place.’
Continue reading BC Needs to Prioritize Seniors Aging in Place
(The first in a series of articles about Indigenous consent, property rights and the future of DRIPA)
British Columbia is currently navigating a widening divide. On one side, the courts are handing down historic decisions affirming Indigenous rights. On the other, a growing wave of anxiety over private property and economic certainty. Today, we look at the fallout from the Gitxaala and Cowichan Tribes decisions—and the political battleground forming around the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
These are actually three separate topics: two court cases regarding the duty to consult before registering mining claims (Gitxaala versus British Columbia and the 2025 appeal); a court case regarding the Aboriginal title to an ancient village site that was sold out from beneath the Cowichan Tribes (Cowichan Tribes v. Canada); and DRIPA, the provincial legislative framework that formally adopts and implements the the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
Continue reading The Battle Over DRIPA & Land Claims
