Tag Archives: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Indigenous Nations, Industry

‘Heartbreaking’: an overhead view of Coastal GasLink sediment spills into Wet’suwet’en waters, wetlands

Leave a comment

By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Sleydo’ Molly Wickham was composed and quiet as she stared out the window of a helicopter flying over vast stretches of TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory (yintah). Below, a wide swath cut through forests and wetlands, crossing creeks and rivers. 

A wing chief of the Gidimt’en clan, Sleydo’ was part of a small group on a monitoring flight to document the contentious project’s impacts as soaring temperatures rapidly melted last winter’s heavy snowpack.

Continue reading ‘Heartbreaking’: an overhead view of Coastal GasLink sediment spills into Wet’suwet’en waters, wetlands →
Environment

Extreme heat in May 2023

Does it feel hot out here? It is.

On May 14, 2023, Campbell River, British Columbia experienced an extreme temperature of 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit). This temperature is quite remarkable for mid-May, as it is well above the historical average high for the area during this time of year.

Climate change is caused primarily by the extreme emissions of a minority of super-emitters, corporations that support their consumption – all permitted by lawmakers. We have a rapidly closing window to limit these emissions to prevent catastrophic changes to our spaceship earth.

Continue reading Extreme heat in May 2023 →
Energy, Environment

Oil and gas, transportation remain biggest obstacles in Canada’s quest to cut emissions

By Natasha Bulowski, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Canada’s progress on significantly cutting pollution by 2030 is being undermined by growing emissions from the country’s oil and gas industry, according to the federal government’s annual emissions report to the United Nations.

Overall, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available. However, the federal government was quick to note emissions that year were still lower than before the pandemic.

Continue reading Oil and gas, transportation remain biggest obstacles in Canada’s quest to cut emissions →
Rivers & Oceans

DFO ‘responds’ to shellfish growers concerns

On March 27 Cortes Currents published some of the concerns shared by many Cortes Island shellfish growers. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) did not have adequate time to respond, which it eventually did by email on April 6, 2023. Cortes Currents was hoping to secure an interview and sent DFO a list of topics to be covered. The most important was ‘the problems of liveaboards and recreational boaters coming too close to shellfish growing sites.’

Continue reading DFO ‘responds’ to shellfish growers concerns →
Environment

The Dillon Creek Wetland Restoration: What did they accomplish?

There was a celebration at Linnaea Farm on Friday, March 31. While they will continue to monitor the site until at least 2026, Cortes Island’s first wetland restoration project is largely finished. The surrounding community was invited to tour the project, enjoy a potluck supper and watch Beatrix Baxter’s documentary film ‘Replenish: Bringing Back the Dillon Creek Wetland.’

“We’re just at the end of a three year grant. The Environment and Climate Change Canada ‘Eco Action Community Funding Program‘ ends today. We have a little bit of funding for this next year of monitoring and maintenance and we’ll be pursuing additional funding for future years of monitoring and maintenance,” explained Project Manager Miranda Cross.

Continue reading The Dillon Creek Wetland Restoration: What did they accomplish? →