By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ottawa’s $412-million salmon recovery program offers a lifeline to BC’s struggling fisheries — but comes at the same time budget cuts are dismantling monitoring systems conservationists, experts and First Nations say are essential to protect them.
Continue reading Ottawa’s renewed salmon funding spawns both hope and skepticism
By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
‘Na̱mg̱is Chief Ho’miskanis, Don Svanvik, is on the phone when I walk off the little ferry in Alert Bay, B.C.
“Standing water and wood is never good,” he says to the person on the other end. “I can come by after I drop my truck off, maybe tomorrow.”
Continue reading Life on ‘Na̱mg̱is territory, at the edge of the ocean
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s healthy oceans are worth billions more than what can simply be extracted from them.
Oceans and coastal ecosystems generated at minimum $7.1 billion in benefits in 2023, new figures from Statistics Canada suggest.
Continue reading Canada’s oceans provide billions in value beyond fishSee: Liberal Budget survives Non-confidence vote
Monday November 17, 2025 – Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is expected to face another non-confidence motion today. This will be the third non-confidence motion this month, which the opposition parties have made in regard to the 2025 budget. In this morning’s interview, Jennifer Lash, the liberal candidate for this riding during the last election, explains why the budget is good for North Island Powell River, and why it’s good for climate action.
Continue reading What did the 2025 Budget Mean for North Island Powell River?
More island residents turned out to hear Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash than could fit into the Pioneer Room at Mansons Hall. Half a dozen were looking on from the hallway. The Wednesday April 9 event was co-sponsored by the Cortes Island Seniors Society and Cortes Island Climate Action Committee.
Kairn Carrington, the MC, began, “I met Jen 25 years ago.”
To which Lash responded, “I don’t remember life before Kairn.”
Kairn Carrington: Yeah, it was a long, long time ago. I was working at Greenpeace on forests and Jen wanted to really take on marine conservation in Canada in a big way. So she started an organization called Living Ocean Society, which became Canada’s leading marine conservation organization.She led that and really spearheaded the notion of marine conservation in Canada. So we worked alongside each other. I was the forest and she was the fish, for some decades.”
Continue reading Liberal Candidate Jennifer Lash visits Cortes Island
