By Bhagyashree Chatterjee, The Squamish Chief, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
What do Premier David Eby’s latest mandate letters for ministers mean for Indigenous peoples?
These letters, all dated Jan. 16, shape the government’s priorities, and this term, they focus on “reconciliation, economic growth, and community well-being.”
Continue reading What B.C. Premier Eby’s mandate letters mean for Indigenous peoples
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A Vancouver Island community long frustrated by a ship-breaking operation leaching toxic heavy metals into the ocean is pitching a legal argument that the provincial government may be liable for pollution violations.
Union Bay residents are calling out provincial and federal regulators for failing to shut down Deep Water Recovery, a company dismantling ships for years on the shoreline of Baynes Sound, said Marilynne Manning, vice president of the Concerned Citizens of Baynes Sound (CCOBS).
Pollution from the large-vessel dismantling operation is a concern for human health and the environment, on land and in water, Manning said. The sensitive area, she added, is also home to the last commercial herring fishery on the coast and half of B.C.’s shellfish farms.
Continue reading Vancouver Island community wants government held liable for ship-breaking pollution
Greater Campbell River continues to be one of the worst Local Health Areas in the province for unregulated drug deaths, according to the BC Coroner’s Service. Vancouver-Centre North, Terrace, Prince George and Grand Forks were also named.
So far this year, 1,925 British Columbians have lost their lives because of unregulated drug use. 155 of them died in October.
These numbers come on the heels of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s recently released State of Mental Health in Canada 2024, which reported that “32% of all apparent drug-related deaths in Canada occurred in British Columbia. This province is ground zero in the drug toxicity crisis. The high rates of housing insecurity and unaffordability, core housing need and poverty all contribute to these drug-related harms.”
Continue reading Greater Campbell River Continues To Be Among BC’s worst Local Health Areas For Toxic Drug DeathsFrom the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello, The last week was jam-packed, a blur of learning, meetings, and networking as I attended the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) annual convention in Vancouver. UBCM is an opportunity to meet with provincial Ministers and Ministry staff and advocate for local and regional priorities & concerns, as well as learning & listening at workshops, forums & town hall-style events.
Continue reading Area C Director’s Report: UBCM, advocacy, island forestry, & well questionnaireEditor’s note: Another account of how government regulators are not equipped to do their job and the resulting lack of oversight may be putting the public at risk.
By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
When officials from the BC Energy Regulator travelled to Wet’suwet’en territory in September 2022, they were planning a routine inspection of a fish-bearing stream.
Two years had passed since Coastal GasLink completed installation of a section of pipeline through the stream, a tributary of Tchesinkut Creek, near the community of Burns Lake in northwest B.C.
They discovered Coastal GasLink had never finished restoring the waterway and, for two years, pipeline construction had been impacting fish habitat. It was a mess.
Continue reading ‘Hard to believe it’s real’: B.C.’s energy regulator repeatedly gave Coastal GasLink a pass on alleged environmental infractions
