National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Environmental groups are applauding B.C. Premier David Eby’s new promise to protect 30 per cent of the province’s land by 2030 in partnership with Indigenous Peoples.
The goal signals a potential shift by the NDP under the new premier to improve B.C.’s lacklustre record of protecting biodiversity and endangered species hot spots, conservation groups say.
Continue reading Has B.C. turned a new leaf around protecting biodiversity?
A new report commissioned by the Wilderness Committee and Sierra Club BC found that Federal and Provincial government policy gaps have rendered their protection of Species at Risk ineffective.
“Our study looked at terrestrial and freshwater vertebrate species in BC We needed to refine the scope a little bit just because there are so many Species at Risk in BC. In order to do this analysis, we had to narrow in on a few representative species. In total, we chose 64 species. Of the 64 species, only two of them have had their critical habitat mapped by the deadlines. The remaining 97% have experienced critical habitat mapping delays anywhere from 2 to 18 years. Then there’s 16 of the 64 species that still don’t even have their critical habitat mapped,” explained Charlotte Dawe of the Wilderness Committee.
Continue reading Government protection of Species at Risk ineffective, report saysThe 20th century did not begin well. After the warm-ups of the Crimean and Boer Wars, Europe stumbled into World War I in 1914, a fatal combination of hubris and stupidity that killed about 17 million people. The trauma inspired an unflinching examination of the dark recesses of the human psyche in an effort to understand what happened. Dada, the mindless artistic expression of absurdity, was not a satisfactory answer. The philosophical loneliness of existentialism was arguably a nihilistic consequence of the monumental blunder of the First World War—a loss of any remnant of idealism and collective human wisdom.
Continue reading The Quadra Project: The War YearsBy Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Josie Osborne seems careful with her words as she talks about her new job. The former mayor of Tofino, turned MLA, is heading up the new B.C. Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship and is the minister responsible for fisheries. But through her political composure are glimpses of a lifestyle associated with the little west coast community on Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation territory — she lives on ten acres with her husband, dog, three goats and chickens and works out of a brightly coloured tiny house office.
Continue reading Land and water in B.C. have a new ministry. We spoke with its leaderBy Charlie Carey, North Shore News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Lions Gate Bridge was blocked Wednesday (April 6) morning by protesters pushing for the end of old-growth logging in B.C.
Save Old Growth protesters blocked the bridge around 8:20 a.m., closing traffic in both directions, however the protest was short lived, as the roadway was cleared around 15 minutes later.
Continue reading Lions Gate Bridge blocked by old-growth protestors
