Community Stories
BC Budget Consultation – by 2 pm, June 19
The NDP Budget Committee is accepting written submissions for its 2027 Budget. What should we be asking for? You can make up to three recommendations, with an explanation for each. Participate by using the submission form HERE . We have set up a google doc to share…
Flood the Consultation: Don’t Fast-Track Destruction
The Government of Canada is proposing major legislative changes that would make it easier for mega-corporations to profit while our communities and the planet suffer the consequences. Act now. See email template to send critical feedback to Prime Minister Carney and…
One of the Strongest Marine Protected Areas in the World
Six First Nations, BC and Canada will preserve and steward a large chunk of the Central Coast. That means no pipelines. The area will be protected under Indigenous law, and known as Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon , pronounced “Me-ah-yall-twa Ha-lee-joh-gom hOH-own,”…
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Company Behind CRD Biosolids Sued in U.S. Over Health Issues, Animal Deaths
The company that produces biosolids at Hartland Landfill for the Capital Regional District is being sued by a group of Texas farmers. The farmers claim fertilizer made from a product of sewage treatment by Synagro Technologies’ operation…
CRD’s Biosolids Maker Sued by Texan Farmers Over Illnesses, Animal Deaths
The company that helps produce the Capital Regional District’s biosolids is being accused of its similar products medically harming Texas farmers and fatally impacting their animals. Synagro Technologies is the majority…
Potential Extinction of Insects — A Major Report
Scientists have been warning that insects are disappearing at alarming rates. Not only are they pollinators for our food, but they are food for birds and other animals. We depend on these tiny creatures and this report warns of possible extinction. Below in letters is…
Sign on Letter to Trudeau: End All Public Financing of Fossil Fuels
The Government of Canada has made some progress in ending support for the fossil fuel sector, including introducing two policies over recent years aimed at ending international public financing and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. However, most of the support…
Job Posting: Assistant Outdoor Naturalist Educator
Ecoforestry Institute is seeking an Assistant Educator/Naturalist passionate about protecting BC’s forests, to run interpretive ecoforestry and ecology based school workshops, summer camps, and public tours at Wildwood Ecoforest near Ladysmith.
CRD Under Pressure To Make A Plan For Biosolid Waste By June
The CRD has been punting its management problem down Hartland Ave. for years. Pressure to resolve the region’s biosolids and other solid waste management plan has resurfaced as construction plans to increase capacity at the landfill are underway.
Unavoidable Legal Liability of Land Application of Biosolids
Dear CRD Chair and Board, Let me begin by thanking you all for your continued support for the popular and longstanding ban on the land application of biosolids in the CRD. This is just a quick note to share a news story from the Guardian about a community group suing…
Legal Action Could End Use Of Toxic Sewage Sludge On US Crops As Fertilizer
New legal action could put an end to the practice of spreading toxic sewage sludge on US cropland as a cheap alternative to fertilizer, and force America to rethink how it disposes of its industrial and human waste. A notice of intent…
Corporate Lobbying Needs to be Kept Out of the Food System
In my last three columns, I looked at the health and economic burden of unhealthy diets, the role of large parts of the food industry in producing and marketing an unhealthy diet, and the ways in which our current food system harms the planet.
Fifth Annual Water Research Roundup
Our fifth annual Water Research Roundup featured emerging researchers Bridget McGlynn, Christiana Onabola, and Ella Martindale. They spoke on topics ranging from how governance systems align with the environmental challenges they are trying to address, to how the…
Sustainability Blueprint – New Approach towards Balance and Harmony
The Sustainability Blueprint – Practical Climate Adaptation Actions for You, Your Family, and Your Community offers an action-oriented and practical new approach to the two major challenges threatening humanity and the planet: the climate crisis and the ongoing disasters.
The Sickening Side of the Food Industry
Last week, I noted the private sector is the key player in the provision of a healthy diet. But the food industry also makes a great deal of money from the production and marketing of unhealthy food. It is estimated that globally, unhealthy diets account for about 11 million premature deaths annually.
