Community Stories
Scrap Bill C-39: Protect Canada’s Environmental Laws
Bill C-30 Pest Control Products Act allows Ministers in the government to override scientific decisions on the use of pesticides previously banned by Health Canada. This marks the most significant setback in Canadian pesticide regulation in over a generation,…
The Deeper Challenges Underlying Our Political Unease
Surveying the political scene after the recent provincial election, it seems to me there is a lot of discontent and unease out there. We saw the NDP ejected in favour of a relatively unknown, inexperienced and potentially fragmenting alternative, the newly minted B.C. Conservative Party. I am not so sure…
Capitalism: A Global History
This book is quite astonishing. Over the past ten years I have read some 600 books on economics and economic history, and Sven Beckert’s book stands head and shoulders above them all. For Thomas Picketty, it’s “monumental, a must read.” Yes, it is 1,100 pages long,…
Microplastics in Me
This report features credible scientific research with findings from 28 people who had their blood analyzed, including Margaret Atwood, actor Fran Drescher and Victoria Pruden of the Metis National Council. Read the report here.
How Are Canadian Pension Funds Invested?
Hundreds of Canadians turned up to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s (CPPIB) public meetings across the country this past October to ask how their retirement savings are being invested. But despite people lining up at the microphones…
Student-led Evening Bus Pilot Launches in B.C.’s Columbia Valley After Years of Advocacy
After nearly four years of work, a new evening bus pilot is finally running in B.C.’s Columbia Valley, giving residents another way to get around after regular transit service ends for the day. The Late Bus runs from Edgewater in the north to Canal Flats in the…
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Towards a Drought-Ready British Columbia
Drought Ready analyzes the last decade of droughts and drought management in B.C. and offers practical guidance to move away from reactive crisis response and toward proactive drought planning. The authors focus on the provincial government’s foundational role in…
Petition Launched: That the CRD be Fully Transparent in Regard to Its Felling of Trees by Elk/Beaver Lake:
Readers of CRD Watch or the Creatively United for the Planet blog, will likely be familiar with recent articles about the felling of trees by the CRD in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park. Like Wooden Tombstones: The Latest Tree Decimation in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park…
Reclaiming Summer: Prioritizing Outdoor Play for Canada’s Youth
For generations, summertime in Canada has been defined as a season of play for children. However, what was once a formative part of childhood development is increasingly being replaced by “screen time.”
Help Shape Canada’s National Strategy to Advance Environmental Justice and Address Environmental Racism
About the Strategy As mandated in the National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act, the federal government must publish the official Strategy by the end of 2026. The Strategy must: Identify and address environmental…
Why is Mark Carney Undermining Our Environment?
I have noted several times recently in these columns that Mark Carney’s mandate letter to his cabinet a year ago does not identify the environment as one of the government’s seven priorities; indeed, the word ‘environment’…
903 Admirals Road: Bill 16, Green Infrastructure, and a Potential Shift in Esquimalt Policy
Could Bill 16 help protect trees rather than remove them? Using 903 Admirals Road as a case study, this article explores how smaller building footprints, green infrastructure, and smarter site design could preserve urban forests.
BC Heat Collaborative Launch
The BC Heat Collaborative will officially launch at the end of this month, coinciding with the 5 year anniversary of the 2021 BC Heat Dome. The launch includes an event at Vancouver City Hall on Sunday June 28th, 1-2:30pm. More details on the Vancouver event here. How…
For Good Measure: A Handbook on Advancing Water Metering in British Columbia
Released this month, this handbook offers a practical path forward for provincial decision-makers to achieve universal water metering within the next decade. Universal water metering supports conservation, enables fair and transparent cost recovery, enhances overall…
Watershed Security Matters
To offer insight on how British Columbians want to move into an increasingly uncertain water future, this brief analyzes trends over 10 years of surveys and polls on public attitudes on fresh water in B.C. The authors highlight three crosscutting takeaways and the…
Better Government Coordination on Wildfire Resilience Will Make B.C. Stronger
Victoria, B.C. lək̓ʷəŋən territory: New research from the POLIS Wildfire Resilience Project, based at the University of Victoria’s Centre for Global Studies, recommends a transformative shift within the provincial government to address the growing wildfire crisis in…
Share Your Thoughts on Saanich Climate Plan
The 2026 Climate Plan: 100% Renewable and Resilient Saanich will be presented to Saanich, BC Council on Monday, June 22nd for approval. Share your thoughts on the 2026 Climate Plan with Council, email council@saanich.ca. Attend the meeting in person or online (learn…
Indigenous Histories in Vancouver: Exploring the Places That Matter
In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, it is essential to recognize the impact of Indigenous heritage in Vancouver. This can be achieved by exploring the Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s “Places That Matter” project.
