The B.C. Supreme Court has found the B.C. government infringed the Blueberry River First Nation’s treaty rights by allowing decades of industrial development in their traditional territory. The ruling will likely have significant impacts for industries in that region, notably the natural gas industry.
Emily Qian, an 11 year-old BC resident in grade 5, wants people to know “that trees are a priceless treasure. We’ve only been on Earth for a few years, but trees have been here for thousands.” Trees By Emily Qian, Gr. 5 Trees are all long trunks and... Read more
I’m a Delta, BC resident who began writing poetry as a young girl but really connected with it in earnest in my mid-thirties as a way to explore and understand myself and the wider world. Now approaching 60, poetry and the written word continues to inspire me. I... Read more
The list of unworthy corporate recipients of government (read tax-paying citizens) support is long, but surely right at the top must be the fossil-fuel industry, followed by industries such as mining, forestry, agriculture and fisheries (of which more next week).
To speak only of beauty and bountiful means Would be the perfect and serene But within this picture of life it seems Are both the best and worst extremes Could there be a place for variance and degree Where one could actually climb the tree Where the almighty dollar... Read more
On June 16, the CRD’s Environmental Services Committee passed a motion to request the Province to end land application of biosolids at Hartland. This motion will be submitted for approval to the full CRD Board on July 14. This motion was a result of public pressure... Read more
We would be most grateful if you could share the opportunities below with any Indigenous people you know who are engaged in any kind of climate action or initiative. The West Coast Climate Action Network is a new non-profit society: we work to support and promote the... Read more
Do you know someone who makes our community a better place? Nominate them for the City of Victoria’s Honorary Citizen Award which celebrates those who have performed outstanding service for the betterment of our community and personal achievements. Nominees must be a... Read more
I came upon a child of God, he was walking along the road, And I asked him, “Where are you going?”, and this he told me, I’m going on down to Fairy Creek, I’m gonna try and save some trees, I’m gonna camp out on the land, I’m gonna try and get my soul free
British Columbia has the greatest ecological and biological diversity in Canada, from magnificent but highly endangered old-growth temperate rainforests to semi-arid grasslands, from valley-bottom wetlands to high alpine tundra. The BC NDP government can become a... Read more
Once upon a time, there was a premier who pretended that saving the magnificent old-growth forests of BC might be of some interest for him. “We are embarking on the journey to transform forestry.” he declared to the media while announcing two-year old-growth... Read more
Giki Zero invites Canadians to join them in setting the Guinness World Records title for the most people pledging climate action in one month! Creatively United supports this Guinness Book of Records Climate Action endeavour led by Jo Hand of Giki Zero, one of our... Read more
This past summer I watched two dozen cedars slowly die outside my window in False Creek. In a matter of months, they turned from green to rust, stood like candles ready to be lit on a day of mourning. I watched men climb them with chainsaws, slice them, and feed them to the wood chipper. I sat behind my glass door in vigil.
The new ‘War in the Woods’ to protect old-growth forest in Fairy Creek and far beyond raises an important issue that has been neglected. By what right are those trees being cut? Who gets to decide?
From the the Unist’ot’en Solidarity Brigade: Frontline Fundraiser for Land Defenders including the Unist’ot’en and Gidemt’en camps has been extended until Saturday June 19th. Please support the fundraiser if you can, and check out the... Read more
From LeadNow: We are in the global week of action to stop insuring Trans Mountain! From Europe to Africa to the Pacific Islands, and all across North America, folks are organizing actions in their communities to help make Trans Mountain uninsurable. Trans Mountain has... Read more
There are only a few days left for Parliament to pass Bill C-12, the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, before the summer recess. The amended Bill C-12 is not perfect but it’s a much-needed foundation we can build on to make sure Canada never misses... Read more
Indigenous leaders, celebrities and scientists are coming together to demand B.C. Premier John Horgan take urgent action to protect the last old growth forests in British Columbia. Join Mark Ruffalo, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, David Suzuki and more in calling on the... Read more
GVAT is hiring! We are looking to hire a full time administrative and social media associate for approximately 23 weeks beginning on or about July 5, 2021. While there will be opportunities to interact directly with a broad range of people involved in the alliance,... Read more
We are organizing a luxury tour bus which has a washroom for Saturday’s event; there is plenty of luggage space to accommodate bikes, camping gear and supplies etc. Please let your friends know that the bus can pick up donations at the pick up points. The cost is $20... Read more
The HDCA’s case presented to the Court of Appeal centred on a failure on the part of the province’s Statutory Decision Maker (since renamed Mines Inspector) to consider climate change impacts before approving a mining permit to OK Industries (OKI) for a bedrock strip mine in the Highlands last year, making his decision unreasonable.
Esquimalt Council adopted a checkout bag bylaw this week. The bylaw will go into effect on August 13, 2021. After this date, there should be no free bags of any kind given by retailers in the municipality. Only paper and reusable bags will be allowed, and the retailer... Read more
On other matters related to the Landfill and Mount Work Park, MWC has become an active member of the Peninsula Biosolids Coalition–a group formed to oppose the spreading of biosolids at Hartland Landfill. Biosolids are a dried, processed product produced from sewage... Read more
Some may find this column disturbing, as it is about the deaths of Indigenous people a century or more ago. Moreover, in quoting from a 1922 report, some of the words used then (e.g. Indians) are not acceptable today. But it is important to quote verbatim. I am grateful to Andrew Nikiforuk, whose June 2 article in The Tyee reminded me of this story.
THE ISSUE DEFINED Humanity is facing an existential emergency unparalleled in the history of life on earth. Major ecosystems are on the verge of collapse, due to human activities. Citizens are increasingly coming to the realization that human beings are not the centre... Read more
June is Orca Awareness Month in BC, and part of the team’s focus is the struggle to release cognitively advanced, self-aware, emotionally sensitive whales and dolphins from aquariums where they suffer physical and mental harm due to imprisonment.
Despite today’s announcement by the Province of British Columbia, deferring logging in key areas in Fairy Creek and the Central Walbran, protesters will remain in the Fairy Creek Area. Large-scale logging could still occur in old-growth forest directly adjacent to... Read more
The CRD’s revised Solid Waste Management Plan, modified after consultation with the public, including the Mount Work Coalition, was adopted by the CRD Board on May 12. Among the changes to the original Plan were the following (taken from the CRD document “Proposed... Read more
“Hop on the bus, Gus. Make a new plan, Stan….” Here’s an ambitious project to bus people up to the front line, maybe even daily. Leaving from the Leg, they offer a pick-up stop at Edward Milne School in Sooke. You can be a day-tripper and know you’ve been there. ... Read more
We can end chronic homelessness in Victoria. It’s going to take the same focused effort that so many have put in over the past year. If close to 600 people can move inside in one year, in the middle of a global health pandemic when everyone is already stretched and stressed, surely we can focus on the people remaining outside and set our sights as a community on what’s known as “functional zero”.
On June 1st, I tuned into the announcement of the BC Government Intention Paper for modernizing forest practices. I had hoped old-growth forests might be thrown a lifeline. No such luck. Premier Horgan and Forest Minister Conroy were all smiles as they described how... Read more
The Rainforest Flying Squad welcomes this morning’s announcement that the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht First Nations are calling for logging deferrals on Fairy Creek and the Central Walbran. While it’s a welcome step in the right direction, we, and... Read more
One of the biggest challenges in addressing climate change is that it’s a very slow-moving crisis. We need to take action now in order to avert problems many years, even decades, into the future, but our system is biased against such action.
As we draw near the Summer Solstice the Sun God is at the height of his virility and the Earth Goddess swells with life. It is a time when we are hopelessly in love with Everything.
The QMS Eco-club has been working on a super exciting initiative to celebrate our success in getting Queen Margaret’s School declared a Bee School, and supporting the City of Duncan in making a commitment to protecting pollinators, and becoming the first Bee... Read more
B.C. is one of the last provinces in Canada that does not licence counsellors. If we need medical attention we can be sure that seeing a doctor means s/he has a degree of knowledge, is backed by the province, has liability insurance, and such. When it comes to... Read more
Sadly, Ecojustice and the Wilderness Committee gave B.C. a failing grade in four of the five areas they considered: protection and recovery of both species at risk and ecosystems, the protection of natural habitats of all species and ecosystems and other laws to protect biodiversity.
The District of Highlands was established in 1993 to give residents control over development within their community. Twenty eight years later, a strip mine is underway on land zoned Greenbelt, adjacent to Thetis Park and a toxic waste dump site.
Campaigners sense turning point as shareholders, boards and The Hague act to force Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell to cut pollution. The world’s patience with the fossil fuel industry is wearing thin. This was the stark message delivered to major international oil companies this week in an unprecedented day of reckoning for their role in the climate crisis.
The more I follow the good things which are being done by various highly focused and well intended groups and individuals in BC and all of Canada, including – but not limited to the Creatively United, it is obvious that there is NO FOCUS ON OVERALL TARGETS for our... Read more
A Nova Scotia MP has unveiled an online tool that helps municipalities across the country cut emissions. The system uses a database to gather information about localized energy use and helps users identify their emissions and set targets to reduce them. Creating such... Read more
In September 2016, the German parliament unanimously adopted the Paris Agreement. The government then translated Germany’s commitments under the agreement into a Climate Protection Law, which was approved by the Bundestag in November 2019 with a wide majority, making Germany the first country in the world with a greenhouse gas neutrality plan.
Hears nothing, says nothing. So far, the silence of the NDP government and, most notably, NDP MLAs, continues amid the buzzing sound of clear cutting. Once considered the party of social justice, the NDP have joined the ranks where corporate greed trumps public... Read more
During Season 2 of Climate and the Artist Series, Creatively United sponsored a Call for a New Forest Framework in British Columbia. One of the authors of the letter is Kathleen Code who is Vice Chair of the Ecoforestry Institute Society which manages the Wildwood... Read more
There was a time when B.C. was a global leader in fish, wildlife and habitat conservation, said Jesse Zeman of the B.C. Wildlife Federation in a May 10 news release. But now it is “a landscape which can be characterized as at risk, endangered and extirpated,” he said.
Season 3 concluded with an all-star panel, featuring bestselling author and award-winning public relations professional, James Hoggan. A tireless advocate for ethics in public discourse and Chair of the David Suzuki…
Forest Bathing is a powerful way to connect with Mother Earth and to feel her blessings showering upon you! The next time you are on your favourite forest walk give thanks for all the blessings you have been given by Mother Earth!
Many of the behaviors that we would like to promote have no outward visibility in our communities. When behaviors such as getting vaccinated are not visible to others, we weaken the likelihood that the action will become normative. Unlike vaccinations, wearing a mask... Read more
Two broad themes this week, both from recent headlines. The first is the insanity of the plans for the Olympic Games, and especially the unethical prioritization for COVID-19 immunization of elite Olympic athletes over vulnerable people and essential workers in low-income countries. The second is a couple of astonishing ideas from the fossil-fuel industry and its political supporters in the U.S.
Learning to grow food at home contributes enormously to food security and our community resilience, and the City of Victoria is responding to a renewed interest in learning to garden. Get Growing, Victoria! provides food seedlings and garden materials to citizens in... Read more
