Some may consider Prime Minister Mark Carney to be an economic guru, but he is either ignorant of or chooses to ignore two fundamental truths in his rush to build the nation by growing the economy.
The Peninsula Biosolids Coalition and Biosolids Free BC, with whom Creatively United for the Planet Society has been actively collaborating, congratulates the CRD Board for making a historic decision to thermally convert biosolids into biochar employing the latest... Read more
This presentation highlights gaps in Victorian wellbeing that a group of Victoria youth have decided could be improved. The 3 suggestions aim to improve nature, transportation, and healthcare. Our group consists of 4 people, Ethan Lin, Beatrice Sharpe, Sebastien... Read more
In April 2025, the Province of BC approved in principle the CRD’s preferred option for thermal conversion of biosolids into a biochar and non-fossil fuel gas. Until the CRD received this approval, it was reluctant to proceed with adjudicating the Request for Proposals... Read more
Courtesy of Vancouver Sun Photo: The powers in Bill 15 are akin to a blank cheque for current and future cabinets to rewrite publicly debated and enacted environmental laws in the name of removing so-called red tape, write Andhra Azevedo and Deborah Curran. Photo by... Read more
Gene Miller is the only person we can think of who could write such a biting, funny and true article about what it would mean to Victorians if the city goes ahead with cutting down this beloved tree. “It’s worth wondering how our electeds and our urban design... Read more
‘Fossil Fuels Are Killing Us’: Scientists Publish Sweeping Review of Industry Harms From Common Dreams: “We’ve got to work fast to end fossil fuel operations near our homes, schools, and hospitals and trade fossil fuel infrastructure for... Read more
In response to threats from the Trump regime, Canadians from coast-to-coast have been seized by a fit of nationalism. The fossil fuel industry, bankers, and politicians have swiftly manipulated this to foster a pro-oil and gas narrative in an attempt to resurrect... Read more
Dear CRD Board Chair, members of the CRD Board, and senior CRD staff members, Below you’ll find a recent story from the New York Times on Fort Worth Texas, a city of just under 1 million residents, terminating their contract with Synagro following evidence the... Read more
Thermal Imaging Camera Kits are now available at local libraries throughout Victoria, BC. These kits provide residents with tools and activities to test and improve the efficiency and resiliency of their home. Discover air leaks, measure appliance electricity use,... Read more
Biochar is a charcoal – like substance derived from thermally processing woody material, sewage sludge and biosolids. Bio-char can be used for a range of uses such a adding nutrients to soil, strengthening asphalt and concrete and storing large amounts of... Read more
Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat | February 18, 2025 — Amid concerns about rising misinformation, disinformation and corporate influence, a new report by the Canadian Association... Read more
As part of a research project on wildfire smoke infiltration in residential buildings, the University of Victoria’s Clean Air Lab (cleanairlab.ca), led by Dr. Minet, is seeking volunteers to host air quality sensors in their homes next summer. The goal of this study... Read more
On Wednesday, February 19, the CRD Environmental Services Committee reviewed an academic literature review of toxic chemicals embedded in biosolids produced by the Greater Victoria sewage Treatment plant and processed at the Hartland landfill. The review was ordered... Read more
A microscope reveals what was always there. As more people become personally affected by crises, they are looking at issues once seen as distant and distinct now coming into sharp focus as deeply interconnected. With rising food insecurity, femicide, wildfires,... Read more
I have spent much of my life working as an educator, whether as a professor teaching graduate students or as an in international consultant working with communities, organizations and governments around the world. Over the years…
Replacing the Crystal Pool is a wasteful, uncreative solution to problems that could be addressed through a less costly retrofit. FINALLY, on New Year’s Eve I was able to do my one-kilometre swim again at the Crystal Pool after its 6 weeks of maintenance. I miss the... Read more
In my local area in Courtenay BC, ozone damage is very severe because we live near the BC Hydro power station on the Puntledge River. I have spoken with the local authorities about the tree deaths along the river which is exacerbating the soil erosion caused by high... Read more
Two death knells for any city are the loss of urban trees/green space and the arts. People are attracted to Victoria, BC’s downtown area because of its inherent natural and architectural beauty and the vibrancy of the wide variety of art-based programming... Read more
Let’s lobby municipalities to sue Big Oil. We are more than 3/5ths there to reach the half million residents involved needed to support a suit fought all the way to the Supreme Court. Read more
Hovey Road development in Central Saanich that violates the Official Community Plan Zoning. Do you live in Central Saanich and are concerned about uncontrolled development?
Throughout my career I have focused on the well-being of people in our communities and around the world, and on the state of the Earth’s ecological systems, which are the bedrock of our well-being.
It is the year 2019. The skies are clear with white low clouds. A climate emergency has been declared in the small town of View Royal, but little did the town know that it would lead the way for climate actions across British Columbia in the years to come.
It’s a WIN! Enbridge’s Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission line is officially dead. It was one of several pipelines previously slated for northern B.C., but was hotly contested by Indigenous communities and allies along the route. The WCGT is the first project in... Read more
It’s global conference season, and once again the corporate sector is spending huge amounts of money — money that comes from us when we purchase their products and services — to lobby for their own…
Thanks to Mary Wagner and citizen support, Langford Council supported Wagner’s five part motion based on the Urban Forest Management Plan to help preserve and protect more of Langford’s urban canopy. Staff had a recommendation for part 1 and 2, and points... Read more
Thanks to tens of millions of Americans who just voted to turn the American Dream into the American Nightmare, we now have to deal with the consequences of a second Trump presidency. Let’s be clear: Donald Trump is not only a fascist who is a threat to democracy in America, as two former generals…
This month of November has witnessed an especially abundant series of worrisome events, from local to global. These include billions of dollars of catastrophic damages from newly emerging wildfires, flooding, and storms. Warfare is on the increase, not only in the... Read more
I do not want to overwhelm you, with more information yet I feel that this information is some of what we need to know, so we will have the knowledge to be motivated to do everything possible to secure a future on earth not just for humans but for the whole... Read more
On October 30, 2024, the CRD approved a provisional budget for 2025, which included the establishment of an Innovative Project Work Unit. This decision indicates that the CRD is turning the corner from a focus on waste dumping to a growing emphasis on green... Read more
Each year, the City of Victoria’s financial planning process provides an opportunity for Council to set service levels and approve an annual budget. You are invited to provide feedback on the City’s 2025 Draft Budget to help inform Council’s budget decisions. The... Read more
There was a lot of attention paid in the recent election campaign to the provincial deficit, by which various politicians and commentators meant the budgetary deficit. But important though that might be, there is another deficit that is much more concerning, and yet largely ignored…
Last month, Planetary Boundaries Science, an international partnership of Earth scientists based out of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, published the first of what will be an annual Planetary Health Check. It makes for grim, if unsurprising, reading.
Carbon pricing is a form of pollution pricing. But air pollutants from fossil-fuel combustion and greenhouse-gas emissions from a variety of sources are not the only forms of pollution we face. And pollution pricing itself is just one aspect of the broader field of full cost accounting.
Thank you to everyone who attended the online and live All Candidates Debate for the Esquimalt-Colwood riding (includes Vic West and View Royal) co-sponsored this past Wednesday evening at Esquimalt United Church, 500 Admirals Rd., by Creatively United for the Planet,... Read more
Despite the drizzle and dampness of the day, a great afternoon was had by all who attended the national Day of Climate Action organized by citizens throughout Canada on October 1st. In Victoria, people of all ages attended this fabulous event featuring numerous... Read more
In November of 2023, the Urban Development Institute (UDI), a registered organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry, that offers political influence to its paying corporate member companies that profit from development and real estate – took to hiding its members... Read more
It is very clear that pollution causes harm. Oxford Reference defines it as “contamination or undesirable modification of soil, food, water, clothing, or the atmosphere by a noxious or toxic substance,” adding that “any form of pollution can have adverse effects on health.”
Currently, 80% of the biosolids produced by the Residuals Treatment Facility located at Hartland are being used as a fuel at the LaFarge cement facility in Richmond. The balance of the biosolids are mixed with sand and land applied at a quarry located at Cassidy near... Read more
By proclaiming that the carbon tax “is an existential threat to our economy and our way of life” and that it threatens a “nuclear winter” for the economy, Pierre Poilievre has entered the world of full-on craziness and inverted logic. The reality is exactly the opposite. The “carbon tax” — actually…
I was born in 1948, when the average annual atmospheric CO2 level was about 311 ppm. When I started writing this column in December 2014, average annual CO2 was 399 ppm. Today, it is 422 ppm. The impacts of these heightened CO2 levels, as well as increased levels of methane…
An inconvenient tree? Sign the petition here. On Jul 11, 2024 Victoria’s mayor and a majority of council members approved the updated concept design for Centennial Square and directed staff to proceed with implementation as outlined in the Centennial Square... Read more
The redesign of Victoria’s Centennial Square is moving closer toward breaking ground, and there remains a chance for sober second thought on the fate of a highly appreciated giant sequoia. We’ve been informed that the removal is to improve sightlines for public safety…
Leadnow is launching a housing campaign to push politicians for solutions that put people, not profits, first. Your neighbours are getting together to help shape this campaign – will you join them? Right now, Leadnow supporters across the country are organizing... Read more
The UN Environment Programme’s new report Navigating New Horizons, produced in partnership with the International Science Council, is not easy reading. It’s not just that it is a dense 100-page document, but because it paints a grim picture of the challenges we face.
Creatively United for the Planet was one of a number of community groups recently involved in PowerPlay, a free, family-friendly festival celebrating all things electric from EVs, E-bikes, solar power, heat pumps and more. One of the many fabulous finds at the event... Read more
Background: The so-called Lobbyists Transparency Act (LTA) of British Columbia is not as transparent as its name makes it appear on first sight. On the contrary, it lacks crucial transparency by not defining lobby as a noun and thus as a thing or entity.
In exploring the need for a transformation of our values so they are fit for purpose in the 21st century, I have been using a piece of “scripture” from the World Wide Fund for Nature’s 2014 Living Planet Report. The third realm from my piece of “scripture” is the economy, and the text makes an important but often overlooked point…
On June 27, the Government of B.C. announced that we’re introducing new rebates for customers looking to install solar panels and battery energy storage systems. To be eligible for rebates, equipment must be installed after the official launch of the program,... Read more
Dear CRD Board, Senior CRD staff, and Minister Heyman, I’m sure many of you saw the following article on CBC this weekend highlighting a lawsuit launched by the BC government against the manufacturers of PFAS chemicals for contaminating drinking water and... Read more
