Article, Nature & Conservation
John Cashore spent 15 years as the elected MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville, serving as Minister of Environment (1991-1993), Aboriginal Affairs (1993-1998), Labour (1997-1998), and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier (2000-2001). He introduced the “Zero AOX” pulp pollution regulation requiring pulp mills to completely eliminate their organochlorine discharges and has been a tireless advocate for the environment.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
This poem is a reflection on our annual plague of forest fires and a consideration of what truly must change.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
July 31 Deadline for Public Input: BC Hydro’s Completely Inadequate 20-year Plan From the BC Climate Alliance: BC Hydro is asking for public input to their draft 20-year Integrated Resource Plan (the 111 page report is here). This plan is completely inadequate for the... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
With climate catastrophes erupting daily, hundreds of people from coast to coast visited over 40 MP offices across the country and called on them to take emergency-level action on the climate emergency by stopping fossil fuel expansion and delivering Just Transition... Read more
Article, Nature & Conservation
The Highlands District Community Association (HDCA) is asking the Supreme Court of Canada to decide whether B.C. officials issuing mining permits can ignore climate change as a factor in deciding whether a project goes ahead. The move follows recent cases brought by... Read more
Article, Nature & Conservation
In Qualicum Beach, the 200-acre rural Estate Residential forest contains a highly-productive and rare old-growth Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem, that’s known as the scenic gateway to our village. So when a plan for residential development threatened this iconic treasure, the community rallied.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Energy, Housing, & Buildings, Nature & Conservation
The Saltspring Trust will be voting on the Rogers 5G-enabled cell tower proposed for Channel Ridge, Tuesday, July 27. So far, the Trust has received 227 letters opposed to this tower, 72 in favour. We have one last opportunity to ask them to make a decision that truly... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
Independent researchers tell us that the old growth forests in BC are on the brink of extinction due to continued clearcut logging. Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island is a typical example of how bureaucracies are unable to make the substantial changes needed to prevent... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
What is going on in Fairy Creek? Why do we need to protect old-growth? What are indigenous perspectives on this issue? What can I do? Creatively United has created these free shareable infographics to help spread the world about the old growth logging at Fairy Creek.... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
Much has been made about the future of old-growth forests in British Columbia. Global media interest is intense, partly because of the coverage of protestors being arrested while demonstrating against the logging of old-growth on southern Vancouver Island. These arrests were made not for demonstrating, which in British Columbia is generally a lawful activity, but for violating an injunction issued by the British Columbia legal system.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
First, let me remind you that we are now at around 400 arrests of peaceful, unarmed people doing the job the premier promised to do: protect the very very very last of the old growth. For this week, I want to draw attention to some of the various court cases going on... Read more
Article, Nature & Conservation
Why on Earth are we spending scarce public resources to prop up the fossil-fuel industries that are the underlying cause of the climate emergency and that we need to wind down? I could understand if the funds were being used to transition those industries and their employees into clean and renewable energy production. But too often, they are used to support business as usual.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
Starting Friday June 25, the West Coast saw a record-breaking heatwave. Hundreds of people — mostly seniors and people with chronic illnesses — passed away in the following week due to the heat. Wildfire reduced Lytton, a village that reached close to 50°C, to ashes the very next day. Our hearts are heavy thinking of all those who’ve lost loved ones or cherished places.
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Nature & Conservation, Video, Zero Waste & Circular Economy
Modern, industrialized economics strives for endless growth. The social policies they promote lay waste to natural systems and exploit vulnerable populations. The result is global crises and disruptions. Renegade economist Kate Raworth brings a counter vision of human... Read more
Article, Nature & Conservation
Will we ever learn? The pandemic is giving us mixed signals. As England’s Prime Minister tells us to forget face masks and social distancing for the good of his voting base, relying on 55% double vaccinated population, the nation is obsessed with Euro football... Read more
Article, Community Trees, Nature & Conservation
There is a vestigial image of Canada – a raw and vast land of forests, lakes and mountains. Forests, most of all. At Confederation, 154 years ago, this was true for most people. Fewer than one in five lived in a city. At the start of the Second World War, close to half the population still lived in rural areas. But this changed rapidly thereafter.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Energy, Housing, & Buildings, Nature & Conservation
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).
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Article, Nature & Conservation, Zero Waste & Circular Economy
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
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Community Trees, Nature & Conservation
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
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Community Trees, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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?
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Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Nature & Conservation, Zero Waste & Circular Economy
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
Article, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Energy, Housing, & Buildings, Nature & Conservation, Zero Waste & Circular Economy
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
Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
“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
Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Fairy Creek, Featured, Nature & Conservation
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
Article, Nature & Conservation
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.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Food & Health, Nature & Conservation
LifeCycles is seeking a staff person to support harvest coordination, distribution and volunteer training for the LifeCycles Fruit Tree and Farm Gleaning Projects as well as manage volunteers for the broader organization. The successful candidate will work as part of... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
Greater Victoria NatureHood, a Nature Canada initiative, has launched Nature in the City: Guide to Many Adventures map! The map’s design tells stories of urban habitats, captivating species and local parks to explore. Detailed environmental information is woven... Read more
Article, Nature & Conservation
Our Regional Parks and the species that depend on them for survival are at risk. Mountain biking wants more access to our parks and the CRD is hearing from them. These are your parks too so if you have a concern about this please read on and take action!
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