CRD Biosolids Update
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
BCCIC’s 2025 Booklist: Pathways to Planetary & Collective Healing
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
There Is Only One Earth — Deal With It
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…
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Fairy Creek Updates 2025
Even though it’s not as big a topic in the news these days, there are still some major updates on Fairy Creek that you should know: • Climate activists and land defenders are still facing legal issues. Zain Haq, a climate activist married to a Canadian citizen, was... Read more
Let’s Force the City to Re-Examine Retrofitting the Crystal Pool
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 moreWhy I’m Voting NO in Crystal Pool Referendum
On Feb 8 the city of Victoria is asking residents to vote YES or NO to borrowing $189 million to replace Crystal Pool and for your preferred location: the current pool site in Central Park (NORTH) and right next to it over top of the Steve Nash basketball court,... Read more
Crystal Pool Referendum — Vote YES! to a Retrofit, Vote NO! to a Replacement
Some of the reasons to say NO to the demolition of Crystal Pool: With 25% tariffs coming, the Globe & Mail (Jan 30, 2025) cautions, “Now is not the time to borrow.” To demolish the pool, the City is asking to borrow over $160 million. Building materials, such as... Read more
Survey: Financing Conservation on Private Land in the Capital Region
Here’s an easy-to-do survey that I hope you will complete and share with your contacts. It involves rating your support for a series of statements on a 5-point scale. It comes from the Coastal Douglas-Fir Conservation Partnership and pertains to support for... Read more
“Clean Energy” Comes at a Cost
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
Submit to Ripples Youth Art Zine
Learn more about Ripples, a youth arts zine released annually for World Water Day! Ripples is brought to life by works of art, poetry, and photography, created by kids and youth (between the ages of 6-25) from across BC.
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City Needs to Rethink Priorities
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 moreSue Big Oil Sooner!
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
Why Women Are Key To Solving The Climate Crisis
There’s no denying women are leading the fight to save our planet. In every society worldwide, women and girls are responding more effectively in times of crisis and actively working towards creating a more just and sustainable future for all. Yet, gender inequalities... Read more
Toxic Biosolids Promoted as Fertilizer
This article from the New York Times highlights the growing and inevitable public health and environmental harms associated with the land application of biosolids that contain PFAS and other toxic chemicals, and the EPAs associated liability in encouraging the use of... Read more
Towards A Well-Being Society and a Healthy One Planet Community
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.
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The UDI Successfully Lobbied the Government Against Environmental Streamside Protection Regulation
The UDI successfully lobbied the government against environmental streamside protection regulation. This ‘achievement’ by the UDI took place about 2 decades ago. Despite numerous indications to suggest lobbying activity at all levels of government, the UDI does not... Read more
How to Reduce Holiday Waste: 50+ Eco-friendly Tips
As someone who has been involved in the world of social media storytelling for environmental causes for over a decade, there is one piece of content that I always look forward to seeing circulate at this time of year: an image from Toronto artist Sarah Lazarovic... Read more
The Little Town That Could
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.
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Good News from Dogwood
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
Life Expectancy Gas Grown Since 1970, But So Has Inequality
When I look back over the length of my career, it is clear that in many ways we have created a healthier future. One important indicator is life expectancy. According to Our World in Data, in 1970…
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Save Harewood Plains
by Wylie Thomas, conservation biologist Please send a message to BC’s new Minister of Water, Lands, and Resource Stewardship, Randene Neill, to let her know how important it is to protect Harewood Plains in the Nanaimo area on Vancouver Island (and please cc the... Read moreDesire for Better Public Policy Sparked Early ‘Green’ Parties
In my concluding major paper for my master’s degree at the University of Toronto in the late 1970s, I identified two major principles that have guided my career ever since. The first is ecological sanity…
Read moreCorporations Out In Force at Biodiversity, Climate Conferences
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…
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Help Call for an Urgent Moratorium on the Commercial Herring Kill Fishery in B.C.!
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is currently accepting comments on the 2024/2025 Draft Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) for Pacific herring until November 27, 2024. Send feedback today. In solidarity with the WSÁNEĆ hereditary chiefs, we once again call... Read more
Langford Adopts Plans for Increased Tree Protection
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 moreWhat a Trump Presidency Might Mean for the Planet
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…
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November Concatenations
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
Why Eat Regeneratively, Locally, and In Season
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
We Need to Investigate Links Between Chemical Industry, Governments
Over 40 years ago, in the early 1980s, I co-led a major report on “Our Chemical Society” for the City of Toronto’s Department of Public Health. In it, we sought to step back from what we called the “chemical of the day” problem — so many chemicals of concern, so many requests to look at them…
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We Are More Than Just An Economy, Stupid
We awake this morning to a Trump world. This, despite his lies, his racism, his hatred, his divisiveness and complete disregard for democratic ways and institutions. He has already declared his intention to become a dictator, stating there will be no need for further... Read more
CRD Biosolids Update
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
Have Your Say on the City of Victoria’s 2025 Draft Budget
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
Loss of Nature Has Huge Impact, but Doesn’t Get Attention it Deserves
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…
Read moreEvent Recap: Movement Building and Justice with Judy da Silva
“I try to speak for the water. Not just for Grassy people, but for future generations, for the kids not born yet. That’s why we do this work.” This statement is the key point that Judy da Silva kept returning to during her talk, Movement Building and Justice, held... Read moreWe Need a Government That Cares About the Well-Being of the Planet
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.
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An Analysis of Dialog’s Technical Memorandum on the Centennial Square Sequoia Tree
Arborist and urban forest educator Ryan Senechal offers an analysis of the Technical Memorandum recently shared by the City of Victoria regarding its stated need to cut down Centennial Square’s giant sequoia tree. He says the tree is healthy, and could be pruned... Read moreEnvironmental Costs of Growing Food Aren’t Reflected in the Price We Pay
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.
Read moreEsquimalt-Colwood All Candidates Meeting
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
National Seniors Day Rally for Climate Action
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 moreReconciling with Indigenous Peoples and the Land – Letter Writing Campaign
James Bay United Church is part of: Reconciling with Indigenous Peoples and the Land, an interfaith steering group formed to facilitate further steps in the work of reconciliation. Letter Writing Campaign: Voice Your Concerns! Explore our sample letter... Read more
Questions Regarding Critical Issues for BC Political Parties
These questions are provided by The Victoria Secular Humanist Association (VSHA), Eco-Humanism Committee. Indicate with a YES or NO, whether you will pledge to the following, if your party forms the next government. Describe which measurable goals and timelines will... Read more
Why Carbon Pricing is Good for Your Health
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.”
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Update on Biosolids Management in the CRD
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
Forget ‘Axe the Tax.’ Try ‘Pay the Price’
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…
Read moreNew Forest Proposal Act
On September 14, a kick off event was held in Nanaimo to introduce a New Forest Proposal Act. Thanks to Dave Weaver, Beaufort Watershed Stewards, Jay Van Oostdam of SOFT, Guy Dauncey of Yellow Point Ecological Society, and all the other volunteers for their... Read moreUrban Forestry Strategy
Term 2 /Take 2 Attention people of Saanich: this is a biodiversity alert. Biodiversity Biodiversity Biodiversity Taxes Taxes Taxes My job as an Independent 100% NOT developer-funded councillor is getting harder every day. A voice for the environment, wildlife,... Read more
Seniors Demand Action on Climate Change
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…
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We Need To Act Now!
I feel this 18 min presentation on the Planetary Boundaries and Tipping points of Climate Change is one of the best that every one should watch. It is my hope that you will spend the time to really listen to this presentation.
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