Canada suppressing data on coal mine pollution, say U.S. officials
From The Narwhal: International treaty at risk as Canadian commissioners accused of omitting information on selenium pollution flowing from B.C.’s Elk Valley into Montana waters
From The Narwhal: International treaty at risk as Canadian commissioners accused of omitting information on selenium pollution flowing from B.C.’s Elk Valley into Montana waters
In recent weeks, the renegotiation of the 54-year-old Columbia River Treaty between Canada and the US began in earnest. Although it is early in the renegotiation process, it is crucial for Canada to establish now which issues are on the table—and who is at the table. When the original treaty was signed, there were only … Continued
The devastating losses of mountain caribou over the past year in the South Purcells and South Selkirks highlight the total failure of British Columbia’s caribou recovery efforts. Despite the obvious urgency, the BC Government’s new proposed Caribou Recovery Program is only a statement of high-level principles and a plan to make a plan—with no real action … Continued
The Columbia River Treaty renegotiation has begun, with the first substantive meetings between Canada and the US at the end of May. More than five decades after the treaty was first signed, we can finally ask ourselves: what should a modern Columbia River Treaty look like? The original treaty has only two priorities: power generation … Continued
British Columbia has vowed to stop Kinder Morgan from building a bitumen pipeline across our province, over pollution and climate concerns. But on the other side of the province, in the Kootenays, pollution of a different kind is flowing from BC into Montana. From Teck’s five open-pit Elk Valley coal mines, selenium-contaminated water is flowing … Continued
Selenium pollution coming from the Elk Valley coal mines is a major problem and polluted water is harming fish as far downstream as Koocanusa Reservoir. So why isn’t government regulating selenium levels to protect fish, birds and all kinds of life that depend on clean water? The answer is complicated. The good news: federal regulation … Continued
Under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, a committee of scientific experts assesses species that are under threat and recommends SARA listings to the federal government. In their latest recommendations, they argue that the western populations of grizzly bears and wolverines should be listed as species of Special Concern. We strongly support these listings and urge … Continued
Should we outsource the protection of our environment? Keeping our rivers and lakes clean, protecting wild creatures and making sure our ecosystems stay intact are some of the most important functions of our government. But in BC, since the early 2000s, our government has handed over much of the responsibility for environmental protection to various … Continued
Should special access be granted to areas closed to the public to protect wildlife values? Should the number of wolverine and lynx being trapped or hunted be reduced? These questions are being asked in the proposed changes to hunting and trapping regulations in the Kootenays — changes that you can comment on until Friday, January … Continued
Across BC, our mountain caribou are disappearing. Habitat destruction and threats from all corners have limited mountain caribou to small islands within their historical range that covered much of the province. After decades of half-measures, Canada and BC have come together to sign a historic first agreement under Section 11 of the federal Species at … Continued