Extinction Rebellion Victoria has joined the Global Cruise Activist Network, a worldwide group of activists who are demanding the cruise industry doesn’t return to business as usual as cruise ships start sailing again after the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, September 2, port communities from around the world — including ...

I will start with one word, “unacceptable.”  That is how I, and many others view your plan.  The theory of it is sound, based on what we have learned with the various epidemiological crises of our times, beginning with the first SARS outbreak of 2003.  There is no argument about the benefits of physical distancing, frequent...

As part of its COVID-19 response, Canada’s government is spending $1.7 billion to clean up “orphan” and inactive oil and gas wells in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Industry should be footing the bill, but the work is critical and will keep people employed and, in some cases, help them upgrade skills.  Orphan...

By Matt Simmons, for The Narwhal Analysis shows temporarily stopping fishing would lead to gains of up to 10 times above the status quo after 30 years At least a quarter of major fish stocks in Canada are in decline, but efforts to rebuild them  — such as closing fisheries or setting catch limits — are often...

Almost every product and material we refer to as “plastic” is made from fossil fuels. Most of it hasn’t been around for long — a little over 70 years for the most common products. North American grocery stores didn’t start offering plastic bags until the late 1970s.   Over that short time, plastics have become ubiquitous. A...

Columbia Basin Trust is a unique and amazing organization, with huge benefits to residents of the Columbia Basin.  As most people know, it was set up in 1995 with a lump-sum settlement to help compensate the region for damage and losses caused by construction of dams under the Columbia River Treaty, which was signed in 1964,...

Correction: the wrong link was originally provided for the book report in The Tyee.  That has been corrected. Many local gardeners have commented that gardening has been strange this year. We had a long, cold, wettish spring and early summer – but that’s not so very unusual, is it? It surely saved on sprinkling, until summer...

Bill Morneau resigned as Minister of Finance on Monday.  I enjoyed my interactions with the former minister—he was approachable and often crossed the aisle to chat with me when I had a question or comment on financial issues affecting my constituents.  Rumour has it that he was at odds with the rest of the cabinet when it...

By Dan Guadagnolo for The Conversation As the Canadian economy slowly recovers from COVID-19 lockdowns, there have been news articles suggesting the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is encouraging workers to stay off the job. But a peek behind the headlines reveals the source of the story to be a business lobby group using...

Many people are calling for a just, green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Investing in natural solutions to climate change, restoring damaged and fragmented ecosystems, strengthening the social safety net and rethinking flawed economic systems would make us more resilient to current and future crises.  One concept that...