British Columbia

June 6 2016 - The B.C. government’s “systematic underfunding” of transit projects is contributing to Metro Vancouver’s worsening traffic congestion, a new report by the David Suzuki Foundation suggests.

Truth is the first casualty of the pipeline wars

The next time Canada’s public broadcaster publishes a column by Calgary pundit Duane Bratt, it should come with a disclaimer: Warning! Entering fact-free zone!

Pipeline plans have local communities up in arms

MAY 27, 2016

About 70 members of First Nations and the B.C. communities south of the Fraser River met on May 24 at the Sumas First Nation Community Hall to talk about the threat of Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

In his May 23 opinion piece, Tim McMillan, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, claimed that “New pipelines will help connect Canada’s landlocked oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, to tidal ports and from there to global markets where demand for oil is growing.” 

May 26, 2016 - Ultimately, it’s up to Justin Trudeau. ​Faced with his first pipeline challenge, the Liberal prime minister can say either yes or no. A decision has to be made before the end of this year on Kinder Morgan’s plan to expand its Trans Mountain oil pipeline.

The National Energy Board has given its conditional approval for the $6.8 billion project.

May 26, 2016 - Two major fires have burned huge swaths of forest through the heart of the oil and gas patch in northeast British Columbia and northwest Alberta without causing any damage to infrastructure.

Pipelines, compressor stations, tank farms and active wells – all processing highly flammable hydrocarbons – have at times been surrounded by the huge fires, which have destroyed over 100,000 hectares of forest north of Fort St. John.

The decision by the National Energy Board (NEB) to approve the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline project is a “call to arms” said the Grand Chief of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.

Stewart Phillip is a well-known opponent of the project and was arrested in the fall of 2014 on Burnaby mountain for protesting Kinder Morgan and says he “absolutely, without question,” is willing to get arrested again.

The federal government has rejected a call from the Royal Society of Canada and some 250 scientists and academics to put a halt to British Columbia’s Site C hydroelectric project despite concerns that the federal-provincial approval in 2014 ignored serious environmental impacts and trampled on First Nations’ rights.

First the good news:

After spending months ignoring the recommendations put forward by British Columbia's Climate Leadership team, Premier Christy Clark has finally found someone to take charge of this very important file.