British Columbia

The ministerial panel appointed by the federal government to review the National Energy Board’s appraisal of the Trans Mountain pipeline proposal concluded its report last week without any recommendations.

Instead, the panel posed six troubling questions for the cabinet to consider before it rules on the controversial pipeline next month.

Ottawa had not wanted any recommendations from the panel, but rather sought a broad report that would allow the government to make its own unencumbered decision.

High rain and wind warnings have prompted the Tseshaht First Nation to declared a state of emergency for the First Nation’s reserve on Friday, Nov. 4. The declaration was announced at 3 p.m. by Tseshaht emergency preparedness committee chair Hugh Braker.

Environment Canada estimates 100 to 150mm of rain will fall on the western slopes of inland Vancouver Island this weekend. Forecasts are for steady rain until Wednesday.

Heiltsuk Nation wants Prime Minister to announce tanker ban in Bella Bella: 'we will embrace your visit'

The Heiltsuk Nation is challenging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to visit Bella Bella following a diesel spill on October 13.

"We believe that it's time for the Prime Minister to come out and visit," said Heiltsuk chief councillour Marilyn Slett in a video posted to Twitter.

A three-person ministerial panel set up as a kind of complaints desk for the Trans Mountain pipeline project has submitted its final report to the Canadian government.

Federal ministers will find plenty of grievances about the pipeline and the National Energy Board (NEB) regulatory process that approved it in the 60-page report.

NEWS RELEASE

November 6, 2016

Consent

(Coast Salish Territory / Vancouver, B.C. – November 6, 2016) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs completely rejects and repudiates the federal Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr's recent asinine statement that Canada only needs to consult and accommodate the concerns, interests and rights of First Nations regarding the approval of proposed resource development projects such as Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion project or Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Pipelines project.

Nov 4, 2016 - British Columbia’s efforts to launch a liquefied natural gas industry were given a boost Friday after Woodfibre LNG said it will proceed with its $1.6−billion project in the Lower Mainland, the first proposed LNG development to go ahead in the province.

U.S. President Barack Obama said this week the federal government is considering rerouting the controversial Dakota Access pipeline. This is big news.

The nearly $4-billion (U.S.) project has been enveloped by a protest that looks and feels a lot like the civil rights movement of the 1960s. At the centre of the demonstrations are the Standing Rock Sioux, whose ancestral territory the pipeline crosses. They have been joined by activists from around the United States.

Audio recordings reveal how first responders struggled to get a clear picture of an unfolding disaster, reports Justine Hunter

VICTORIA The Globe and Mail Last updated: Friday, Nov. 04, 2016 12:38PM EDT

[audio available online]