Canada

A Trudeau government plan based on "scientific opinion" will allow oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the middle of a proposed protected area.

OTTAWA, ON. (NEWS 1130) – The country’s highest court has ruled against two First Nations hoping to delay the controversial Site C dam project. It will not hear appeals from the West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations which had been asking for a judicial review of the mega-project which they feel was done without proper consultation.

Simogyet Malii is chief negotiator for the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs

There has been a lot of talk in Canada lately about cultural appropriation of Indigenous stories and imagery. This is a conversation that actually goes back to the origins of first contact between settlers and this land’s first peoples, and it is a conversation without end. The latest dust-up just happens to be a high point, or a low one depending on your point of view.

Dimitri L.: This is Dimitri Lascaris for The Real News in Vancouver, British Columbia. I'm here today with Eugene Kung, a staff lawyer with the West Coast Environmental Law Group. Eugene specializes in aboriginal and natural resources law. Thanks very much for joining us today.

Eugene Kung: Thank you for having me.

Dimitri L.: Eugene, why don't you just start by telling us a little bit about West Coast Environmental Law. What does the organization do? What is the nature of the practice?

A Federal Court case has cast the spotlight on a hereditary tribal leader’s battle against a liquefied natural gas project in northern British Columbia.

Donnie Wesley argues that he has the rightful claim to be recognized as hereditary head chief of the Gitwilgyoots tribe – one of nine allied tribes of the Lax Kw’alaams First Nation.

Widespread disturbances dispel the notion of a nation of pristine waters

For Immediate Release: June 9, 2017

Contacts:

Jason Disterhoft, Senior Campaigner at Rainforest Action Network, 1-312-402-8075

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, 1-250-490-5314

Eugene Kung, Barrister & Solicitor, West Coast Environmental Law 604-601-2514

Tara Houska, National Campaigns Director, Honor the Earth (612)226-9404

Katie Perfitt, Canada Divestment Organizer at 350.org (613) 250 0302

June 04, 2017

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip is challenging Alberta Premier Rachel Notley on Kinder Morgan. On Tuesday, Premier Notley declared that no NDP/Green government or First Nations objections would stop its construction, saying, "Mark my words, that pipeline will be built, the decisions have been made."

New B.C. government would have a few tools to slow down construction of new oil export pipeline

[For videos see original]

Kinder Morgan is signing contracts with construction companies and plans to start building its new $7.4-billion pipeline in September. At the same time, a new NDP-Green party partnership could form government in B.C. and start acting on election campaign promises to kill the project.

Both the company and the politicians made announcements on Tuesday making it clear they are not backing down in this fight.