BURNABY, BC, July 23, 2015 /CNW/ - The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union is joining First Nations and environmental advocates in opposing the B.C. government's approval of the Site C dam project, the union announced today.
"Site C is the wrong choice for British Columbia. The project is not needed: there are better alternatives," says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. "Site C will cause massive habitat loss. It violates First Nations' indigenous rights. It removes high-value agricultural lands from production."
Civil rights and press-freedom groups argue against allowing judge to permit security agency to override constitutional rights
Canada’s new terrorism law is being challenged in court by a journalists’ group and a civil rights organization that call it an attack on constitutional freedoms and an “extraordinary inversion” of the role of judges.
On July 15th 2015, officers of the Canadian Royal Mounted Police (RCMP) tried to enter Unist’ot’en territory. The Unist’ot’en have built a camp that stands in the way of several oil and gas pipelines. Camp supporters blocked the rcmp from entering.
The following day the RCMP threatened to arrest supporters at another checkpoint, but supporters responded by building a gate. The Unist’ot’en have requested physical support from allies. For more info on how you can help visit UnistotenCamp.com.
~~DAWSON CREEK — Anonymous, a loosely associated international network of activist and hacktivist entities, says it will use “vengeance if necessary” to seek justice for a man shot dead by police in Dawson Creek Thursday outside a public consultation meeting for the Site C dam.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C., a police watchdog, said the man had his face covered when he was shot by an RCMP officer. It will not comment on whether he was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, widely used by Anonymous, which claims the victim was one of its own.
RE: UBCIC Calls for Two-Year Moratorium on Construction of Proposed Site C Dam and Referral to BC Utilities Commission
Dear Premier Clark, Minister Bennett, and Minister Polak:
We are writing to support the urgent request by Treaty 8 First Nations for a two-year moratorium on construction of the proposed Site C Dam until the end of 2017, and that the proposed project be referred to the BC Utilities Commission for review and consultation.
A news release from the First Nation’s Leadership Council last week suggested July could be the month when push comes to shove in the debate over the construction of the Peace River Site C dam.
It said the Treaty 8 First Nations had received notice from BC Hydro that as early as July 6 — five days prior to the tenth annual Paddle for the Peace protest event — construction work could begin at the project site.
Using DNA to track the movement of people in the past, scientists suggest our species evolved some 150,000 years ago on the plains of Africa. That was our habitat, but unlike most other animals, we were creative and used our brains to find ways to exploit our surroundings. We were far less impressive in numbers, size, speed, strength or sensory abilities than many others sharing our territory, but it was our brains that compensated.
