Environment

Volunteers made a “Plastic Goddess” from some of the debris collected in a 2019 beach clean-up of Baynes Sound and Denman Island. File photo by Gerry Ambury

Coastal communities ‘fed up’ with B.C. shellfish sector’s plastics problem

Feds committed $8 million to ghost gear recovery, B.C. dedicated $18 million to shoreline cleanups

Volunteers made a “Plastic Goddess” from some of the debris collected in a 2019 beach clean-up of Baynes Sound and Denman Island. File photo by Gerry Ambury
United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney addresses supporters in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, April 16, 2019. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

Environmentalists threaten Alberta Premier Kenney with lawsuit over inquiry remarks

‘If Premier Kenney doesn’t follow the good advice of his lawyers, he will be served’

United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney addresses supporters in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, April 16, 2019. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second left, and Mark Carney take part in a panel discussion on carbon pricing at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made many policy announcements across the pond at the COP26 climate summit in Scotland, a new poll hints at how Canadians feel about those developments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second left, and Mark Carney take part in a panel discussion on carbon pricing at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made many policy announcements across the pond at the COP26 climate summit in Scotland, a new poll hints at how Canadians feel about those developments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
A wildfire-scorched sequoia tree stands on a hillside, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in Sequoia Crest, Calif. Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is planting sequoia seedlings in the area. The effort led by the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a nonprofit trying to preserve the genetics of the biggest old-growth trees, is one of many extraordinary measures being taken to save giant sequoias that were once considered nearly fire-proof and are in jeopardy of being wiped out by more intense wildfires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Hope after wildfire: Tiny sequoias could grow into giants

Measures underway to save trees at risk of being wiped out by more intense wildfires

A wildfire-scorched sequoia tree stands on a hillside, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in Sequoia Crest, Calif. Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is planting sequoia seedlings in the area. The effort led by the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a nonprofit trying to preserve the genetics of the biggest old-growth trees, is one of many extraordinary measures being taken to save giant sequoias that were once considered nearly fire-proof and are in jeopardy of being wiped out by more intense wildfires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A tug boat cools the hull of the MV Zim Kingston Oct. 24 as crews work to control the ship’s fire. (Courtesy Canadian Coast Guard)
A tug boat cools the hull of the MV Zim Kingston Oct. 24 as crews work to control the ship’s fire. (Courtesy Canadian Coast Guard)

Ship that lost 109 containers off B.C. coast is now stable: operator

Remaining containers safe and will be unloaded once a port of call has been identified

A tug boat cools the hull of the MV Zim Kingston Oct. 24 as crews work to control the ship’s fire. (Courtesy Canadian Coast Guard)
A tug boat cools the hull of the MV Zim Kingston Oct. 24 as crews work to control the ship’s fire. (Courtesy Canadian Coast Guard)
Ships continue to work to control a fire onboard the MV Zim Kingston about eight kilometres from the shore in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, October 25, 2021. A special weather statement was issued for the Greater Victoria area as southeasterly winds gusting up to 90km per hour were forecasted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Refrigerators, styrofoam, garbage on B.C. beaches after containers spilled from ship

Items collected by helicopter off Cape Palmerston beach on the northwest side of Vancouver Island

Ships continue to work to control a fire onboard the MV Zim Kingston about eight kilometres from the shore in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, October 25, 2021. A special weather statement was issued for the Greater Victoria area as southeasterly winds gusting up to 90km per hour were forecasted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Crews keep surrounding containers and the hull of the MV Zim Kingston cool while fires continue to smoulder aboard the ship. (Canadian Coast Guard/Twitter)

Company hires contractor in effort to recover overboard containers off B.C.

Thermal cameras being used to find remaining hot spots on the MV Zim Kingston

Crews keep surrounding containers and the hull of the MV Zim Kingston cool while fires continue to smoulder aboard the ship. (Canadian Coast Guard/Twitter)
An attendee walks past hydraulic fracking equipment at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Homes near fracking sites in B.C. have higher levels of some pollutants, says study

Researchers found higher levels of chemicals used in fracking in selected Peace River residences

An attendee walks past hydraulic fracking equipment at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A heavy hauler truck transports material from Suncor’s North Steepbank in the oil sands in Fort McMurray, Alta., Monday, June 13, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Environment groups say all parties now firmly behind strong action on climate change

Only the People’s Party of Canada had no climate action plan

A heavy hauler truck transports material from Suncor’s North Steepbank in the oil sands in Fort McMurray, Alta., Monday, June 13, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
This Sept. 4, 2021, satellite image provided by Maxar shows a view of oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico at East Timbalier Island National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies via AP)

Hurricane Larry’s track shifts west, residents of Newfoundland warned to prepare

Hurricane is not expected to have much of an impact on the rest of Atlantic Canada

This Sept. 4, 2021, satellite image provided by Maxar shows a view of oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico at East Timbalier Island National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies via AP)
People find comfort in sea breeze at the Scala dei Turchi (Stair of the Turks), a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, southern Sicily, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The ongoing heatwave will last up until the weekend with temperatures expected to reach well over 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Italy. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)

Days of hot weather grip Southern Europe, North Africa

Scientists say there’s little doubt climate change from fossil fuels is driving extreme events

People find comfort in sea breeze at the Scala dei Turchi (Stair of the Turks), a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, southern Sicily, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The ongoing heatwave will last up until the weekend with temperatures expected to reach well over 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Italy. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
A two striped grasshopper infected with Entomophaga grylli, a fungal pathogen which only kills grasshoppers, is seen on a plant near Lethbridge, Alta., in a July 2021 handout photo. A pattern of dry, hot weather across the Prairies over the past few years has resulted in a grasshopper infestation of epic proportions, with some experts saying the nuisance is negatively affecting every part of the agriculture industry. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Dan Johnson, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Booming grasshopper populations plague Prairie farmers

Higher than usual number of grasshoppers inhabiting grassy areas and feasting on crops

A two striped grasshopper infected with Entomophaga grylli, a fungal pathogen which only kills grasshoppers, is seen on a plant near Lethbridge, Alta., in a July 2021 handout photo. A pattern of dry, hot weather across the Prairies over the past few years has resulted in a grasshopper infestation of epic proportions, with some experts saying the nuisance is negatively affecting every part of the agriculture industry. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Dan Johnson, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, a man watches as wildfires approach Kochyli beach near Limni village on the island of Evia, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Athens, Greece. A new massive United Nations science report is scheduled for release Monday Aug. 9, 2021, reporting on the impact of global warming due to humans. (AP Photo/Thodoris Nikolaou)

‘Nowhere to run’: UN report says global warming nears limits

Report: far worse heat waves, droughts and flood-inducing downpours without deep emissions cuts

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, a man watches as wildfires approach Kochyli beach near Limni village on the island of Evia, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Athens, Greece. A new massive United Nations science report is scheduled for release Monday Aug. 9, 2021, reporting on the impact of global warming due to humans. (AP Photo/Thodoris Nikolaou)
Cherries at Pravin Dhaliwal’s family farm in Oliver, B.C., are seen cooked on their trees, when the temperature hit a record 41.5 C in a June 2021 handout photo. Dhaliwal is trying to maintain his passion as a third-generation farmer while dealing with the reality of climate change and says farmers need more support from provincial and federal governments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Pravin Dhaliwal

Farmers say heat wave, drought show vulnerable agricultural sector needs support

Farmers across Canada look to provincial and the federal governments for help

Cherries at Pravin Dhaliwal’s family farm in Oliver, B.C., are seen cooked on their trees, when the temperature hit a record 41.5 C in a June 2021 handout photo. Dhaliwal is trying to maintain his passion as a third-generation farmer while dealing with the reality of climate change and says farmers need more support from provincial and federal governments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Pravin Dhaliwal
Stuart LePage, of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, sprints to place a salmon in a vessel to be lifted by a helicopter and transported up the Fraser River past a massive rock slide near Big Bar, west of Clinton, B.C., Wednesday July 24, 2019. Officials say thousands of migrating salmon are making their way past an area of British Columbia’s Fraser River that was the scene of waterway restructuring efforts following a massive rock slide more than two years ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Salmon getting through Fraser River slide zone as officials ponder permanent fix

Protected fishway at the slide site is allowing salmon to make it upstream

Stuart LePage, of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, sprints to place a salmon in a vessel to be lifted by a helicopter and transported up the Fraser River past a massive rock slide near Big Bar, west of Clinton, B.C., Wednesday July 24, 2019. Officials say thousands of migrating salmon are making their way past an area of British Columbia’s Fraser River that was the scene of waterway restructuring efforts following a massive rock slide more than two years ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Lead organizer Tasha Beeds and Ponoka youth Tisean Redcalf carry the children’s staff that represents the future seven generations. (Chevi Rabbit/BlackPress)

Water Walk Ceremony passes through central Alberta

Water Walkers will walk 1,900 kilometres in ceremony for the Saskatchewan River

Lead organizer Tasha Beeds and Ponoka youth Tisean Redcalf carry the children’s staff that represents the future seven generations. (Chevi Rabbit/BlackPress)
A pumpjack works at a wellhead on an oil and gas installation near Cremona, Alta., Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Injection of public funds didn’t increase Alberta oil well cleanups, study suggests

Parkland Institute: Province may have simply replaced money energy companies would have spent anyway

A pumpjack works at a wellhead on an oil and gas installation near Cremona, Alta., Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra speaks while Ottawa South MP David McGuinty looks on during a press conference at the Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The Liberal government is speeding up its goal for when it wants to see all light-duty vehicles sold in Canada to be electric.THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Kawai

Liberals say by 2035 all new cars, light-duty trucks sold in Canada will be electric

The government had set 2040 target for when it wants to see all passenger vehicles sold be electric

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra speaks while Ottawa South MP David McGuinty looks on during a press conference at the Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The Liberal government is speeding up its goal for when it wants to see all light-duty vehicles sold in Canada to be electric.THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Kawai
Crews with the $3.5-million provincially funded Marine Debris Removal Initiative remove discarded and lost gear from B.C.’s central coast in the summer of 2020. (Photo supplied by Simon Agar)

Coastal Cleanup stages sequel of bid to rid B.C. coast of garbage

West Coast cleanup nets over 200 tonnes of marine debris

Crews with the $3.5-million provincially funded Marine Debris Removal Initiative remove discarded and lost gear from B.C.’s central coast in the summer of 2020. (Photo supplied by Simon Agar)
The Site C Dam location is seen along the Peace River in Fort St. John, B.C., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. A United Nations agency says Canada’s largest national park is now so threatened that it could likely be placed on the list of World Heritage sites in danger. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park nears endangered status

UNESCO says industry, poor governance ‘likely’ endanger Canadian World Heritage site

The Site C Dam location is seen along the Peace River in Fort St. John, B.C., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. A United Nations agency says Canada’s largest national park is now so threatened that it could likely be placed on the list of World Heritage sites in danger. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward