Current Problems:
Exploring Theme: "Environmental Impacts"
Updates on this page: 78
(Filtered by Indigenous Group "First Nations")
November 13, 2024
Toxicologist calls Fort Chip contamination assessment ‘essentially useless’
Drone image of the Transport Canada dock in Fort Chipewyan, Alta. Photo submitted by the Athabasca Chipewyan First NationListen to article Canada’s National Observer – An independent toxicologist says a federal assessment of the contaminated Fort Chipewyan dock site failed to consider how community members use the land to fish, swim and harvest traditional plants. Numerous studies...
November 7, 2024
Aamjiwnaang rallies for environmental support at Queen’s Park
NationTalk: CKNX NewsToday.ca – Aamjiwnaang First Nation is asking the Ontario government to work together to improve environmental conditions in the community. A delegation of First Nation members, including Chief Janelle Nahmabin, was in Toronto for a rally at Queen’s Park on Thursday morning. Multiple speakers voiced their concerns about the ongoing state of emergency, declared...
October 30, 2024
Keepers of the Water take message to COP16 that Canada’s largest river basin needs to be protected
The Deh Cho, also known as the Mackenzie River, is downstream from Alberta oilsands CBC Indigenous – A group advocating for the protection of Canada’s largest river basin attended the latest United Nations biodiversity conference to raise awareness about the need to protect its freshwater. Keepers of the Water is a coalition of First Nations,...
October 12, 2024
Despite challenges, fishing on Lake Winnipeg ‘just a way of life’ for many in this northern First Nation
Commercial fishing ‘the greatest thing in the world’ in spite of challenging season, says Poplar River fisher CBC Indigenous: It’s before sunrise on a warm September morning as a commercial fishing boat, music playing out of its speakers, pulls up to the docks outside the Negginan Fishing Station in Poplar River First Nation. On board are three fishers,...
September 6, 2024
Quebec government tests soil in Kanesatake where illegal dumping is suspected
Highway 344 heading into the town of Oka is seen Thursday, June 18, 2015, in Kanesatake, Que. Photo by: The Canadian Press/Ryan RemiorzListen to article CBC News: The Quebec government says it has an “action plan” to fight illegal dumping of contaminated soil in a Mohawk community west of Montreal, but residents of Kanesatake and...
August 27, 2024
Quebec’s ‘refusal to cooperate’ forces First Nations to turn to Ottawa for help: Picard
Clock ticking down on Quebec government to produce caribou management strategy. APTN News: Time is running out on the Quebec government to put forward a strategy to protect Woodland Caribou in the northcentral region of the province. For years, local First Nations and wildlife protection groups in the Val d’Or and Charlevoix regions have been...
August 23, 2024
Leaders in Fort Chipewyan, Alta., urge people to avoid Lake Athabasca over contamination concerns
‘It’s nothing new,’ says elder in Fort Chipewyan CBC Indigenous: Community leaders in Fort Chipewyan, Alta., are asking residents there to stay away from Lake Athabasca, citing concerns about the water quality and possible contamination. Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam and Fort Chipewyan Métis president Kendrick Cardinal have both posted messages on social media recently,...
August 8, 2024
First Nations in B.C. forge alliances over shared environmental concerns
The recent Peace and Unity Summit sought ways to help impacted communities find solutions to ongoing threats to ecologies across Indigenous territories. Photo from the Peace and Unity Summit Instagram page Canada’s National Observer: Unity is hard to come by in an increasingly polarized world — except in Prince Rupert, B.C., where hereditary chiefs, leaders and supporters...
August 8, 2024
In Saskatchewan, North America’s largest inland river delta is under threat
Environmentalists, First Nations leaders worry about potential impact of major irrigation project CBC News: On an early July morning, Barry Carriere packed up his boat and set out on the calm waters of the Saskatchewan River Delta. At 57 years old, he’s been navigating these narrow channels and tributaries his entire life. But the trapper, fisherman and...
August 6, 2024
Landslide shows power of Mother Nature, says chief as worries now turn to salmon run
APTN News: The Canadian Press – A massive landslide sending a torrent of water carrying large trees and debris downstream shows the power of Mother Nature, says Chief Joe Alphonse who has deep concerns about the rushing water’s impact on critical salmon runs. Alphonse, the Tsilhqot’in National Government tribal chair, said Tuesday he’s “relieved” the...
June 21, 2024
A new law aims to crack down on environmental racism in Canada
Legislation will track how communities are affected and ‘hold government’s feet to the fire,’ professor says CBC News: For years, researchers, activists, community leaders have shown how Indigenous, Black and other racialized groups have been disproportionately affected by polluting industries. Now, a new law will require the federal government to better track this injustice, and...
June 13, 2024
Interlake Reserves Tribal Council calls on Manitoba to halt outlet channels project
Feds acknowledge project’s foreseeable harm on Indigenous communities. APTN News: Treaty 2 leaders gathered in Winnipeg today to bring attention to the harm projected to be caused by the Lake Manitoba/Lake St. Martin Outlet Channels Project. The $540 million project was originally proposed to prevent flooding by creating two, 24-kilometer-long flood diversion channels. Last week,...
May 16, 2024
Kahnawake council investigating air pollution issue after complaints
APTN News: Kerry Diabo says his life in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake has been marked by constant pollution. An issue that has afflicted many in the territory for decades. “We have factories surrounding our community, battery recycling plants. It’s been there since I was a kid in high school. We used to suffer from...
April 29, 2024
2 years after historic flood, Peguis First Nation evacuees still waiting to return home
‘The longer it gets, the more I’m starting to think it’s not temporary,’ says woman who evacuated to Winnipeg CBC Indigenous: Karen Courchene says she didn’t think she would be living in Winnipeg for this long. The woman from Peguis First Nation came to the city in the aftermath of the 2022 flood along the Fisher River,...
April 12, 2024
Flood prevention project could harm First Nation communities in Manitoba says report
Report findings on Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin Outlet Channels Project released to public. A new report released by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada this week suggests a proposed flood prevention project could harm surrounding First Nation communities. APTN News: The draft environmental assessment report suggests the Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin Outlet Channels...
April 9, 2024
Report finds climate gaps in proposed B.C. LNG project
By Matteo Cimellaro | News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | April 9th 2024 Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga’a Lisims Government, speaks during a homecoming celebration for the House of Ni’isjoohl memorial totem at the Nisga’a Nation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: A First Nation in northern British Columbia has released a report that pokes holes...
February 29, 2024
The protection of wetlands is tied to Indigenous and human rights
Despite their ecological, social, cultural and economic importance, over the past two centuries wetlands have been systematically destroyed for industrial, commercial and residential development. First Peoples Law Report: Rabble.ca, David Suzuki – In his 1972 non-fiction book No Name in the Street, James Baldwin asked, “Does the law exist for the purpose of furthering the ambitions...
February 22, 2024
Treaty One Nations shocked they weren’t notified when raw sewage spilled into Red River
“Our land and our water has spirit, just like a living being that we need to protect… They can’t speak for themselves and we have to be the ones that do that.” — Treaty One Nations Chairperson Gordon BlueSky Treaty One Nations Chairperson Gordon BlueSky Updated Feb. 22 with statements from Minister Tracy Schmidt and...
July 5, 2023
UNESCO report on Wood Buffalo National Park shows urgent need to fix problems, First Nation says
Document reaffirms threats from dams, oilsands development and climate change. But of 14 objectives for the park, UNESCO says only two are improving, with five stable and seven deteriorating. CBC News: A report from a United Nations body on environmental threats to Canada’s largest national park shows the urgency of the problems, says a spokesperson...
May 17, 2023
New hope for flood-prone Peguis First Nation means evacuees could come home
Nearly a third of the ‘refugees’ from last spring’s flood still haven’t returned to the community. The Nation hopes a new collaboration will help it better prepare for future natural disasters The Narwhal: A year after a historic flood ravaged Peguis First Nation, there’s hope on the horizon. The spring thaw passed without incident this...
May 11, 2023
More needs to be done to involve First Nations in emergency management, says Indigenous leader
Province says it is working to modernize emergency management legislation CBC News: Provincial and local authorities need to do more to involve First Nations in their emergency management plans, says Stó:lo Tribal Council Chief Tyrone McNeil. McNeil says the B.C. government is not providing enough direction to local and regional governments on how to work...
May 4, 2023
Federal Government’s Failure to Fix Dikes Sees Fort Albany Evacuated Due to Flooding Threat
NationTalk: FORT ALBANY FIRST NATION: The Chief and Council of Fort Albany First Nation have been forced to declare a community-wide evacuation as rising water from the winter break-up on the Albany River threatens to breach the community’s aging dike system. “The dikes that protect our community have failed twice over the years, and there...
April 26, 2023
To Protect Water, Bring Together Indigenous and Western Knowledge: U of G Expert Report
NationTalk: To restore and protect vulnerable freshwater systems in North America, start by interweaving Indigenous and Western values, worldviews and knowledge systems. So says a comprehensive report by University of Guelph researchers released last month by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW) urging collaboration and braiding of viewpoints in looking after threatened water systems. “Freshwater ecosystems...
March 8, 2023
‘If we lose this fight, we lose everything’: Naskapi, Innu nations oppose Quebec mining project
‘This area is what’s left for us to find peace,’ says resident of Kawawachikamach CBC News: A mining company wants to set up a large operation in Labrador, producing 2.5 million tonnes of iron annually and building a transportation corridor to help get the material from northern Quebec to Sept-Îles. Century Global says its venture,...
March 6, 2023
A First Nation’s Quest to Know Why Their Cemetery Was Flooded
After water invaded Kwikwetlem burial grounds, the long journey towards a solution. A Tyee special report. The Tyee: George Chaffee walked to the burial site with his brother and a pair of shovels. Their choices for where to make the grave were limited, given the sprawling traditional territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation had been...
February 27, 2023
Federal government has resumed talks with Ontario about the Ring of Fire: document
Internal emails obtained by The Narwhal appear to show a shift in relations between the two governments on the Ring of Fire. But some First Nations leaders say they’re still being left out The Narwhal: After a years-long stalemate over the far northern Ring of Fire, the federal government appears to have extended an olive...
February 15, 2023
A new approach to flood mapping could be on the way for Manitoba First Nations
With floods affecting almost 90 per cent of Manitoba First Nations, new flood management could put Traditional Knowledge first The Narwhal: Before the flood waters overwhelmed Peguis First Nation last spring, local trappers noticed the beehives had been built much higher than in years past. The beaver dams looked different; the foxes and raccoons they usually snared...
February 6, 2023
‘I don’t have a home to go to’: Peguis First Nation evacuees left in limbo 9 months after flooding
More than 900 evacuees still not able to return home, chief says CBC News: More than 900 evacuees from Peguis First Nation still can’t return to their community nearly nine months after floodwaters ravaged the reserve. Nearly 300 homes are uninhabitable and many have been given no timeline for when they may be able to go...
February 4, 2023
Pacific Coast Indigenous nations see a glimmer of hope for the future of salmon
Habitat loss decimated salmon populations. Indigenous communities are working to bring them back CBC News: Brook Thompson grew up along the shores of the Klamath River in Northern California, where her family would spend their summers camping and catching salmon. “It’s where I got a lot of connection about my culture and my family history,”...
January 26, 2023
First Nations say Alberta’s oil sands mine security reform unlikely to fix problems
The Globe and Mail: Alberta is preparing to change how it ensures oil sands companies are able to pay for the mammoth job of cleaning up their operations, but critics fear a year of consultations hasn’t been enough to avoid repeating past mistakes. “There’s no signal to me from this government that they are going...
January 25, 2023
Caribou summit asks a burning question: What’s the future of the Porcupine herd?
The Porcupine is ‘one of the biggest herds in the world.’ Will it stay that way? CBC News: The Porcupine caribou is one of the few barren-ground herds in the circumpolar world that remains strong and healthy — and the communities who rely on it want to make sure it stays that way. This was...
January 20, 2023
‘Crush you like a bug’: BC Hydro’s Site C lawsuit targets farmers, First Nations
The suit brought against peaceful opponents of the most expensive hydro dam in Canadian history has the hallmarks of a strategic lawsuit meant to silence and intimidate critics, according to experts The Narwhal: In the basement of Yvonne Tupper’s home, in northeast B.C., sits a banker’s box filled with papers from a Site C dam civil lawsuit...
January 20, 2023
B.C. announces cumulative impact agreements with Treaty 8 First Nations
LANDMARK DEAL WITH TREATY 8 NationTalk: Castanet – The B.C. government has reached four new agreements with Treaty 8 First Nations to address the cumulative impacts and future planning of industrial development in the northeast. The agreements provide hundreds of millions of dollars for land restoration and resource revenue sharing, and lays the groundwork to...
January 17, 2023
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Na-Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation express disappointment in the Yukon Government’s policy for the stewardship of wetlands
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Na-Cho Nyäk Dun are discouraged by the Yukon Government’s policy for the stewardship of wetlands, released January 10, 2023, which fails to address First Nation’s concerns. The traditional territories of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Na-Cho Nyäk Dun are home to some of the most vulnerable and rare wetland types in the Yukon....
January 16, 2023
Federal fisheries officers investigate Coastal GasLink pipeline project
The Globe and Mail: Work on the contentious Coastal GasLink pipeline is under investigation by federal fisheries officers, as construction pushes through sensitive salmon-bearing rivers. The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office has already issued dozens of regulatory warnings and orders, as well as fines, for the 670-kilometre-long, $11.2-billion project. Dan Bate, spokesman for the Department of...
January 4, 2023
The Sacred Balance: Learning from Indigenous Peoples
We are no more removed from nature than any other creature, even in the midst of a large city. Our animal nature dictates our essential needs: clean air, clean water, clean soil, clean energy. NationTalk: Rabble.ca. David Suzikii The following is adapted from the prologue to the 25th anniversary edition of The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our...
December 13, 2022
Documents raise concerns feds backing off commitment to phase out fish farms in B.C. by 2025
Critics say they fear an ongoing public consultation about open-net pen fish farms has a ‘foregone conclusion’ to leave fish farms in the water, to the detriment of wild salmon The Narwhal: Biologist Stan Proboszcz remembers Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2019 election campaign commitment clearly: to develop a plan to get fish farms out of...
November 2, 2022
Tensions rise as Coastal GasLink blasts a creek near a Wet’suwet’en camp
Questions and concerns about salmon, steelhead and the health of the river remain unaddressed as TC Energy continues construction of its gas pipeline The Coastal GasLink pipeline crosses more than 700 watercourses on its 670-kilometre-route. The crossing of Ts’elkay Kwe (Lamprey Creek) involves blasting to clear a path and excavating a trench directly through the...
October 25, 2022
Federal government moving closer to funding Ring of Fire mining roads: document
An internal briefing document obtained by The Narwhal shows that Ottawa has flagged Ring of Fire development as a possible ‘priority.’ Without Indigenous consent, it’s unclear what will happen next The Narwhal: The federal government has quietly marked the Ring of Fire region of northern Ontario as a potential “priority” mineral deposit, signalling it may be...
October 23, 2022
Coastal GasLink in hot water over pipeline environmental violations
Vancouver SUN: TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline project is in hot water with British Columbia’s environmental regulator for failing to meet the conditions of a compliance agreement that was supposed to correct a lengthening history of violations of the project’s environmental permit. The Environmental Assessment Office posted an order to its website late Friday, issued...
October 21, 2022
First Nations angered by delays in joint probe of cross-border contamination from coal mines
Globe News: First Nations and environmentalists say they are angry the federal and British Columbia governments continue to stonewall American requests for a joint investigation of cross-border contamination from coal mining as meetings of the panel that mediates such issues wrap up. “They can sit on every fence they want, but at the end of the day,...
October 7, 2022
Moose conservation in Eeyou Istchee and proposed Cree guidelines respecting the allowable harvest limit in Zone 17
NationTalk: Nemaska, Eeyou Istchee – Following the alarming results of the moose aerial survey conducted in February 2021 through collaborative efforts between the Cree Nation Government, the Cree Nation of Waswanipi and the Ministère des Forêt, Faune et Parcs (MFFP) confirming the decline of the moose population, a number of efforts have been set forth...
September 28, 2022
Indigenous Leaders: First Nation partnerships will lead the way north
Marten Falls and Webequie pursue their socio-economic development goals in shepherding Northern Road Link environmental impact process NationTalk: Soontoday.com: If your First Nation community harbours great ambitions to become a major project proponent, Gordon Wabasse offers some sage and simple advice. “Be prepared.” Wabasse, the lands and resources director of Webequie First Nation, participated in...
September 6, 2022
First Nation suing Alberta government over cumulative environmental effects
Toronto Star: EDMONTON – A northern Alberta First Nation has filed what experts say is the province’s first lawsuit claiming cumulative effects from industry, agriculture and settlement are so pervasive, they violate the band’s treaty rights. Duncan’s First Nation, southwest of Peace River, alleges the province has permitted so much activity and sold off so...
August 30, 2022
‘Trying to save our fish’: B.C. First Nations appeal a court ruling in an attempt to restore the Nechako River
Saik’uz and Stellat’en First Nations have been fighting for the health of the watershed for over a decade. A dam operated by Rio Tinto Alcan and regulated by the province continues to devastate sturgeon and salmon populations The Narwhal: Seventy years ago, B.C. approved a hydroelectric project that would irreversibly alter an entire watershed and...
August 25, 2022
Minister Guilbeault is visiting regions in Quebec to discuss protection of the caribou
Environment and Climate Change Canada: The caribou is an iconic species for Canadians. It is at the heart of the boreal forest ecosystem and plays an important role in the culture and history of Indigenous Peoples. The Government of Canada is determined to work in collaboration with the provinces, Indigenous Peoples, and all stakeholders to...
August 23, 2022
Multiple Threats to Pacific Salmon Fishery: Canada and BC double funding and extend pacific salmon program
Vancouver, BC – Improving the health of Pacific salmon and ensuring a sustainable fishing sector is a priority for both the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia. Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray and the BC Minister of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship,...
August 18, 2022
Ontario is resisting Canada’s plans for Indigenous-led conservation areas
The federal government is starting to fund Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas. An internal document shows Ontario has ‘concerns’ The Narwhal: In the face of provincial resistance, the federal government is urging Ontario to cooperate with plans to establish Indigenous-led conservation areas, according to an internal briefing. The document from Natural Resources Canada, obtained by...
August 17, 2022
UNESCO team in Alberta to judge if Wood Buffalo Park should go on endangered list
CityNews Everywhere Ottawa: A United Nations body that monitors some of the world’s greatest natural glories is in Canada again to assess government responses to ongoing threats to the country’s largest national park, including plans to release treated oilsands tailiBob Weber, The Canadian Press a day ago EDMONTON — A United Nations body that monitors some...
June 29, 2022
Enforcement operation near Lake Cowichan
NationTalk: Since early June 2022, the BC RCMP, through the Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) and Division Liaison Team (DLT), have been involved in ongoing discussions with the impacted First Nations communities – Ditidaht, Huu-ay-aht and Pacheedaht – regarding their concerns over a protest camp that has been placed across Haddon Main and Carrmanah Mainline Forest...
June 23, 2022
Protesters Ordered to Remove Illegal Camp and Respect Indigenous Sovereignty and Provincial Authorizations
Nitinaht, Traditional Ditidaht First Nation Territory, B.C. – Indigenous leaders from the Ditidaht, Huu-ay-aht and Pacheedaht First Nations met with protesters today to give final notice to immediately dismantle an illegal camp built across a main logging road on Ditidaht Traditional Territory in Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 44 on Vancouver Island. The Nations’ elected and hereditary...
April 18, 2022
Multiple Threats to Pacific Salmon Fishery
NationTalk: The First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance (“FNWSA”) is deeply troubled with the revelations set out in an article featured on the front page of today’s Globe and Mail which identifies that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (“DFO”), under the Harper administration, withheld critical science related to the existence of a highly transmissible...
December 14, 2021
Tailings Pond release in Athabaska River
Fort McMurray Today – First Nation, Métis leaders raise concerns about plans to release treated tailings into Athabasca River. The federal government is developing protocols for when treated tailings water can be released into the Athabasca River. A first draft is scheduled to be finished by 2024 and a final draft will be published in...
November 22, 2021
Canadian Banks invest in oil and gas exploration in Arctic Wildlife Refuge
US Congress passed “Build Back Better Act”, which restores protections to Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins), also known as the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. When more than 400,000 acres of the Coastal Plain were leased by the Trump Administration, not a single acre was leased by...
March 4, 2021
The Narwhal – Response to the Milburn review
The Narwhal as flagged the following as major problems: 50 per cent of the $5B increase to $16B in project costs are due to geotechnical issues relating to the unstable valley prone to large landslides and the COVID-19 pandemic. But the other 50 per cent of the cost increase was not revealed. Every single independent...
February 26, 2021
Milburn Review of Site C Dam
BC Government – The Province has released the Milburn review (Oct. 10, 2020), with 17 recommendations aimed at improving oversight and governance. Government and BC Hydro have accepted all the recommendations. The review focused on four areas: Governance and Oversight Geotechnical issues Risk Construction Supervision and Claims Management https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Milburn_Summary_Review.pdf...
January 29, 2021
Multiple threats to Pacific salmon fishery
The Province – K̓áwáziɫ Marilyn Slett — Chief Councillor of the Heiltsuk Nation, President of Coastal First Nations and co-chair of the Wild Salmon Advisory Council to British Columbia — describes the urgency of the salmon crisis and the immediate need for collective action. The importance of healthy salmon populations for coastal First Nations cannot...
January 13, 2021
Opposition to Imperial Metals Mining permit in the Skagit Watershed
NationTalk – An international coalition of more than 200 conservation, recreation and wildlife groups as well as local elected officials, businesses and Tribes and First Nations opposing a pending mining permit by Imperial Metals in the headwaters of the Skagit River continues to grow. Letter to British Columbia Premier John Horgan signed by 108 U.S....
December 16, 2020
Canadian Banks invest in oil and gas exploration in Arctic Wildlife Refuge: Scotiabank, CIBC, TDBFG
Yukon News – Scotiabank is the latest of five Canadian banks to reject drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “Scotiabank will not provide direct financing or project-specific financial and advisory services for activities that are directly related to the exploration, development or production of oil and gas within the Arctic Circle, including the Arctic...
November 18, 2020
DFO cancels consultation with Mi’kmaw over fish passage in Avon River
Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn Negotiation Office (KMKNO),– this week the Consultation Department received notice – without explanation – from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that a Ministerial Order (MO) that DFO developed to address concerns with the Avon River was no longer being issued. This MO was to be implemented weeks ago and instead...
October 22, 2020
Canadian Banks invest in oil and gas exploration in Arctic Wildlife Refuge: BMO, RBC
Vuntut Gwitchin Government and Gwich’in Tribal Council – are celebrating news that the Bank of Montreal (BMO) has prohibited financing for oil and gas exploration and development activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. BMO has confirmed this new policy in an update to their Responsible Lending webpage. The move from BMO follows a similar action...
September 28, 2020
Attawapiskat First Nation opposes DeBeers Land Fill site
Attawapiskat First Nation – DeBeers Canada (DBC) is seeking Ontario Government approval for a third landfill waste site to be built and filled up at the Victor Mine Site, located in a vulnerable James Bay wetlands area, and in a place of critical importance to Attawapiskat. The Victor Mine is now in the closure phase,...
August 10, 2020
Mount Polley Mine Tailings disaster
“Safety First” a new report by Earthworks and MiningWatch Canada recommends that all new mine tailing ponds be constructed using filtered tailings storage, otherwise known as dry-stack tailings. When filtered tailings are not an option, at the very least better dam construction needs to be required by regulators, Safety First states. The reports notes the...
August 10, 2020
Omnibus Bill 197 violates Environmental Bill of Rights
The Timmins Daily Press – Mushkegowuk Council is calling on the province to honour the treaty it signed 115 years ago. Treaty 9 was signed between First Nations leaders and Canadian political figures to establish guidelines around resources and projects on First Nations land. Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon called Bill 197 a “major step back”...
July 24, 2020
Coastal GasLink ignores Environmental Assessment Act
Unist’ot’en – BC’s Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) has issued a non-compliance after Coastal GasLink clears pipeline Right of Way through hundreds of wetlands without environmental fieldwork. There are nearly 300 of these protected wetlands along the pipeline route, and Coastal GasLink’s “Qualified Professionals” have neglected to develop site-specific mitigation for any of them. Nearly 80%...
July 24, 2020
Omnibus Bill 197 violates Environmental Bill of Rights
NationTalk – Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2019), an omnibus bill introduced on July 8 and passed just 13 days later on July 23 with little legislative debate and no Standing Committee consideration, and without public consultation on the changes to the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) despite warnings from Ontario’s Auditor General that this...
June 5, 2020
Suspension of Environmental Monitoring in Oil Sands
Three First Nations in northeast Alberta – Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Fort McKay First Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation – have jointly filed an appeal related to recent Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) decisions to suspend key aspects of environmental monitoring in the oil sands. The First Nations were not consulted on decisions that clearly impact...
April 28, 2020
Canadian Banks invest in oil and gas exploration in Arctic Wildlife Refuge
Vuntut Gwitchin Government (VGG) and Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) – Despite movement by the majority of major U.S. banks – five of the top 6 – there has yet to be similar action from their Canadian peers to rule out financing new oil and gas exploration and development in the Arctic, including the Arctic National...
April 6, 2020
Suspension of Environmental Monitoring in Oil Sands
Canadian Manufacturing – The Alberta Government has suspended all environmental reporting requirements for industry under emergency powers the province has enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The move effectively suspends environmental regulation in the province. Later, on May 6, 2020, the Alberta Energy Regulator suspended a wide array of environmental monitoring requirements for oil sands...
February 13, 2020
Criticisms of Federal Impact Assessment Act
FACETS – “Indigenous knowledge and federal environmental assessments in Canada: applying past lessons to the 2019 impact assessment act”. Even the most contemporary federal Environmental Assessment framework in Canada ultimately fails to ensure the engagement of the critically important knowledge of Indigenous peoples in environmental decision-making. While we identify that Impact Assessment Act fails to...
August 9, 2019
Multiple threats to Pacific salmon fishery
BC Assembly of First Nations – Failure to issue a closure to all marine and recreational Fraser River salmon fishing due to the Big Bar Landslide near Lillooet. On June 21, 2019 a large land slide was discovered in a remote part of the Fraser River, which is considered one of the most sacred rivers...
August 1, 2019
Mount Polley Mine Tailings disaster
BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council – released “Reducing the Risks of Mining Disasters in BC: How Financial Assurance can Help”. Based on the analysis presented in this report, we make one overarching recommendation to British Columbia policy-makers and two supporting ones. 6.1 Main recommendation Require hard financial assurance against the risk of mining...
January 31, 2019
Redwater Energy avoids liability for orphaned wells
Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) – Supreme Court of Canada decision 2019 SCC 5 ruled in favour of the AER and Orphan Well Association’s (OWA’s) appeal of the Redwater decision. From the May 2016 Redwater decision until January 30, 2019, receivers and trustees involved in 28 insolvencies renounced their interest in more than 10 000 AER-licensed...
December 30, 2018
Redwater Energy avoids liability for orphaned wells
Macleans -Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act: requires owners of contaminated land – including oil and gas sites – seeking remediation certificates to report “new information” as well as meet specific timelines and instructions to remediate land and prevent future adverse effects....
December 1, 2018
Failure to protect Woodland Cariboo
Government of Canada – “Progress Report on Steps Taken to Protect Critical Habitat for the Woodland Caribou” indicates little progress is being made toward conservation. Meanwhile, provinces continue to issue permits for energy and forestry developments that do not comply with Species At Risk Act (SARA) , placing caribou at even greater risk. (David Suzuki...
July 4, 2017
Redwater Energy avoids liability for orphaned wells
Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) – The May 19, 2016, decision by the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in the matter of Redwater Energy Corp. allows receivers and trustees to disclaim Alberta Energy Regulator licensed assets and avoid their abandonment and reclamation obligations. Disclaiming unprofitable sites allows a company to reap the benefits of producing...
July 14, 2016
Mercury poisoning at Grassy Narrows
Toronto Star – Ontario’s former environment minister called for a clean-up of mercury contaminating Grassy Narrows First Nation, historical cabinet memos obtained by the Star show. But nothing was done by the government of the day to clean up the polluted river and lakes, and more than 30 years later the fish that feed the...
August 14, 2014
Mount Polley Mine Tailings disaster
The Mount Polley mine tailings dam collapsed, releasing 25 million cubic metres of contaminated mining waste. The massive spill destroyed or affected over 2.6 million square meters of aquatic and riparian habitats over a 10-km distance. Imperial Metals did not even pay the full cost of the clean-up. British Columbians and Canadians picked up a...