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Exploring Theme: "Environmental Impacts"
Updates on this page: 31
(Filtered by Stakeholder "Canada")
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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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,...
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...
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 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...
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,...
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 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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...