The outcome of this weekend’s election will have national consequences for climate change and the environment. Team Narwhal is here to make sense of it
The parties vying for seats in the upcoming B.C. election take very different stances on the province’s nascent liquefied natural gas industry.
Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal
The final countdownThe outcome of B.C.’s election will have national consequences for climate change and the environment. Team Narwhal is here to make sense of it.
It’s no secret British Columbia is home to some of Canada’s most breathtaking natural beauty, biodiversity and old-growth forests — along with some of its most contentious fossil fuel projects.
What happens in this province has huge implications for Canada’s climate goals writ large. Think of the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which sparked nationwide protests four years ago, not to mention industrial logging and seven approved or proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects gearing up to sell natural gas to Asian markets — it’s a lot. And now, B.C. has a new emerging pipeline conflict.
It’s why our B.C. team has been focusing on the Oct. 19 provincial election, looking at what different political parties have in store for the natural world.
B.C. politics and environment reporter Shannon Waters and biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank put together a voter’s guide to key climate issues — where parties stand on the carbon tax, nuclear energy, promises for at-risk species, old-growth logging, Indigenous Rights, conservation and more.
As for those LNG projects I mentioned earlier? Shannon explains the NDP, Conservative and Green positions in this handy guide to B.C. energy issues, where she also breaks down their stands on clean electric power, electric vehicles and more.
Across the province, voters are focused on topics like healthcare, affordability, housing and transit. That’s largely true in the toss-up riding of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky — yet environment and climate change are still top of mind for riding residents who will be affected by Woodfibre LNG, an export facility under construction in Squamish that is majority-owned by an Indonesian billionaire.
“Access to nature, in particular hiking and skiing, is such a draw for people in places like Squamish and Whistler,” B.C. biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank told me. “Some residents are worried that Woodfibre LNG could hinder the ecological restoration of the Squamish estuary, which was degraded by decades of industry — not to mention concerns that the project will contribute to climate change.”
Here, the BC Greens candidate, the only local candidate calling for the project to be cancelled, came within a hair’s breadth of winning the seat in 2020 — and is now in a neck-and-neck race with the BC Conservatives.
No matter the outcome, we’ll be here to hold the new government accountable for its climate and nature promises — well past the election.
P.S. Did you know we’re hiring a video producerand a web developer? The deadline to apply, Oct. 20, is fast approaching — share this newsletter with someone you think might be a great fit for either of the roles!
In the small community of Windsor, N.S., a big battle has been raging. The source of the conflict? An aging causeway that crosses the Avon River, which has a tidal gate connecting the river to the Bay of Fundy. The construction of the causeway created an artificial reservoir, Lake Pisiquid, which has become an important part of Windsor — and a beloved feature for many residents.
But keeping it full requires keeping the tidal gate shut, which in turn prevents fish from migrating upriver — a violation of Treaty Rights, the Mi’kmaq say. Since June 2023, the province has renewed an emergency order every two weeks to keep Lake Pisiquid full, ostensibly to fight wildfires (even during historic rainstorms), while fish scientists say the federal government is refusing to intervene in what has become a heated political standoff. Reporter Moira Donovan breaks down the controversy in her latest feature.
— Michelle Cyca, senior editor
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Ahhhh … the taste of fresh democracy in the morning! Let your friends know that subscribing to this newsletter is the best way to stay on top of environmental issues in B.C. — and across the country.
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The parties vying for seats in the upcoming B.C. election take very different stances on the province’s nascent liquefied natural gas industry.
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