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As B.C. heads to the polls, what’s on the line?

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 final countdown
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A graphic of the leaders of B.C.'s three political parties heading into the 2024 provincial election


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.

A woman holds a phone over a fence, taking a picture of what's behind. The fence is covered in black fabric and a sign reads "danger, construction area."
🔗 Why this B.C. riding is a toss-up between the Greens and Conservatives

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.

Read Ainslie’s on-the-ground look into a key swing riding and check out our detailed reporting on the election over here.

Take care and go vote,

Karan Saxena 
Audience engagement editor
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P.S. Did you know we’re hiring a video producer and 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!

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Artificial lake, real tension


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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This week in The Narwhal

A bee inside a yellow flower
Native bees are an important piece of the pie. Why aren’t we protecting them?
By Luke Roman
Our food security relies on a diversity of pollinators on Canadian farms. Honeybees get a lot of credit, but they’re pushing native species out.

READ MORE
Overhead view of a flat landscape with trees in autumn colours, farms and a small town
What the federal government really thinks about Ontario’s Highway 413
By Emma McIntosh
READ MORE
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault speaks at a podium
‘A responsibility to protect’: Canada launches independent agency to manage freshwater 
By Julia-Simone Rutgers
READ MORE
A two colour illustration of apples on a branch with a basket and tractor in the background.
Crunch time: co-op closure adds to B.C. apple industry’s many worries
By Paloma Pacheco
READ MORE
A low road bridges a narrow river
Two high school students want to keep trash out of the Great Lakes. They think rivers are the key
By Fatima Syed
READ MORE

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What we’re reading


Jaela Bernstien joined scientists on Lake Erie to report this CBC interactive feature on how an early warning system will help protect drinking water from toxic blue-green algae

B.C.’s emerging LNG export industry poses a new threat to fin whales in the Kitimat fjord, Laura Trethewey reports for Hakai Magazine.

Without provincial regulation, Nova Scotia communities must face tough decisions on coastal development in an era of climate change alone. Matthew McClearn has that story in The Globe and Mail (paywalled). 
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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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