In the grasslands of Record Ridge near Rossland, B.C., the little mountain holly fern is gearing up for the fight of its life. The rare plant is found in just two or three other places in Canada, and favours taking root in the cracks of magnesium-rich rock. But it’s not the only one lured by the critical mineral.

West High Yield Resources wants to build an open-pit mine on the ridge, stripping the surface to extract magnesium and other minerals. The company’s exploration and mining footprint stretches across an area bigger than 22 Stanley Parks — 8,972 hectares. The project is deep into the permitting process and the application is now up for public comment.

The company describes itself as “working to be at the forefront” of North America’s transition towards a low-carbon economy, with magnesium on the federal government’s list of minerals described as “critical” to electrification. West High Yield Resources declined to be interviewed or provide a comment for this story.

After an interim decision was leaked earlier this week, Ad Standards Canada says it will not make public the final outcome of its investigation into allegations of greenwashing against oil and gas advocacy group Canada Action Coalition.

The interim decision, which is dated Jan. 30 but was released to the complainants and Canada Action Coalition only earlier this month, unanimously found that Canada Action Coalition gave an “overall misleading impression that B.C. LNG is good for the environment, amounting to greenwashing.”

In a statement, Canada Action Coalition said it is appealing the decision.

But the outcome of that appeal will not be released to the public, Ad Standards said.

“Due to egregious violations of confidentiality in this case, by the leaking of this decision which was not final, we will only be advising the advertiser of the outcome of the appeal,” president and CEO Catherine Bate wrote in a statement. “We will not be able to report the results of that decision publicly, or to comment further.” The Tyee is supported by readers like you Join us and grow independent media in Canada

That move isn’t sitting well with those calling for action on greenwashing by the oil and gas industry.

Leah Temper, health and economic policy program director with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, or CAPE, said Ad Standards’ decision to withhold its findings in the current case “further undermines their credibility.”

“If ads are being found to be false and misleading, what is the mechanism for correcting the public record?” Temper said. “We’re in these key critical moments and policymakers and the public are being swayed by these ads.”

Temper added that the only way the public is likely to know the outcome of the appeal and the council’s final decision is if the ads continue to run.

While CAPE released the interim decision on its website, it didn’t make the complaint. Temper said the issue was raised by “multiple complainants,” who remain anonymous.

For time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have stewarded what’s now called “Canada,” living off of and caring for its lands and waters. When settlers arrived, they introduced commercial fishing, shipping and industrialization, which have come to endanger the aquatic ecosystems critical to our survival.

Now, Indigenous-led conservation areas are being established across the country to combat the impact colonization has had on oceans, lakes and rivers, and return these critical habitats to their original caretakers. While some First Nations are declaring these marine conservation areas in partnership with the federal government — there are five such Marine Conservation Areas so far — other First Nations are forging ahead on their own while they await settlers’ bureaucratic processes to catch up.

These efforts can support jobs, conserve and restore aquatic habitats, and increase food security, as the reporting gathered here documents.

This collection of stories produced by 10 news outlets, which can be used as an educational tool, is organized by water bodies. By clicking on the area you’d like to explore, you’ll be taken to the stories that detail the Indigenous-led conservation work being done to protect waters in that region. Clicking on a story headline will take you to the site of its original publication.

While the writ hasn’t dropped, the B.C. election campaign has unofficially begun as B.C. United leader Kevin Falcon stopped in Cranbrook this weekend as part of a listening tour.

During a media availability, Falcon spoke at length on the state of the political landscape and the issues facing British Columbians as voters are set to cast their ballots in October.

Falcon also addressed the defection of B.C. United MLA Lorne Doerkson, the party’s caucus chair elected out of the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding, who crossed the floor to the B.C. Conservative Party on May 31.

“Obviously I’m disappointed in Lorne, but at the end of the day, Lorne made that decision, he’ll have to defend it,” Falcon said. “He’s scared and he’s worried about polls and I understand that, but for us, principles and values are actually really important.

“To have somebody that we’ve heard internally talk about how appalled he is by the B.C. Conservatives’ positions, especially on socially conservative issues, to then walk over and join that party is obviously disappointing, but he’ll have to defend that to his constituents and his community.”

If polls are to be believed, the outcome doesn’t look great for B.C. United.

The latest offering from Angus Reid, published on May 30, has the B.C. NDP ahead at 41 per cent, followed by the B.C. Conservative Party at 30 per cent and BC United at 16 per cent and the B.C. Green Party at 11 per cent among those whose voting intentions have already been decided.

However, polls can be fickle, as Falcon threaded his media availability with themes of building a coalition representing the entire spectrum of interests for British Columbians.

“The NDP under David Eby are too extreme on the left, and the B.C. Conservative Party, which is not connected to the federal party at all, are too extreme on the right,” said Falcon.

The province has started an engagement process aimed at creating a Filipino cultural centre in B.C.

A new website an survey is meant to give British Columbians opportunities to share their vision for a centre dedicated to celebrating Filipino Canadians’ heritage and contributions to B.C.’s success. The Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Ministry says the development of the website and survey follows multiple roundtables with community organization leaders.

“The contributions of the Filipino Canadian community in B.C. are an important part of our province’s history, culture and success,” Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham said.

The province says Filipinos have a long history in B.C., dating back to the 1880s on Bowen Island.

Currently, more than 170,000 Filipinos call B.C. home and that population is expected to more than double by 2041.

Filipino Canadians are the fourth-largest visible minority group in Canada, and third-largest in B.C.

“Establishing a Filipino cultural centre has been a passion of mine ever since I was first elected and I am thrilled to see it move closer to being a reality,” Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives Mabel Elmore said.

Feedback from the survey is expected to be released in a report in spring 2025, and then next steps will be taken to create a cultural centre.

The survey can be found at engage.gov.bc.ca/provincialfilipinoculturalcentre.

The province is expanding its program to provide air conditioners to those most at risk of extreme heat, with an additional $20 million.

Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation Josie Osborne announced the expansion Friday (May 31) during an update on summer heat preparedness. The province expects the additional $20 million will allow for 19,000 more households to be eligible to access a free AC unit.

She said in 2023 the province provided $10 million to BC Hydro to provide air conditioning units for those who really struggle with extreme heat. That funding provided units to about 6,000 people.

The program, which is income based, is provided through BC Hydro and includes one portable air conditioner unit and a one-time installation.

For a one-person household to be eligible, the maximum household income before tax must be $39,700. For a household of four people, the maximum income must be $73,800.

Doerkson says B.C. Conservatives are the only party capable of defeating current NDP government

The first week of June will be cooler and wetter than normal across most of B.C., but the rest of the month will likely be hotter and drier than seasonal norms.

That is the outlook Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Armel Castellan gave during Friday’s (May 31) update on seasonal preparedness for summer heat.

Castellan’s outlook can be read as a warning to British Columbians to prepare themselves for higher temperatures, but he is also against treating these seasonal predictions with too much certainty.

British Columbians will only know about individual precipitation and weather events in the days leading up to them, he said. He said modelling for June, July and August will likely be a warmer-than-normal summer, with just Haida Gwaii and parts of Vancouver Island could see more near-normal temperatures.

Castellan said May saw “near-normal” quantities of rain for B.C.’s central Interior, but added that most of B.C. has experienced a “precipitation deficit” during the spring of 2024 in line with the last two years.

Castellan was joined by Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Josie Osborne, B.C.’s minister of energy, mines and low carbon innovation, and other provincial staff.

Henry said it’s no surprise that B.C. has been seeing hotter and drier summers due to climate change.

The Angus Reid poll showed 54 per cent of those surveyed had an unfavourable view of Falcon while 44 per cent had a negative impression of Rustad. Eby, meanwhile, had a 45 per cent approval rating.

But Wilson added that there is “no evidence it is run by any former members of (B.C.) United” and that “is more likely another underhanded scheme from John Rustad’s (B.C.) Conservatives after he torpedoed negotiations last week.”

Surprise surprise, a Conservative who's got a past full of hate.

Psychotherapy could soon be a regulated health profession in British Columbia, according to the province's health ministry.

The province is proposing changes to the Health Professions Act to regulate psychotherapy so those in the field, include people those who use titles such as clinical counsellor, counselling therapist and psychotherapist, will be subject to government oversight.

The provincial government says it will consult with the public for the next month and then decide whether to formally regulate psychotherapy.

If the province decides to regulate, a new regulatory college will be formed and regulations around responsibility, scope of practice and more will be created.

Right now, anyone can call themselves a therapist and advertise their services to British Columbians seeking support for mental and emotional health. They don't need any training and there's no official body with legal powers to hold them accountable for any damage they might cause.

Heiltsuk Nation says an RCMP officer is being transferred out of the community following claims of him making racist comments and posts on social media.

“We want to thank our community for reporting the racist Facebook posts and for raising their voices against racism and calling for accountability,” Heiltsuk Nation elected Chief Marilyn Slett said Thursday in an emailed release.

The Nation says the officer will be leaving the community this weekend, “and from now until his departure, will not be working another shift in Bella Bella.”

RCMP shared the news with Heiltsuk joint leadership on Wednesday, the Nation says.

It comes less than a week after the Heiltsuk shared the posts on the officer’s personal account, and days after Heiltsuk members protested outside of the RCMP detachment in Bella Bella on May 24.

WARNING: This story contains disturbing details

A B.C. Supreme Court judge heard Wednesday how police investigators stripped a Langley home of plumbing, wall molding, and flooring as they searched for possible evidence in the homicide of Naomi Onotera.

Obnes Regis is on trial for manslaughter and indignity to human remains in the death of Onotera, his wife.

Onotera went missing at the end of August, 2021, and by mid-September police were looking into Regis as a suspect.

The trial began Monday with a voluminous listing of agreed facts and evidence that was presented during a pair of lengthy pre-trial voir dire hearings last fall and earlier this spring.

The evidence already before Justice Martha Devlin, in a judge-only trial with no jury, includes a videotaped interrogation of Regis by the RCMP, video and audio taken by undercover officers, video surveillance, and forensic evidence, including pieces of human tissue and DNA.

RCMP say human remains found near Dawson Creek, B.C., have been identified as a woman who was reported missing late last year.

Renee Didier, who police say sometimes used the surname Supernant, was found on May 18 near the Kiskatinaw River, which runs west of the northeastern B.C. city.

The Cree woman, who was a mother of two, was last seen on gas station surveillance footage from Dec. 3, 2023 and was reported missing on Dec. 7.

Didier, who was 40 when she disappeared, is one of four people to go missing from Dawson Creek — a city in the Peace River region around 740 kilometres north of Vancouver and 20 kilometres from the Alberta border that has a population of 12,000 — last year, prompting community-wide searches and questions about public safety.

Among the others to go missing are Didier's cousin, Darylyn Supernant, who was last seen on March 15, 2023.

Also missing are Dave Daniel Domingo, a 24-year-old believed to have been in a rural area near Dawson Creek on Aug. 29 when police responded to reports of a possible shooting.

Cole Hosack, a 24-year-old from Prince George, was last seen on New Year's Eve at the same bar where Didier was spotted shortly before she disappeared.

In addition to the discovery of Didier, police found human remains on April 19 on the 219 Road near Saskatoon Creek, north of the city. They have not announced a positive identification in that case.

A new conservation area will protect important bird habitat and preserve grasslands in southeastern British Columbia, the Nature Conservancy of Canada says.

The conservancy says money from the federal government and private donors went to buying up 271 hectares (2.7 square kilometres) of land in the Skookumchuck Prairie north of Cranbrook, B.C.

Richard Klafki, a B.C. program director with the Nature Conservancy, said the land — which also includes wetlands and forests — is a "key biodiversity area" and came up for sale when the former owner, a local rancher, decided to downsize.

Klafki said the former owner offered up the lands knowing their "unique ecological characteristics" and sites like it are becoming rarer in the valleys of the Rocky Mountain Trench.

Additionally, through Forest Landscape Plans (FLPs) the Province is ensuring local values drive decisions on the landbase, including those related to forest resilience, wildfire prevention, economic development and community well-being. Nine FLPs are underway, with more to be announced in the future. FLPs will be developed in partnership with First Nations, and through engagement with communities and people affected, local knowledge and values can be incorporated into the management of entire ecosystems.

On June 1, 2024, the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 an hour.

The 3.9% increase also applies to minimum-wage rates for resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers and live-in camp leaders. The increase will help approximately 240,000 workers who currently earn less than $17.40 per hour.

On Dec. 31, 2024, the minimum piece rates for the hand-harvesting of the 15 crops specified in the Employment Standards Regulation will also increase by the same percentage.

[...]

In February 2024, government amended the Employment Standards Act so that future increases to the minimum rates will happen automatically, based on the previous year’s average inflation rate for B.C. This will provide certainty and predictability for workers and employers. Minimum-wage earners will be able to count on increases that keep pace with inflation.

• "B.C. minimum wage increases June 1". 2024-05-28T09:45. BC Gov News (https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024LBR0009-000808).
• Archive

Food Banks Canada’s 2024 Poverty Report Card gives B.C. a D-plus.

“I would say that the grade itself is very concerning as it was last year and we were optimistic that we would see B.C. improving on that,” Dan Huang-Taylor, executive director of Food Banks BC, said. “It (the final grade) was disappointed but also unexpected because this is what we are seeing at the front lines of food banks, more people needing services, which only tells that the situation of many British Columbians has gotten worse.”

The provincial poverty rate of 11.6 per cent is “substantially higher” than the national average of 9.9 per cent, according to the report. More British Columbians are also experiencing some form of food insecurity in the face of rising costs for necessities like housing coupled with inadequate assistance rates.

Huang-Taylor said B.C.’s poverty rates partly reflect economic factors completely out of its control. “But we are also certainly looking at government policies that are currently inadequate to meet the needs of people, particularly those who are most impacted by poverty — people on fixed incomes, racialized communities and Indigenous peoples.”

Huang-Taylor said solutions must involve all societal partners: all levels of government; non-profits and corporations, adding that his organization looks forward to the upcoming release of B.C. poverty reduction strategy.

“We are encouraged by what’s happening in B.C. with housing,” Huang-Taylor said, adding more needs to be done to adequately house hundreds of thousands of people.

The Poverty Report Canada gives B.C. a B for government efforts to address some poverty issues, especially when it comes to housing.

The Province is digitizing local permit processes to make it easier and faster for homeowners and industry professionals to submit applications to local governments and First Nations. The Building Permit Hub is the next step in the Province’s work to speed up homebuilding and reduce the costs of housing, and meet the Province’s goal for British Columbia to become a North American leader in digital permitting and construction.

The Building Permit Hub will address these challenges by offering a one-stop, simplified process, resulting in faster processing and review times. Builders will submit their permit applications online in the hub, which will:

• standardize building-permit submission requirements across jurisdictions in B.C.;
• automatically check that the permit application is complete; and
• automatically check compliance with key parts of the BC Building Code.

Twelve local governments and two First Nations will pilot the first version of the Building Permit Hub. The Building Permit Hub will go live on Monday, May 27, 2024, to allow communities to update the tool for their local requirements and permitting capability is expected to come online this summer. The hub will be further developed in summer with additional features added, such as permit applications for secondary suites and accessory dwelling units, and will eventually be available throughout the province, allowing every community to process building permits digitally.

Residents in Fort Nelson are able to go home today after being evacuated for more than two weeks due to wildfires.

The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and the Fort Nelson First Nation say they’ll jointly rescind their evacuation orders at 8 a.m., lift roadblocks and allow people to return.

About 4,700 residents were evacuated from Fort Nelson on May 10, when strong winds pushed the Parker Lake wildfire within a few kilometres of the town.

The fire destroyed four homes and damaged six other properties in the area.

Crews are also fighting the Patry Creek fire north of town, which is a holdover fire that was initially ignited by lightning in July 2023.

The regional municipality’s Mayor Rob Fraser has asked residents to be patient as they navigate what’s expected to be heavy traffic on the highway between Fort Nelson and Fort St. John, 380 km to the south, where many of the evacuees have been staying.

In a statement posted online, Fraser says evacuation alerts will remain in place as active wildfires are still burning in the area, meaning residents should be prepared to leave again if needed.

“I’m relieved. I’m optimistic. I’m a little bit sad. But mostly I’m happy that everybody’s getting an opportunity to come home,” Fraser said.

BC United and the province’s Conservative party failed to reach an agreement in recent talks about co-operating ahead of the October election.

BC United Leader Kevin Falcon told reporters Friday that both parties were hearing from people who wanted them to work together to defeat the sitting NDP government.

“Unfortunately I have to stand and tell you today that John Rustad ultimately made the decision that that’s not something he wants to proceed with and he is going to put his personal ambitions as he views them above the best interests of the province,” Falcon said.

In an emailed statement Conservative Rustad said there will be no merging of the two parties ahead of the election and that Falcon rejected earlier offers from the Conservatives to work together starting last December, either outright or by insisting he would dictate the terms.

A BC Conservative Party government would walk away from the province’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of its land base by 2030, party leader John Rustad told The Narwhal in an interview.

“The Conservatives would absolutely axe doing that,” Rustad said. “That’s nonsense.”

“It’s 30 per cent of all of our ecosystems,” he said. “What are we going to do if we have 30 per cent less food production? What are we going to do if we’re going to have 30 per cent less forestry production? What are we trying to achieve here as a province?”

Earlier this week, many B.C. residents heard the reassuring pitter-patter of rain on their rooftops.

The sound brought hope to more than 4,000 Fort Nelson-area residents who are currently scattered about the central Interior after they were ordered to evacuate two weeks ago as several wildfires threatened the community.

With the favourable firefighting weather this week came steps to restore essential services and businesses in preparation for welcoming residents home, according to the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. No date has yet been set for lifting the evacuation order.

But while the current threat may have abated, there’s no doubt B.C. is in for another long wildfire season. That raises a pressing question: What happens when you’re evacuated from your home, possibly hundreds of kilometres away from the closest urban centre?