GreenWatch

B. McPherson Taseko Mine’s proposal to open a mine in the Williams Lake area that would destroy Little Fish Lake and compromise Fish Lake(Teztan Biny)  for years has been rejected by the Feds as second time. This comes at a time when the federal Conservatives have loosened restrictions on industry and downgraded environmental protection practises. “Citing more than 200 issues with the draft EIS, the federal agency scolds Taseko for missing information, editorial comments, poor data quality and incorrect statements .” SierraClub The proposal would see the development of a rich deposit of gold and copper. The company estimates that the payoff would be about $3 billion with the added bonus of jobs during the life of the mine. The cost to the environment and to the aboriginal people who live there is incalculable.  The first proposal was reviewed by both the BC Provincial government and given a green light. It was also reviewed by the feds and given a red light....

B. McPherson A federal court of appeal in Canada has ruled that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) had failed in its duty to protect killer whales (orcas) by not protecting crucial habitat for them. Last year EcoJustice brought suit against the DFO for failing this duty and the lower court agreed with them. The decision of the lower court was appealed by the DFO. “The court ruled that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans must legally protect all aspects of killer whale critical habitat — including their food supply and the quality of their marine environment.” EcoJustice The iconic black and white whales have two main populations on the coast of British Columbia, the northern and the southern. The northern group is made up of 264 individuals and is considered threatened. The southern group is now reduced to 87 and listed as endangered. The southern group travels mainly in the Strait of Georgia south to Juan de Fuca Strait. Both are listed under the Specie...