#News/Canada/British Columbia

[reasonsforhope]

For years, the people of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation watched over their waters and waited. They had spent nearly two decades working with Canada’s federal government to negotiate protections for Kitasu Bay, an area off the coast of British Columbia that was vulnerable to overfishing.

But the discussions never seemed to go anywhere. First, they broke down over pushback from the fishing industry, then over a planned oil tanker route directly through Kitasoo/Xai’xais waters.

“We were getting really frustrated with the federal government. They kept jumping onboard and then pulling out,” says Douglas Neasloss, the chief councillor and resource stewardship director of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation. “Meanwhile, we’d been involved in marine planning for 20 years – and we still had no protected areas.”

Instead, the nation watched as commercial overfishing decimated the fish populations its people had relied on for thousands of years.

Nestled on the west coast of Swindle Island, approximately 500km north of Vancouver, Kitasu Bay is home to a rich array of marine life: urchins and abalone populate the intertidal pools, salmon swim in the streams and halibut take shelter in the deep waters. In March, herring return to spawn in the eelgrass meadows and kelp forests, nourishing humpback whales, eagles, wolves and bears.

“Kitasu Bay is the most important area for the community – that’s where we get all of our food,” Neasloss says. “It’s one of the last areas where you still get a decent spawn of herring.”

So in December 2021, when the Department of Fisheries and Oceans withdrew from discussions once again, the nation decided to act. “My community basically said, ‘We’re tired of waiting. Let’s take it upon ourselves to do something about it,’” Neasloss says.

What they did was unilaterally declare the creation of a new marine protected area (MPA). In June 2022, the nation set aside 33.5 sq km near Laredo Sound as the new Gitdisdzu Lugyeks (Kitasu Bay) MPA – closing the waters of the bay to commercial and sport fishing.

It is a largely unprecedented move. While other marine protected areas in Canada fall under the protection of the federal government through the Oceans Act, Kitasu Bay is the first to be declared under Indigenous law, under the jurisdiction and authority of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation.

Pictured: "In some ways, I hope someone challenges us" … the Kitasoo/Xai’xais stewardship authority.

Although they did not wait for government approval, the Kitasoo did consult extensively: the declaration was accompanied by a draft management plan, finalised in October after three months of consultation with industry and community stakeholders. But the government did not provide feedback during that period, according to Neasloss, beyond an acknowledgment that it had received the plan...

Approximately 95% of British Columbia is unceded: most First Nations in the province of British Columbia never signed treaties giving up ownership of their lands and waters to the crown. This puts them in a unique position to assert their rights and title, according to Neasloss, who hopes other First Nations will be inspired to take a similarly proactive approach to conservation...

Collaboration remains the goal, and Neasloss points to a landmark agreement between the Haida nation and the government in 1988 to partner in conserving the Gwaii Haanas archipelago, despite both parties asserting their sovereignty over it. A similar deal was made in 2010 for the region’s 3,400 sq km Gwaii Haanas national marine conservation area.

“They found a way to work together, which is pretty exciting,” says Neasloss. “And I think there may be more Indigenous protected areas that are overlaid with something else.”

-via The Guardian, 5/3/23

[inc-immigrationnewscanada]

B.C. mulling provincial regulations on short-term rental apps like Airbnb

With Quebec promising to introduce provincewide regulations on short-term rentals listed on the Airbnb app, the B.C. government says it is working on legislation of its own. A mandate letter issued to B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon includes a directive to introduce legislation to allow local communities to “better regulate” services like Airbnb, and the minister has told CBC News that he would…

[mx-xcitement]

i was inspired by my last rb.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A sign has gone up in front of the most expensive home in B.C. – the waterfront mansion owned by Lululemon founder Chip Wilson – calling the provincial NDP "communist." The property at 3085 Point Grey Rd., which is in NDP Leader David Eby's riding, was most recently assessed at $81,765,200. "Eby will tell you the Conservatives are 'far right,' but neglects saying that the NDP is ‘communist," the sign says.  The New Democrat government brought increased taxes on homes assessed at over $3 million in 2018 and has also increased income tax on the top two per cent of earners, moves Eby defended when asked about the sign Thursday.

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Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[bronzecats]

National Rainbow Week of Action in Canada

In this post I have compiled all the information I could find regarding upcoming events for the Rainbow Week of Action. There are two online events, and dozens on in-person events across the country.

"Within the Rainbow Week of Action, we are pushing governments and elected officials at every level to take action for Rainbow Equality and address rising anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate. As such, we have identified calls to action for every level of government. These calls to action can be reviewed here."

Event list below:

Events are listed in date order, provinces in general west-to-east order. I have included as much detail as possible, please reference the links at the bottom of the post. At this time, there are no events in N.W.T. and Nova Scotia. Last updated: May 14th, 9:53pm PDT. Please note that I am not officially affiliated with / an organizer of these events, I have simply compiled all the dates to share on tumblr. Original post content.

B.C. EVENTS:

15th: Fernie; Fernie Seniors Drop-In Centre, 572 3rd Avenue, 6:00PM. (Letter writing and Potluck)

17th: Vancouver; šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square - Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza, 750 Hornby St, 5:30PM. (Rally)

19th, Sunday: Abbotsford; Jubilee Park, 5:00PM. (Rally)

ALBERTA EVENTS:

15th: Lethbridge; McKillop United Church, 2329 15th Ave S, 12:00-1:00PM (letter writing)

17th, Friday: Calgary; Central Memorial Park, 1221 2 St SW, 5:30PM. (Rally)

17th: Edmonton; Wilbert McIntyre Park, 8331 104 St NW, 6:00PM. (Rally)

SASKATCHEWAN EVENTS:

17th: Saskatoon; Vimy Memorial Park, 500 Spadina Crescent E, 5:30PM. (Rally)

17th: Regina; Legislative Grounds, 2405 Legislative Dr, 6:30PM. (Rally)

May 18th: Saskatoon; Grovenor Park United Church, 407 Cumberland Ave S, 6:00PM. (Art event)

MANITOBA EVENTS:

16th: Carman; Paul's Place, 20 1 Ave SW, 7:00-9:00PM. (Letter writing)

19th: Winnipeg; Manitoba Legislature, 450 Broadway, 12:00PM. (Rally)

ONTARIO EVENTS:

15th: Barrie; UPlift Black, 12 Dunlop St E, 6:00-7:30PM. (Letter writing)

15th: Chatham; CK Gay Pride Association, 48 Centre St, 5:00-6:30PM. (Letter writing)

15th: Peterborough; Trinity Community Centre, 360 Reid St, 12:00-3:00PM. (Letter writing)

16th: Midland; Midland Public Library, 4:30-7:30PM. (Letter writing and pizza)

16th: Ottawa; Impact Hub, 123 Slater Street, 2:00PM. (Letter writing)

16th: Toronto; Barbara Hall Park, 519 Church St, 11:30AM. (Rally)

17th, Friday: Barrie; City Hall, 70 Collier St, 6:00PM. (Rally)

17th: Cornwall; 167 Pitt St, 5:30PM. (Rally)

17th: Essex; St. Paul's Anglican Church, 92 St. Paul St, 6:00-8:00PM. (Letter writing and pizza)

17th: Hamilton; City Hall, 71 Main St W, 6:00PM. (Rally)

17th: Kitchener; City Hall, 200 King St W, 6:00PM. (Rally)

17th: London; City Hall, 300 Dufferin Ave, 6:00PM. (Rally)

17th: Sarnia; City Hall, 255 Christina St N, 1:00PM. (Rally)

17th: Sault Ste Marie; City Hall, 99 Foster Dr, 11:30AM. (Rally)

17th: Ottawa; Confederation Park, Elgin St, 5:30PM. (Rally)

22nd: Renfrew; 161 Raglan St. South, 7:00PM. (Letter writing, fashion and makeup event, and pizza)

QUEBEC EVENTS:

May 15th: Lachute; CDC Lachute, 57, rue Harriet, 12:30PM. (Letter writing event)

NEW BRUNSWICK EVENTS:

17th: Woodstock; Citizen's Square, Chapel St, Next to the L.P. Fisher Public Library, 12:00-1:00PM. (rally)

17th: Saint John; City Hall, 15 Market Square, 12:30PM. (Rally, flag raising)

18th, Saturday: Fredericton; Legislative Grounds, 706 Queen Street, 1:00PM. (Rally)

NOVA SCOTIA EVENTS:

May 17th: Middleton; NSCC AVC RM 121, 6:30-8:30PM (letter writing and pizza)

P.E.I. EVENTS:

May 15th: Charlottetown; Peers Alliance Office, 250B Queen Street, 6:00-8:00PM. (Adult drop-in)

May 16th: Charlottetown, Peers Alliance Office, 250B Queen Street, 6:00-7:00PM.

May 17th: Charlottetown; PEI Legislative Assembly, 165 Richmond St, 12:00PM. (Rally)

YUKON EVENTS:

16th: Whitehorse; The Cache, 4230 4 Ave, 2:00-7:00PM. (Letter writing)

NUNAVUT EVENTS:

May 16th, Thursday: Iqaluit; Four Corners, 922 Niaqunngusiariaq St, 5:00PM. (Letter writing)

Reference links:

About the Rainbow Week of Action.

Website letter writing events list (does not include all events)

General events website list (does not include all events)

Instagram general events image list

Instagram letter writing / pizza party image list

[reality-detective]

British Columbia, Canada is Forcing Dangerous Drug Trials On People.

Interview with BC, Canada's Dr. Ana Sylwestrowicz. The Marxist NDP BC Government has gone full on insane and residents are being put through Orwellian hell. This drug has lawsuits against it and the NDP Government in BC does not care. Deaths, body pain, uncontrollable gambling....people are begging to make it stop.

Löök it up 🤔

[mxchaelridley]

Midnight sun hooligans 📍Muncho Lake, British Columbia, Canada

[terracebatman]

RoboCop stands outside RCMP detachment in Terrace BC

[oldshowbiz]

Surrey, British Columbia is widely considered one of the most awful places in Canada.

[tumbler-polls]

What province in Canada were you born in?

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland

Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island

Ontario

Quebec

Saskatchewan

One of the territories (Northwest Territories/Nunavut/Yukon)

That's a bit niche, but let's go!

Reblog for a bigger sample size & follow for more polls!

[goalhofer]

2024-25 Vancouver Canucks roster

Wingers

#6 Brock Boeser (Burnsville, Minnesota)

#8 Conor Garland (Scituate, Massachusetts)

#9 J.T. Miller (Unity Township, Ohio) A

#20 Danton Heinen (Langley, British Columbia)*

#21 Nils Höglander (Sorsele Kommun, Sweden)

#23 Jonathan Lekkerimäki (Huddinge Kommun, Sweden)**

#44 Kiefer Sherwood (Columbus, Ohio)*

#74 Jake DeBrusk (Edmonton, Alberta)*

Centers

#24 Pius Suter (Wallisellen, Switzerland)

#40 Fredrik Pettersson (Sundsvall Stad, Sweden) A

#53 Teddy Bļugers (Riga, Latvia)

#54 Aatu Räty (Oulu, Finland)**

#81 Dakota Joshua (Dearborn, Michigan)

Defensemen

#7 Carson Soucy (Wainwright Municipality, Alberta)

#17 Filip Hronek (Hradec Králové, Czech Republic)

#26 Erik Brännström (Eksjö Stad, Sweden)*

#27 Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minnesota)*

#43 Quinn Hughes (Manchester, New Hampshire) C

#47 Noah Juulsen (Abbotsford, British Columbia)

#57 Tyler Myers (Calgary, Alberta)

#73 Vincent Desharnais (Laval, Quebec)*

Goalies

#31 Artūrs Šilovs (Ventspils, Latvia)

#32 Kevin Lankinen (Helsinki, Finland)*

#35 Thatcher Demko (San Diego, California)

[inc-immigrationnewscanada]

The X-Files began filming in Vancouver 30 years ago. It became a cultural touchstone and local point of pride

Vancouver has stood in for many cities in films and TV series for decades — Seattle, New York, even the fictional world of Fantasia in the 1984 film, The NeverEnding Story. But one of its most iconic roles began 30 years ago, as Washington, D.C., in the hit series The X-Files, which ran for nine consecutive seasons and was revived for two more in 2016.  The series follows Fox Mulder and Dana…

[sparksinthenight]

“The land and waters are our sustenance and way of life — without them, we have nothing.” Ksi Lisims LNG project and Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) line face fierce opposition from local Indigenous populations.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A study conducted by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control has found that prescribing medical-grade opioids dramatically reduced the rates of deaths and overdoses for drug users living in B.C. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, is described as "the first known instance of a North American province or state providing clinical guidance to physicians and nurse practitioners for prescribing pharmaceutical alternatives to patients at risk of death from the toxic drug supply." Researchers looked at anonymized health-care data of 5,882 people between March 2020 and August 2021, all of whom had opioid or stimulant use disorder. Those individuals filled a prescription under the B.C. Risk Mitigation Guide — clinical guidance developed in March 2020 to allow for physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to reduce deaths through harm reduction.

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Tagging @politicsofcanada