Peace Valley resident Caroline Beam describes life on the river and the myriad wildlife threatened by proposed Site C Dam. “Living as close to the Peace River as a home can legally get, my family watches a daily nature show that few people realize exists. I would like to share
Continue readingTag: Your Voice
The Common Sense Canadian home page: 11 Reasons to Divest from Fossil Fuels
There is a robust debate happening in university halls, around religious congregations, and at individual kitchen tables nationwide. The driving question: Should we divest from the fossil fuel industry? The next 20 years will be unlike the last 50 years. We are entering a stage of discontinuity thanks to ecological
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Video: Kinder Morgan, Coal Ports could turn Vancouver into ‘Carbon Corridor’
Check out this new video from the Wilderness Committee and Vancouver filmmaker Dan Pierce, titled “Save the Salish Sea”. The 5 min film details the vision to transform Vancouver into a “carbon corridor” to export fossil fuels to new markets. Says Wilderness Committee Climate Campaigner Eoin Madden, “This is the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: First Nations Slam Harper Government’s Legal Argument for Canada-China Trade Deal
Last week the Federal Court of Canada heard oral arguments from the Hupacasath First Nation and the Harper Government on Hupacasath’s legal action regarding the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPPA). In response to First Nations concerns of infringement on their inherent Aboriginal Title and Rights and lack
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Canada’s Energy Strategy: Not Just a Federal-Provincial Issue
Last month, three Canadian premiers provided a public update on interprovincial efforts to develop a national energy strategy. While their update on the Council of the Federation’s plans opened a needed window on the negotiations, missing from public discussions so far is any reference to the stakes – and potential
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: New Report: Canada-EU Trade Agreement Threatens Fracking Bans
The Council of Canadians, along with the Transnational Institute and Corporate Europe Observatory, released a report this week examining the threat that a proposed Canada-EU free trade deal would have on a community’s ability to implement fracking regulations and fracking bans on both sides of the Atlantic. Canada began negotiations
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Concerns Raised About Metro Vancouver’s Plan to Turn Drinking Water into Hydro Power
Metro Vancouver is quite far along in a proposal to harness hydro power from our drinking water spillways at the Capilano reservoir’s Cleveland Dam and also at the Seymour reservoir. Although at first glance it might seem like a good idea, this plan introduces a new and potentially competing factor
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Top 10 Reasons to Save Howe Sound’s McNab Creek from a Gravel Mine
In beautiful Howe Sound on the Sunshine Coast we have the beginning of yet another environmental travesty, where there has been no public consultation and which has had virtually no coverage in the mainstream media. If permitted to go ahead, Burnco Rock Products will build an aggregate mine in the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Clark Misses the Mark with 5-Point Criteria for Enbridge
The competition has been tight, but I think Christy Clark has finally won the prize for the Canadian Leader most out of touch with her constituents. On her new 5-point criteria regarding the Northern Gateway Pipeline Project, she strikes out on 4 out of the 5 points…Clark insists we must
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Government Pushes Raven Coal Mine to Next Stage, Comox Valley Residents Remain Defiant
Despite widespread public concern and opposition, and the lack of a social license being granted by the residents of the Comox Valley and Port Alberni, the EA process continues to move forward. However, the huge public outcry over the coal mine proposal is growing louder every day and the communities
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Kinder Morgan Plan to Twin Pipeline Triggers Community Concern in Wake of Sumas Mountain Oil Spill
Less than two months after a major oil spill at Kinder Morgan’s Sumas Mountain tank farm, the company announced plans to twin their existing trans mountain infrastructure. The most recent rupture of January 24th leaked approximately 110,000 liters of crude oil, raising major concern from local residents with regards to
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Veteran North Coast Fisherman Warns of Serious Navigational Risks to Supertankers
John Brajcich and his family have been fishing the north and central coast of BC since the 1930’s, providing them with intimate knowledge of its many navigational hazards. Here, Mr. Brajcich outlines his concerns about proposed supertanker traffic through these waters: “This route would be extremely dangerous to tanker traffic.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: The Myth About Pipeline Jobs and the True Ownership of the Alberta Tar Sands
As many economists have pointed out, and our PM who claims to be an economist refuses to hear, every petro-state has an inflated value to their currency. We already know that we are not doing as well in the export field because our dollar is high in comparison the US
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Cross Border Deal’s Grave Threats to Canadian Food Security
Will Canadians see higher levels of pesticide and herbicide residues on our vegetables and fruits as American standards are adopted? Will we see a proliferation of GMO crops which are dangerous to human and animal health? Will more GMO foods begin hitting our dinner plates? Will Canadians see toxic but
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Is Canada Dropping the Ball on Sustainable Waste Management?
Once upon a time North American waste activists looked to Canada for cutting edge moves towards sustainable waste management. Looking back we remember the ban on incineration by the Ontario NDP; the blue box program; the pay-by bag systems; EPR in Vancouver; Ottawa’s Take it Back program; Toronto’s declaration of
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: US-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council Plan’s Orwellian Transportaion Pact
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of three articles by Nelle Maxey examining the wide-ranging ramifications for the Canadian public, economy and environment of the new Canada-US Border Security Deal and its ancillary agreements. With my first article on this topic I set the background for Canada’s new trade deal
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: US-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council Plan’s Orwellian Transportation Pact
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of three articles by Nelle Maxey examining the wide-ranging ramifications for the Canadian public, economy and environment of the new Canada-US Border Security Deal and its ancillary agreements. With my first article on this topic I set the background for Canada’s new trade deal
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Border Security Deal’s Ugly Twin Carries Major Energy and Environmental Implications for Canada
Harper’s government officially announced in recent weeks a new Border Security deal with the US. However, little press space was given to the ugly twin of this deal – the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) and their “Joint Action Plan”. The RCC was set up to “streamline” regulations in
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Border Security Deal’s Ugly Twin Carries Major Energy and Environmental Implications for Canada
Harper’s government officially announced in recent weeks a new Border Security deal with the US. However, little press space was given to the ugly twin of this deal – the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) and their “Joint Action Plan”. The RCC was set up to “streamline” regulations in
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Comox Valley Ready for Civil Disobedience as "Insane" Raven Coal Mine Review Pushed Forward
A little over two years ago we held a town hall meeting in Fanny Bay, where a standing room only crowd discussed the proposed Raven Underground Coal Mine Project. It was at this meeting that concerned citizens formed CoalWatch Comox Valley. The events over the past two years have revealed
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