Region Archives: Canada West

The Province, First Nations, local governments, municipal fire departments and FireSmart BC are coming together to help B.C. communities prepare for the wildfire season. Building on recommendations from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies, the FireSmart Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit brings together hundreds of local and municipal firefighters to collaborate and train with the BC Wildfire Service. “People are feeling the impacts of climate change and longer wildfire seasons, and we know that the only way forward is to work together. Communities bring critical knowledge, skills and relationships to the table, and we’re growing their role in wildfire preparedness,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. …The five-day event includes two days of collaborative training between local fire departments and the BC Wildfire Service. Classroom and field work will focus on fire line operations, deployment of fire engines, large water-supply operations and overall approaches to structure protection in the wildland-urban interface. 

A Manitoba First Nation is taking the provincial government to court to halt logging at Duck Mountain Provincial Park until it provides an approved plan for how it will protect the area and fulfil its Treaty 4 obligations. Minegoziibe Anishinabe, also known as Pine Creek First Nation, filed the application on April 12 in the Court of Kings Bench. It seeks an order to terminate the province’s decision to extend its agreement with Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd. that allows it to harvest timber in the western Manitoba provincial park. The province quietly extended its agreement with the U.S forestry giant through an order-in-council at the end of March. The application names the province and Louisiana-Pacific. …At the heart of the argument is a forest management plan (FMP) that the First Nation alleges has not been approved and goes against Manitoba’s Forest Act.

On a rainy Friday this month, industry executives and government officials were sitting on the fourth floor of a Vancouver casino hotel. From the stage, a pitch for the future of forestry was on repeat: what if logging companies could be the heroes who saved British Columbia from wildfires? …David Coletto, head of the market research firm Abacus Data, presented the results from a poll he designed with COFI. After Canada’s most destructive wildfire season on record, the results suggested the B.C. public was ready to accept a narrative that the forestry industry could act as a saviour. …Jamie Stephen, the managing director of the energy and resources consulting firm TorchLight Bioresources, put it another way. “Counterintuitively, if governments and the public want forestry to contribute to climate mitigation in Canada, we have to harvest more, not less,” he said.

Provincial figures peg the total cost of planting 50 million trees this year at $75 million with the province’s share being $55.5 million. The rest of the money is coming from an agreement with Natural Resources Canada. B.C.’s forests ministry released that figure last week as part of marking the planting of the 10-billionth tree since the start of the reforestation program in 1930. The ministry said two billion of those were planted in the past seven years. Last year, 305 million seedlings were planted in B.C. forests and one of these seedlings was the 10-billionth planted since work began almost a century ago. …This year’s season is starting against the backdrop of what may turn out to be a worse fire season than last year’s, which caused significant damage to provincial forests.

In the past 10 years the idea that trees communicate with and look after each other has gained widespread currency. But have these claims outstripped the evidence? …Peter Wohlleben’s bestseller, The Hidden Life of Trees, has inaugurated a new tree discourse, which sees them not as inert objects but intelligent subjects [with] thoughts and desires that converse via fungi that connect their roots “like fibre-optic internet cables”. … In 1997, a Canadian forest ecologist named Suzanne Simard co-published a study in Nature describing resources passing between trees, apparently via fungi. …The title of the article was almost impeccably dry – “Net transfer of carbon between ectomycorrhizal tree species in the field”…The journal’s editors sensed promise. They made it Nature’s cover story, commissioned a foreword by a leading botanist, and affixed an indelible pun: this was the “wood-wide web”. It wasn’t Simard’s metaphor, but she has pounced on it.

Zain Haq

Zain Haq, a Pakistani national who came to Canada in 2019 on a study permit, has been arrested at least 10 times, convicted of mischief charges, and has been pretty open about his role in leading a foreign-funded “rebellion” against the Canadian government. And now, after a years-long effort by the Canada Border Services Agency to secure Haq’s deportation, his removal was stayed at the 11th hour, potentially due to the intervention of the Trudeau government. Haq was scheduled for deportation by no later than Monday, April 22… But on Friday, Haq received a cryptic call from the office of Joyce Murray — the Liberal MP for his riding of Vancouver Quadra — telling him to stay by his phone. He was soon contacted by a CBSA case officer telling him he could stay in the country. Haq’s lawyer, Randall Cohn, suspected someone in the federal cabinet was “listening and paying attention to the timing.”

Whistler is leaning into its fire preparedness as a drier-than-normal winter comes to a close and another warm summer looms. “The need for emergency preparedness is becoming more evident each year with the growing fire season, and the risks associated with that,” said Chief Thomas Doherty of the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS). …Doherty said the WFRS and the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) are adapting to climate change by increasing their emergency preparedness through, among other things, simulating a community-wide evacuation. The fire department, the RMOW and the RCMP will simulate the scenario of a fire triggering an evacuation from the Spring Creek area in order to prepare them for the real possibility of a wildfire, and hopefully plug any operational gaps. …The event is a first for the WFRS.

Thanks to drastic and evidence-based solutions, more southern mountain caribou roam Western Canada today than in previous decades; however, herd numbers are too fragile to sustain themselves without continued intervention. That begins the conclusion of a new research paper published in Ecological Applications by a team of wildlife and biodiversity researchers led by Dr. Clayton Lamb, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC Okanagan. …Researchers found that while caribou have declined dramatically over the past few decades, there are 52% (or less than 1,500) more caribou on the landscape than if no recovery actions had been taken. …“We have 1,500 more caribou than we would have had without these actions,” says co-author Dr. Rob Serrouya, Co-Director of the Wildlife Science Centre with Biodiversity Pathways. “There is strong evidence that predator reductions have increased caribou populations and avoided further caribou extirpation events.

James Steidle

Recently Lower Mainland MLAs Bruce Ralston, our Minister of Forests, and our fresh-eyed Minister of State for Sustainable Forestry Innovation, Andrew Mercier were in town. I have no idea what was said… They don’t talk to critics like me who volunteer their time to highlight forestry issues. But I suspect it was the usual “solutions.” The moose will pay. …Our primary forests will pay. And of course, eventually, you will pay. …We will scrape the forests barren of life … plaster the landscape in monocrop pine plantations … as every last dollar of investor profit [is] siphoned out of our region to keep the global shareholder happy. …Last week at COFI, the investor class actually had the nerve to say red tape was to blame for the decades-long decline of the forestry sector, a sector that lost nearly half of its work force at the same time the floodgates were opened to deregulation and big capital.   

Community members and environmental organizations recently gathered to discuss their discontent with the state of forest protection in BC at a town hall meeting. Attendees at the April 13 meeting expressed frustration with the government’s recent change in pricing and procedures for forest salvaging in the wake of wildfires. “The government is telling us that to help communities, they’re going to make the access into all burned areas of BC easier, they’re going to give the industry, and loggers, and forest corporations, easier access, less red tape and no environmental protection agencies to access all the burned lands. “You know why? Not for community health, not for forest health… but just to get more money for the sawmills,” Taryn Skalbania, with the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance. “We need our forests standing behind us for wildlife, for habitat, for water.”

Premier David Eby has issued the following statement marking Earth Day: “Earth Day is a time to honour this incredible place we call home and renew our commitment to preserving it for future generations. Throughout the province, people are celebrating and taking action … committing to small changes that can add up to a big impact on our world. In B.C., we are fortunate to be surrounded by natural beauty, from the rugged coastline to lush forests. But climate change is threatening the places we all love, as well as the health, safety and well-being of people and communities. In recent years, British Columbians have endured record-breaking wildfire seasons, heat waves, floods and droughts – and we are now facing record-low snowpack. The trend is clear and profoundly concerning. Our government is a leader in climate action, and we are ramping up our efforts to address the growing threats of a changing climate.

Last year, Canada experienced its most devastating wildfire season in recorded history, both in terms of carbon emissions and area burned. Our community experienced that firsthand when wildfires forced the sudden evacuation of the University of British Columbia‘s beautiful Okanagan campus last summer. Already, this year is predicted to be at least equally dire. …The Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, led by Dr. Lori Daniels, is taking a balanced scientific approach to wildfire research grounded in Indigenous knowledge. This approach recognizes wildfires as natural ecological processes that, when properly managed, contribute to the health and diversity of forests. Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais at UBC Okanagan, a former wildland firefighter himself, is working closely with the BC Wildfire Service and rural and Indigenous communities. …This is one example of how Canada’s universities contribute tangible, evidence-based solutions to mitigate climate change and its consequences.

The Ministry of Forests has confirmed only three to four per cent of residual fibre reports are verified in the field. A ministry spokesperson said 75 to 100 per cent are given an office review and three to four per cent are checked in the field. “An office review of survey data checks for consistency with policy, as many survey errors can successfully be detected from the office.” Limits are set by the province for the amount of residual fibre left following harvesting, as well as requirements for measurement, reporting and how much companies are billed for the residual left behind. Between 2017 and 2023, the residual level after harvest declined by 37 per cent on the Coast and 24 per cent in the Interior, meaning more fibre was hauled out of the bush with less slash burning taking place, the ministry noted. In Budget 2024, the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. is receiving $60 million to increase the use of low-value or residual fibre from logging…

On the evening of Wednesday, April 3, about 20 Kaslo residents gathered for an open house on the Kaslo FireSmart Program and the Kaslo & Area D Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan. Presenters included Jessie Lay, Kaslo’s FireSmart coordinator, John Cathro and Mark Elder, professional foresters, and Jeff Reyden, co-manager of the Kaslo & District Community Forest Society. …Jessie Lay opened the evening. She talked about the purpose of FireSmart and what the program offers. As coordinator, Lay administers home assessments. She visits homeowners and discusses what can be done to make the property more resilient to wildfires. …John Cathro and Mark Elder presented on the Kaslo & Area D Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan. …Cathro, in partnership with B.A. Blackwell & Associates, was contracted by the RDCK to create the CWRP. …Jeff Reyden offered a short presentation on what the Kaslo & District Community Forest Society has been up to.

VICTORIA, BC — In the morning commute, you couldn’t miss them. Two protesters went to great heights on Thursday to protect tall trees, but it was the lengths to which first responders had to go that had View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst fuming. “This is what we would call an epic waste of our time,” he said. …Westshore RCMP responded first, followed by View Royal Fire. “I’ve got a ladder truck here that’s supposed to be protecting people from fire, but we’re cutting protesters down from a tree in a CRD park,” said the fire chief. …Deploying the View Royal ladder truck meant blocking off two of the northbound lanes on the Trans-Canada Highway, which slowed traffic nearly to the McKenzie interchange. …For Hurst, it’s not just a matter of resources, but consideration. …The protesters left the area on foot, but not before a lengthy discussion with Hurst.

Additional coverage in  CTV News, by Brendan Strain: Old-growth forest activists suspend 18-metre banner near Highway 1

Victoria Times Colonist, by Jeff Ball: Police end tree-sit protest near Trans-Canada Highway; banner removed

An environmental group is appealing the government’s decision to allow the aerial spraying of a bacterial pesticide in West Kelowna. …the local group, the Kelowna Citizens Safety Association, wants the spraying halted until “a comprehensive risk assessment can be conducted for the citizens and passersby”, per a press release issued Thursday. The group’s leader, Lloyd Manchester, says a formal appeal against the spraying has been filed with the B.C. Environmental Appeal Board. Current plans are for the spray to be spread over the area from airplanes flying approximately 100 feet above the ground, Manchester says. He says other treatment methods against the spongy moths should be pursued. 

VANCOUVER, BC — Contrary to claims by many climate activists and politicians, extreme weather events—including forest fires, droughts, floods and hurricanes—are not increasing in frequency or intensity, finds a new study by the Fraser Institute, an independent think-tank. “Earth Day has become a time when extraordinary claims are made about extreme weather events, but before policymakers act on those extreme claims—often with harmful regulations—it’s important to study the actual evidence,” said Kenneth Green, author of Extreme Weather and Climate Change. The study finds that global temperatures have increased moderately since 1950 but there is no evidence that extreme weather events are on the rise. …“The evidence is clear—many of the claims that extreme weather events are increasing are simply not empirically true,” Green said.

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — The Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit (WRTS) is an important five-day event that will attract more than 650 members of the B.C. FireSmart community, including First Nation members, local governments, the Province of B.C., fire departments, local FireSmart representatives, wildfire mitigation specialists, firefighters, researchers, emergency managers, wildfire scientists, and industry partners. The summit will kick off with two days of training for B.C. firefighting professionals, followed by a three-day in-person conference at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre. The conference offers a range of informative workshops and expert panels led by captivating wildfire resiliency leaders that will help professionals prepare for the upcoming wildfire season. The theme for this year’s event is “recover, rebuild, prepare,” which recognizes the importance of resilience after experiencing unprecedented wildfires, rebuilding communities with FireSmart principles in mind, and preparing for future wildfire activity.

Alberta is bracing for another challenging fire season and with fire officials urging communities to prepare for conditions to grow more volatile as a summer drought settles in. With many communities across the province already parched because of a lack of winter snow cover, officials Thursday urged Albertans to be vigilant in the weeks ahead. Christie Tucker, an Alberta Wildfire information unit manager, said crews are preparing for a long and difficult season. “While there is a temporary dip in temperatures this week, it doesn’t mean that wildfire danger is over,” Tucker said during a news conference. “The drought conditions we’ve experienced in Alberta mean that it is still possible for trees and grasses to burn, particularly in the high winds that we have been seeing.” As of Thursday, 50 wildfires are burning across the province. Of those, four are classified as being held and 46 are now classified as under control. 

North Cowichan and the Quw’utsun Nation announced that they will be partnering to co-manage the Municipal Forest Reserve. Cowichan Tribes Chief Cindy Daniels says that they are looking forward to taking up “stewardship responsibilities within their ancestral territory.”  The collaboration will see the creation of a co-management framework, future trail development and the protection of culturally sensitive areas.  Mayor Rob Douglas says these first steps are a pivotal moment “in our shared journey towards environmental stewardship and reconciliation.”  North Cowichan has paused all new decisions related to the MFR while the framework is established. 

Aerial spray treatments will be done in the Lower Mainland and three locations in the southern Interior in spring 2024 to eradicate spongy moths and minimize the risk they pose to forests, farms, orchards and trees. Under the direction of the B.C. Plant Protection Advisory Council’s Spongy Moth Technical Advisory Committee, the ministry plans to treat the following areas in the Interior and coastal region: Cranbrook: 299 hectares (ha), Kamloops: 80 ha, West Kelowna: 52 ha, Langley: 30 ha, and Tsawwassen: 203 ha. Invasive spongy moths, also known as Lymantria moths, pose a risk to B.C.’s ecosystems and economy. Spongy moth caterpillars feed on tree leaves and have defoliated sections of forests and residential areas in Ontario and the eastern United States in recent years. Untreated spongy moths risk spreading to other areas of B.C. and are a threat to urban forests and farms.

A second press release identifies spray locations on Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island