BC Today – Daily Report August 7, 2019 “We Are
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
B.C. Today – Daily Report August 7, 2019 Quotation of the day “We are tired of having to react to environmental disasters that are the result of mismanagement by government and industry.” Nits’ilʔin (Chief) of the Tl’esqox First Nations Government Francis Laceese says the federal government is not doing enough to protect Fraser River salmon runs affected by the Big Bar landslide. The Tŝilhqot’in National Government declared a local state of emergency in response to the slide yesterday and called on Ottawa to close fisheries for all Fraser River salmon. Today in B.C. ‘Mother Nature is a very powerful force’: Work continues on Big Bar landslide as salmon runs ready to enter Fraser River Federal and provincial officials are still working alongside First Nations and technical experts in an effort to clear enough of the Big Bar landslide — on the Fraser River near Lillooet — to allow what will soon be millions of salmon to make their way upriver to spawning grounds in the coming weeks. After several weeks of scaling work on the canyon cliffs above the slide, a team of 16 engineers is now working to manipulate rocks in the river to create a passage for the salmon, federal Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told reporters yesterday. It’s gruelling work — temperatures at the site have reached 37 degrees celsius. “We don’t have a lot of time,” Wilkinson said. “A number of the Chinook runs are already circling and waiting to get up [river]. The sockeye runs … will start to arrive within a couple of weeks, probably by mid-August. We expect somewhere between three and six thousand fish per day arriving below the rock slide.” Two helicopters are operating daily, transporting fish — caught by 40 workers with dip nets — to the waters above the slide. Around 5,000 salmon have been transported this way so far, but it’s not a long term solution: this year’s sockeye run alone is forecast to be upwards of two million fish. A total of 22 salmon runs have spawning grounds along the Fraser and its tributaries beyond the slide. While work to shift a section of the slide continues, Minister Wilkinson said there is a backup plan ready to go. “The [fish] ladder is ready to be put into place if required following the rock manipulation work that is presently underway,” he said. “This is obviously a very challenging situation — one that could have long-term consequences for the communities on the river and far beyond.” B.C. Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Minister Doug Donaldson commended the “strong partnership and collaboration” involved in the multi-jurisdictional response. First Nations Summit Grand Chief Ed John emphasized the severity of the situation. “It is a complete natural disaster we have in front of us,” he said. “Time is a critical factor now.” The Tŝilhqot’in National Government declared a local state of emergency Tuesday and called on Ottawa to close “all marine and recreational fisheries” of Fraser River salmon. “Currently, [Department of Fisheries and Oceans] is not doing enough,” said Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Joe Alphonse, tribal chair of the Tŝilhqot’in National Government. “They need to protect every fish that is returning to the Fraser River so that every chance is given for these fish to make it to their spawning grounds. Moving a few hundred fish by helicopter isn’t good enough.” “It’s time [the Department of Fisheries and Oceans] adhere to its own commitments to First Nations and close the marine recreational Chinook fisheries to help conserve this at risk species,” Nits’ilʔin Francis Laceese of the Tl’esqox First Nations Government added. “We are tired of having to react to environmental disasters that are the result of mismanagement by government and industry.” NDP and Liberals continue to point fingers over forestry Barely two weeks into his new gig as parliamentary secretary for Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Ravi Kahlon released a statement touting the work the NDP government is doing to stabilize B.C.’s forest industry and “clean up the mess left behind by the previous government.” “Frankly, it infuriates me that the previous government asked industry experts to write a detailed report on the scope of the problems facing the Interior forest industry in 2015 and then stuck it on a shelf and took no action to prepare for the inevitable impacts,” said Kahlon, who was sent to live with extended family in India at the age of two when his father lost his job at a mill. He accused the Liberal government of ignoring technological opportunities and product diversification possibilities that could have helped insulate the forestry industry from the effects of a dwindling fibre supply. “We are working hard to ensure that workers and communities are not left to fend for themselves as this long-predicted rationalization occurs. We are all hands on deck across all involved ministries on this file,” he said, adding that “it takes time to get the proper supports in place.” Meanwhile, Liberal Forests critic John Rustad accused the NDP government of taking “no action” to help affected communities. Rustad and other Liberal MLAs held a roundtable in Kelowna last week to talk with small businesses and workers affected by Tolko’s decision to axe one of the shifts at its Kelowna mill and curtail the other. According to Rustad, the mayors of 21 B.C. municipalities and regional districts have reached out directly to the federal government for assistance. “The fact mayors have decided to go it alone without the support of the provincial government speaks volumes,” he said. “Seven mills have shut down in just the past few months, and NDP Forest Minister Doug Donaldson appears content to just sit back and watch it all happen.” Kahlon said the province is pushing for support from the feds. “Make no mistake, we will be pressing the federal government to step up to the plate with funding for impacted workers and communities in British Columbia,” he said in the statement. “Again, this all should have been started years ago, but our government is taking action now to clean up the mess left behind by the previous government.” Today’s events August 7 at 9:30 a.m. – Vancouver Federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos will be joined by National Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, who represents Vancouver South; NDP MLA George Chow (Vancouver—Fraserview); and Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart for an affordable housing announcement on Pierview Crescent. August 7 at 5 p.m. – Penticton Liberal MLA Dan Ashton (Penticton) will host the party’s Penticton riding association’s summer social at “a stunning lakeside” private residence. Topics of conversation ● Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May were all spotted at Vancouver’s Pride Parade over the weekend, but Conservative Party of Canada Leader Andrew Scheer did not make an appearance. “It shows that he's written off a huge chunk of the population — and actively doesn't want engagement with lesbian, gay, bi, or trans people, or anybody who cares about them,” NDP MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert (Vancouver—West End) told The Straight. “It's a strategic mistake — dumb, stupid, whatever phrase you want to have — or it's just revealing about who he is.” ○ NDP candidate Svend Robinson — the first openly gay MP to serve in Parliament — said Scheer’s no-show “speaks volumes” about his party’s stance toward the LGBTQ community. ○ “It's just unfortunate that there are still some party leaders who want to be prime minister who choose to stand with people who are intolerant instead of standing with the LGBT community,” was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response. ● Premier John Horgan also missed this year’s Vancouver Pride Parade; the premier is on his annual summer holiday. Before taking his time off, Horgan “hijacked” a family reunion taking place at the B.C. legislature to give members of the Paulin family a personal tour of the House. “It was wonderful. He is a very nice man,” Gillian Leitch, the family genealogist who organized the reunion, told Black Press. ○ The family visited the legislature where ancestor Frederick Arthur represented the riding of Saanich from 1916-1924. Arthur served as Speaker during his last two years as an MLA. ● The B.C. Liberal Party has been hit with a $200 administrative penalty from Elections B.C. for “accepting a prohibited donation” last year. In March 2018, Sullivan Mechanical Ltd. of Prince Rupert donated $500 to the Liberals despite the province’s ban on corporate and union donations to political parties. In August, the party’s financial agent signed off on an interim financial report that included the donation. The party was made aware of the penalty in June; Elections B.C. observes a 38-day waiting period before publishing penalties. ○ The penalty is unrelated to Liberal MLA Ben Stewart’s recent departure from the caucus, according to Liberal Party staff, and was refunded when the party realized it was not from an individual donor. ● Alberta has officially joined the list of provinces filing a court challenge against Ottawa’s carbon pricing backstop. On August 2, government lawyers filed a factum with the Alberta Court of Appeal challenging the constitutionality of the federal carbon tax. “Our constitution is not based on ‘Ottawa knows best’,” Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer said in a statement. “It is based on the principle that the provinces are best situated to make policy decisions for their own citizens.” ○ The UCP government will argue its planned levy on large industrial emitters, which will replace the NDP’s repealed carbon tax, meets Ottawa’s carbon pricing standard.