West

I am very disappointed to read Yuill Herbert's "Bear of a Deal" in the Dominion. The Dominion purports to be a 'grassroots' newsletter, but Mr. Herberts article panders blatantly to all the big professional enviro-corp hype about what is basically...

At Vancouver's International Burlesque Festival Jane Henderson and Edie Jackson find both progressive politics and old-fashioned desire.

Why does BC's Liberal government keep picking major fights with trade unions? Dru Oja Jay asks around.

In the first installment of his "a voice from the coffin" series, Stewart Steinhauer looks at Canada's "little matter of genocide".

Canada has just lost its only behind-bars theatre company that performs for the public. Jane Henderson discusses its life and death.

The Haida people claim to have inhabited Haida Gwaii for 10,000 years, but official recognition of their sovereignty is still in question. Kim Petersen looks at what are sometimes called the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Chris Cwynar listens to Chris Demeanor's irreverent pop artistry.

Development, genocide, or both? Kim Petersen looks into the conflict at Sun Peaks

Legislating the integrity of British Columbia's parks
After spending decades establishing its world class park system, British Columbia may be leaving its wilderness up to expressions of good will in lieu of legislation. On Thursday, January 22, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the BC and Yukon Chamber of Mines, the Mining Association of British Columbia, and the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia. The memorandum is not binding, though.
- by Kate Kennedy -

At about 4 pm on October 2nd two trucks pulled to a halt while straddling the railway tracks that bisect the Cheam Reserve. A small crowd, including members of the Cheam Nation and supporters from local communities, gathered around the trucks forming a human blockade against the trains. Earlier that day, elder and former Chief June Quipp had warned Canadian National Railways that trans-Canadian train travel would be halted, and that she was good on her word.
- by Yuill Herbert -

Are the forest fires in Western Canada part of climate change? Scientists say that it is likely, and environmental groups are urging Canadians to begin making the connection between the burning forests and the country's rising greenhouse gas emissions. - by Yuill Herbert -

The transformation of public forests into clear-cuts and tree farms is nothing new in Canada. A government guarantee to corporations that this will continue to be the case is new. Provincial governments in both New Brunswick and British Columbia are considering policies that would effectively eliminate the public's control of public lands and place it in the hands of the forest industry. The stage is set for corporations to make a grab for control of Crown forests. According to the Supreme Court of Canada, Crown lands are held in trust by the federal and provincial governments for the benefit of all people, including those not yet born. - by Hillary Lindsay -