FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017 VOL. 43, NO. 21
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Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Investing in local food
Islander’s program seeks investors for business involved in local agriculture
Bye, bye, fry...
Reconciliation
Photos from Coho Bon Voyage
Local organizations state their commitment to carry out TRC actions
Cuts to DFO programs shocks MP into action MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
Bowen Recreation’s second Lead Like a Girl last Sunday afternoon brought out another 18 girls for a tough hike, obstacles in nature’s playground, and a barefoot forest stretch. Rebecca Lyne, photo
Islanders express optimism on climate solutions
MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
Last week, the BC NDP and the BC Green Party announced their plan to work together and jointly fight the expansion of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, put plans for the Site C Dam under review, and gradually meet the Federal target for carbon pricing to $8 per tonne by 2022. On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to pull the US out of the Paris Climate Accord. Bowen Islanders Merran Smith and Jae Mather, both of whom work on climate policy, are optimistic about the impact of these recent events. Smith, the executive director of Clean Energy Canada, says that for her organization, the most interesting thing about the NDP-Green alliance is the potential to build a “21st Century economy,” in British Columbia. “In the past five years, globally, there has been more infrastructure for renewable energy built than in fossil fuels,” she
says. “We would like to see BC become a leader in producing renewable energy and the services that go along with it. This is what emerging economies want. Yes, there is still a market for oil and gas, but that will only last for a decade or so. The growth, the future, is in clean technology.” Smith adds that many people do not know about the opportunities that exist for more traditional sectors of the economy by investment in clean technology. “Take mining as an example: electric vehicles use four times as much copper as traditional vehicles,” she says. “Forestry products are less carbon-intensive than cement, so they’ll be needed. When it comes to retrofits, to building wind power and bio-fuel plants, we’ll need all kinds of trades-people.” On the proposed changes to the BC carbon tax, Smith says that the NDP-Green plan simply raises the amount of tax to the levels expected by the Federal government, and does so more gradually than a Liberal government under Christie Clarke would have. continued P 12
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It’s time to start thinking about being part of our 2017 Salute to the Grads. E-mail a short bio and your favourite grad pic by 4 p.m. on June 9th, to ads@bowenislandundercurrent.com
Recent news from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans left the President of Bowen Island’s Fish and Wildlife Club, Tim Pardee, and streamkeepers across the province both dismayed and confused. Shortly after an announcement by Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc about funding for new Coast Guard stations in BC as part of the government’s Ocean Protection Plan, BC Streamkeepers learned that the Department planned to phase-out the 30 year-old Salmonoids in the Classroom program, and eliminate the Resource Restoration Unit (RRU). Sea-to Sky MP Pamela Goldsmith Jones says she found out about this through the Squamish Chief, and started working immediately to reverse the decision. “I don’t even like to call them cuts, its more of an egregious mistake,” says Goldsmith-Jones. “I ran for this position because I believe it is our job to restore the cuts made over the course of a decade by the previous government, and ever since I found out I have been on the phone every day with Minister LeBlanc to work on changing this.” She adds that the decision to make these cuts was not one made by Minister LeBlanc. “I’ve been speaking with streamkeepers across the province and they all seem to understand this,” says Goldsmith-Jones. “I read an article that says I had to contradict my own government on this matter, but that is not the case. The government did not intend this.” Pardee says that the Bowen Island Fish and Wildlife Club has joined streamkeeper groups across the province in writing letters to emphasize the importance of the RRU (which offers technical support to streamkeepers in various projects) and the salmonoids program. “Our work will continue,” says Pardee. “But we do need the experts from the RRU to help design and implement our salmon habitat restoration projects. And all of us at the Fish and Wildlife Club were devastated to hear that our classroom work through the salmonoids program was coming to an end. Fortunately, we’ve been assured that DFO will keep it going for at least another year and I am hopeful that in that time the decision to eliminate that program can be reversed.”