Why I am committed to stopping new pipelines and climate change

photo: Miles Ritter My son graduated from Grade 7 today. I cried a little during the ceremony in the gym, but mostly I felt grateful for the amazing life my family enjoys here in coastal BC. We hear seabirds, smell the ocean, taste the salt air, and once in awhile we even get to see orcas…

Noise pollution

photo: Rachael Merrett This threat is much more “out of sight, out of mind”. As humans do NOT spend much – or possibly any – time under the water (other than scuba divers), we don’t understand the full effect of underwater noise on ocean wildlife. Sound in air, such as students yelling across the playground, can…

Who grew those oysters on your plate?

The story of shellfish from tide-to-table photo: Fanny Bay Oysters The average seafood eater on BC’s South Coast is probably blissfully unaware that it takes between two and four years to grow the Pacific Northwest clams and oysters that occasionally adorn their plate. That’s something a local Vancouver restaurant is trying to change by encouraging people…

From Machine Guns to Save-the-Whales

A History of Human and Orca Interactions In June 1961, the Department of Fisheries mounted a .50 caliber machine-gun overlooking Seymour Narrows, northwest of Campbell River, with the intent to shoot and kill passing orcas. Deemed a threat to commercial and recreational fishing, killer whales were known in the Pacific Northwest as, at best, dangerous pests or, at worst, menacing…

Festival of Ocean Films travels to Victoria and Pender Harbour

The Festival of Ocean Films, hosted by Georgia Strait Alliance, is on the road to mark its 9th year, travelling to Victoria on May 30 and to the Sunshine Coast’s Pender Harbour on June 9. This year’s screenings carry strong messages about the current state of the world’s oceans to honour World Oceans Day, while also serving to inspire audiences…

Groups urge federal government to protect Southern Resident killer whales

A coalition of conservation groups from Canada and the U.S. is calling on the Canadian government to take immediate action to protect Southern Resident killer whales. Today, Ecojustice sent a petition to Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Dominic LeBlanc and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna on Tuesday, requesting the Ministers recommend Cabinet issue an emergency order under…

Drowning in Noise

Southern resident killer whales are in serious trouble. Their population totals 78, positioning them on a countdown to extinction. In our previous blog, we talked about how the lack of salmon is a threat to orca recovery. Another major threat to their survival and growth is noise in the waters of the Salish Sea. Sounds are…

Xeno-Estrogens

This information was prepared for the Zero Toxics Alliance. TABLE OF CONTENTS Background: What are Xeno-Estrogens? Xeno-Estrogen Effects: Why Women Should Be Xeno-Estrogenophobic Why Men Should Be Xeno-Estrogenophobic Why Parents Should Be Xeno-Estrogenophobic Listening to the Canaries: impacts on wildlife Xeno-Estrogen Sources: Killer Car Pollution Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Pesticides are Poisons Plastic Plague The Precautionary Principle BACKGROUND What are Xeno-Estrogens? More than…

Secondary Treatment of Wastewater: is it Good Enough?

Hi everyone, hope you all enjoyed a great semi-rainy weekend! I spent the weekend working alone at two Farmers’ Markets, Saturday in Errington and Sunday in Cedar. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, I was amazed at how many people dropped by, and leaving the kids’ activities in the car meant I was able to focus more on having some in-depth conversations…

Take Heart

After a very severe cardiac arrest in January (see Crossing The Strait of Georgia – A Very Personal Journey), it has taken many months to get back to a semblance of normal (as in before my cardiac arrest) life.After almost five months and a number of complications I was finally given the all clear to start a cardiac rehabilitation program…