Local leaders united against Kinder Morgan

At their annual convention in Victoria last week, local government leaders from across the province took the opportunity to speak out against Kinder Morgan. Lower Mainland and Greater Victoria communities have been staunchly opposed to the Kinder Morgan project for years. But last week, they were joined by mayors and councillors from places like Kamloops, Lytton, Grand Forks, Gold River … Continue reading

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A big win for stronger local spill preparedness

Today was a good day. Local government leaders from big cities, small towns and regional districts across BC voted unanimously in favour of strengthening community oil spill preparedness. In a giant meeting room at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention, hundreds of our local elected representatives raised their hands and endorsed Resolution A4, calling … Continue reading

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Momentum builds for stronger community oil spill response

Great news! This week local government leaders from across the Lower Mainland unanimously voted in favour of better local oil spill response, and a stronger voice for communities in oil spill planning. Motion R13 – which GSA worked with the City of Vancouver to put forward – was passed at the annual conference of the Lower … Continue reading

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Strengthening community preparedness for oil spills

When the Exxon Valdez accident happened twenty-six years ago this week, Alaskans learned first-hand what a massive oil spill can do to a community. What if a similar tragedy happened in BC? We’ve heard the repeated warnings from federal and provincial assessments that we don’t have the resources to respond to a major oil spill, … Continue reading

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It’s local election time!

On November 15th, British Columbians will go to the polls to vote for local leaders to represent their communities.   While local elections may not generate as much attention on the airwaves or around the water cooler as provincial and federal races, they are vitally important – and not only at the local level.  Newly … Continue reading

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Helping North Vancouver make up its mind about Kinder Morgan

As federal Ministers prepare to head west to beat the drum for tar sands pipelines, one local government took a more balanced approach. Last week, the District of North Vancouver held a public information session to allow local residents to hear both sides of the argument and make up their own minds about whether the … Continue reading

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Dawn Breaks on an Exciting New Vision for our Waterfront

By the time the sun was rising over the city of Vancouver around 7:00 AM on March 28th, Communities Atlas Coordinator Rebecca Adams and I had been up for hours, making our way across the Strait by ferry to the first gathering of Georgia Strait Alliance’s innovative Waterfront Initiative.  It was an inspiring day, anticipated to … Continue reading

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Leadership where it matters most

I’m feeling pretty impressed with our local politicians these days. What an amazingly diverse array of dedicated caring people have been chosen by the people of British Columbia to represent them where it matters most – at the local level. I was fortunate to meet a number of them at The Union of BC Municipalities … Continue reading

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