Water

by G. Leona Green, Hillspring Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility, Dawson Creek BC

The Pine River, born in the Rocky Mountains in the Pine Pass, meanders for many kilometres through still and peaceful valleys, deep canyons and stands of ancient timber. It finally spills into the "Mighty Peace" at Taylor Flats. The Pine is a fast flowing, gravel bottom river with many backwaters and muskegs. A few farms and ranches scattered along her way and the town of Chetwynd depend on her for life-giving waters.

Chlorinated water: are short-term gains worth long-term pains?

by Cliff Turner

"The dynamic growth of chlorine chemistry during the 1950s and 1960s represents a decisive mistake in 20th-century industrial development, which would not have occurred, had our present knowledge of the environmental damage and health risks due to chlorine chemistry been available then." -- German Council of Experts for Environmental Issues, 1990

There is enough water for everyone, and now a solution to fair distribution.

by Robert Blakeney

Robert Blakeney is a BC water and sanitation Engineer who has participated in relief missions with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in South Sudan and East Timor

Water, the "source of life," has shaped the world's ecosystem, established our political boundaries, and has resulted in the rise and fall of civilizations.

The Ecology Action Centre (EAC) of Halifax Nova Scotia, with support from the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, is taking the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to court. The Centre is proceeding with a legal action to protect Canada's marine fish habitat. They have brought an application for judicial review of a variation order issued by the Regional Director-General of DFO. The variation order would re-open the Canadian side of the highly productive and ecologically sensitive fishing ground called Georges Bank to groundfish draggers.

by Dr. Irene Novaczek
from: "Environmental Impact of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry,"

During drilling and extraction of gas deposits from the sea floor, releases of gas into the marine environment are inevitable. Gas is dumped into the sea mixed in with produced water, may leak from pipelines, tankers and underwater storage tanks, or may be released during catastrophic well blowouts, explosions and smaller accidental spills. Spills and blowouts occur due to drilling equipment failure, corrosion of pipelines, human error, earthquakes, ice, storms, shipping accidents etc.

The 85th of 90 Primary Watersheds on Vancouver Island is targeted for industrial logging.

by Jody MacKenzie, Sierra Club of BC

They say that when you fly over northern Vancouver Island after a heavy rainstorm, only two rivers run clear into the ocean -- East Creek and the Klaskish River, both near the Brooks Peninsula. They are also the last two wild Chinook runs on the North Island, which is why Fisheries and Oceans Canada uses them as bellwether streams for determining Chinook trends for western Vancouver Island.

Myth #1: Coastal BC communities will gain thousands of long-term jobs if offshore oil development proceeds.

Fact: Research reveals that many of the jobs created from the oil industry are short term and employment is often granted to workers outside of the development area. On Canada's east coast, Hibernia did little to help the economies of rural communities. The construction of Terra Nova has employed more foreigners than Canadians and the Sable Island gas project produced many short-term jobs but few long-term jobs. Our commitments under international trade laws, such as NAFTA, prohibit us from guaranteeing local employment.

by Taylor Bachrach

Up until November, the road into the upper Goat River watershed crossed a bridge over the Milk River and ended abruptly in a pile of dirt pushed up against the edge of the forest. Beyond the pile lay 35,000 hectares of untouched wilderness -- one of the largest uncut, unprotected watersheds in the Fraser Headwaters region of northeastern British Columbia.

In November, the number of species at risk in Canada was raised by seven, following a meeting of COSEWIC, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The number of Species at Risk in Canada now stands at 387. Among the species re-evaluated, the Killer Whale, Orcinus orca, tops the list.