The Hook: Political news, freshly caught
Morton applies for expired salmon feedlot licences
Biologist Alexandra Morton has applied for Broughton Archipelago salmon-feedlot licences “to return them to their natural state to grow wild fish to the much greater benefit of British Columbians and the B.C. economy.” Read more…
Should There Be More Regulations on Big Tech?
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- I don’t know.
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Are you watching the winter Olympics this year? Read the results of that poll here.
Province shortens hunting season following Tahltan blockades
First Nation protestors who took a stand last fall against over-hunting in their traditional territory will see a shortened hunting season this year in northern B.C., but say they will continue to fight for stricter regulations in Skeena Region 6. Read more…
Paddle for Wild Salmon planned for October
Advocates are planning an October "Paddle for Wild Salmon" down the Fraser River, according to a post on the Salmon Are Sacred website. The event is timed to coincide with the start of the Cohen Commission inquiry into the 2009 collapse of the Fraser River sockeye run. Read more…
Chiefs back Atleo's bid to halt mine
A remote lake in the B.C. ranch country has become the focus of a national dispute over government authority to regulate industry on Crown land. Read more…
New Oka possible, feds incapable of legislation, says poll
Some B.C. residents think that a crisis similar to the Oka standoff could happen again in Canada, according to an Angus Reid poll. Sixty-nine per cent of B.C. residents surveyed think an incident like the violent July 11, 1990 clash between the Mohawk first nation and the Quebec government could be repeated elsewhere in Canada. Read more…
Prosperity mine will be a net loss to BC: study
A 2009 report contends that the proposed Prosperity Mine will actually impose a net loss on all British Columbians--and the rest of Canada as well. Read more…
Tsilhqot'in Nation denounces BC support for Prosperity mine
The Tsilhqot'in National Government has denounced the support given to the Prosperity mine by provincial mines minister Bill Bennett. Read more…
Enbridge pipeline 'risks a culture,' says First Nations alliance
After a four-day tour of the Gulf Coast area affected by the BP oil spill, a delegation of B.C. First Nations is renewing the fight against Enbridge Inc.'s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. Read more…
Federal review panel rejects Prosperity mine proposal
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has warned of "significant adverse environmental effects" from the Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine project. The project would turn Fish Lake into a tailings pond. Read more…
B.C. First Nations take HST concerns to the province
Thursday's meeting between the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and B.C. Finance Minister Colin Hansen included conversations about the possibilities of a First Nations HST-fund and a point of sale tax exemption. Read more…
'We are open to future discussions with both bands': marina developers
Proponents of a mega-yacht marina for Victoria's harbour issued a statement today responding to a court action by local first nations against the project. Read more…
Minister shows 'complete disregard' for indigenous mining rights, says group
Comments made by B.C.'s Minister of State for Mining represent "a complete disregard" for indigenous rights, says the Council of Canadians. Read more…
Victoria marina approvals challenged in court
Two applications have been filed seeking a judicial review of federal government approvals for a planned mega-yacht marina in Victoria's harbour. Read more…
Report condemns BC mining laws
A new report out of Harvard Law School's human rights program confirms what the Takla Lake First Nation has been saying for years: that mining laws are unfair, unconstitutional, and in need of urgent reform. Read more…
Contentious pipeline closer to official approval
Enbridge Inc. just moved one step closer to building its Northern Gateway pipeline, despite industry concerns that new capacity could hurt oil producers. Read more…
Feds celebrate aboriginal treaties, still won't sign UN indigenous rights declaration
On the same day Canada's Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs celebrated Treaty Day in Manitoba, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs again reprimanded Ottawa for failing to sign on to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples without amending or restricting their commitment to the international agreement. Read more…
Health Canada targets aboriginal health
Health Canada is targeting the well being of First Nation families through a reference guide -- with "handy home checklist, resource information and useful tips" --aimed at improving the environmental health of homes on and off reserve. Read more…
Gulf spill hardens BC First Nations opposition to Enbridge tar sands pipeline
A press release issued by the Wet'suwet'en and the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council matter of factly declares “Enbridge's pipeline and tanker project to British Columbia's coast isn't going to happen” and says the oil rig spill in the Gulf of Mexico has fortified B.C. First Nations’ opposition to the project. Read more…
Giving voice(mail) to the homeless
Lu’ma Native Housing Society has launched a program to provide phone numbers and voice-mail boxes to homeless -- as well as phoneless -- Canadians.
“We take having our own phone number for granted,” project manager James Foster said. “Vancouver’s most impoverished citizens do not.” Read more…
Morton's walk to Victoria now in fifth day
Alexandra Morton's walk to Victoria is now in its fifth day, after a send-off from Sointula and a ceremony with the Namgis nation in Port McNeill. Read more…
