The Hook: Political news, freshly caught
New 'Craigslist' for local food launches in BC
Non-profit organization Farm Folk/City Folk launched a new website that provides free online classifieds for locally produced food and agricultural products. It's aimed at strengthening local food networks in the province. Read more…
Should There Be More Regulations on Big Tech?
- Yes.
- No.
- I don’t know.
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Are you watching the winter Olympics this year? Read the results of that poll here.
Salmon inquiry hopes to be commission to end all commissions
Noting the more than 700 recommendations into the decline of the Fraser river sockeye generated by previous commissions, an interim report from the most recent commission said it hopes to be the last such commission. Read more…
'Let First Nations manage fisheries': UBC prof
A UBC professor is making a case at the Cohen Commission for better recognition of traditional knowledge when it comes to salmon management in Canada. Read more…
First Nations say relationship with DFO must change to create sustainable fishery
Department of Fisheries and Oceans attitudes about aboriginal fishing rights is an obstacle to sustainable management of the Fraser River fishery, First Nations representatives said today at the Cohen Commission. Read more…
Fish farm industry denies keeping 'secret' data on sea lice epidemic
B.C. Salmon Farmers Association director Mary Ellen Walling says that this information is already available online. A quick search on Marine Harvest, B.C.'s largest aquaculture company, proved her right. Graphics showing sea lice averages can be found for specific fish farms over a five year period. Read more…
Morton finishes four-day paddle down Fraser as sockeye inquiry begins
Greeted by Squamish Chief Bill Williams, 100 supporters and heavy rains, Alexandra Morton and 80 others beached their canoes at Vanier Park this morning after four days of paddling down the Fraser River.
The biologist and activist left Hope, B.C., four days ago to raise awareness about salmon farming and the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon, which begins today. Read more…
Flooded farmers desperate for supplies
Farm animals in Bella Coola are at risk of starving to death after recent floods washed away or soaked tonnes of stored winter feed and hay -- but farmers can't get any help from the province. Read more…
Cohen Commission to begin evidentiary hearings October 25
The Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River will begin evidentiary hearings on Monday, October 25. Read more…
- Food and
- Environment
Morton calls 'all wild salmon people' to Vanier Park on October 25
Biologist Alexandra Morton has invited “all wild salmon people” to join her at Vanier Park on Monday, October 25, when she and her companions complete their paddle down the Fraser River. Read more…
- Food and
- Environment
Proposed trade treaty a threat to food security: Farmers' Union
Canadian and European Union officials meet next week to negotiate the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a treaty that could undermine efforts to support local farmers. Read more…
New farm standard hopes to tap demand for local
Local Food Plus, an Ontario non-profit, is developing a "local sustainable" label for B.C. farmers who want want to market their food to conscientious shoppers and public institutions. Read more…
Salmon farms, sea lice main cause of huge drop in coho: Studies
New research offers more evidence that open-pen salmon farming is causing "major declines in wild fish populations," according to a news release from the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform. Read more…
- Food and
- Environment
Panel offers tips for a regional food strategy
Planners and officials from Canada and the U.S. offered some advice for Metro Vancouver as it develops a regional food system strategy, calling food an important vehicle for pushing forward municipal goals. Read more…
Harper government acknowledges climate change in new report
The world is 0.78°C warmer than it was prior to the industrial revolution, according to a Canadian report being released today by David Johnston, the new Governor-General, and Environment Minister Jim Prentice.
"Climate change is not just a theory. It's taking place now," Robert Page, who chairs the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, said in a statement. "We must start adapting our behaviour, our communities, and our economic activity to the emerging reality of climate change." Read more…
Wild salmon losing out in a crowded ocean
Hatchery-released salmon are contributing to high returns in a big way, and that could spell bad news for wild stocks, according to new research from Canadian and U.S. scientists. Read more…
Ontario farmer defies raw milk ban in BC
An Ontario farmer who won the right to distribute raw milk in that province is trying to force the same change here. Read more…
Cuts threaten BC farmland: AG report
The commission charged with overseeing the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is losing the fight to protect farmland in this province, according to a report from B.C.'s Auditor-General John Doyle. Read more…
Harper cracking under egg, dairy lobby?
Canada is standing on the sidelines of negotiations for a major free trade agreement between nations on either side of the Pacific. Experts say it's a sign Harper doesn't want to risk political backlash by messing with this country's supply-managed food markets. Read more…
- Food and
- Federal Politics
Salmon bloggers happy about sockeye, less so about DFO
B.C. salmon bloggers are ecstatic about the 25-million-fish Fraser River sockeye run, but keeping up their criticism of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Read more…
New chair to review Agricultural Land Commission
The newly-appointed chair of the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), Richard Bullock, is conducting a review of the commission which will be presented to B.C.'s minister of agriculture later this fall. Read more…
