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February | March 2021 Newstand Price $4.95
All Fracked Up! The Costs of LNG to British Columbia Edited by Alice de Wolff and Delores Broten Softcover $30 CAD + shipping Pages | 160 pp colour ISBN | 978-0-9953286-5-5 With contributions from a remarkable collection of authors and experts – including David Hughes, Maude Barlow, Ben Parfitt, Eoin Finn, Mitchell Beer, and many more – this collection presents a spectrum of topics around fracking and LNG in BC. Featuring full-colour photography by Garth Lenz and a vivid graphic style, All Fracked Up! presents facts, analysis, and histories of fracking and LNG in our province in a highly engaging and accessible format. For more details and to order: www.watershedsentinel.ca/ all-fracked-up February | March 2021
Sentinel February | March 2021
Vol. 31 No. 1
Features
©FLY:D
©Farm Sanctuary
23 8
Ag-Gag Laws Industrial Futures
Laws designed to prevent and criminal- From fish farming to 5G and the “data-industrial complex,” from mining to the well-mon-
ize exposure of inhumane conditions on ied push for new nuclear tech, we’ve got stories on current – or urgently needed – in-
farms are coming to roost in Canada. dustrial shifts. (Speaking of which, can we talk about managed wind-down already??)
Content
3,5 News Shorts 28 Enviro Racism 36 Wild Times
Alberta’s wacky inquiry, Site C How it shows up in Canada, Missing endangered species law
contracts, birds & happiness... and what can be done about it in BC: a tale of two letters
4 Letters 31 Ice Sheets
Debt, SMRs, the venerable Understanding sea levels and
Cover Credit
institution of political caricature polar ice over geologic timelines
©Michael Dziedzic
6 Climate 2020 32 Fracking BOOM
All the dirt on emissions & Industry has created a new
heating in this strange year earthquake zone in BC’s north
26 GMOs In-Store 34 One Fire
A report to help consumers suss An Ojibway-Anishinaabe vision
grocery chains’ transparency for the future: book review
Printed on Rolland EnviroPrint, 100% post-consumer Process Chlorine Free recycled fibre, FSC, Ecologo and PCF certified. watershedsentinel.ca | 1
Editorial
Sentinel
Publisher Watershed Sentinel Educational Society
Delores Broten
Knowing and Being
Editor Delores Broten
Managing Editor Claire Gilmore
Graphic Design Ester Strijbos
Social Media Director Sarah James
Staff Reporter Gavin MacRae It is hard to wrap our heads around what we do and do not know, especially now.
Renewals & Circulation Manager Dawn Christian
I’m not talking about COVID, although it is very interesting to see our reactions to that
Advertising Sally Gellard
unknown. I personally felt almost insulted that science had not delivered to us the key
Special thanks to Valerie Sherriff, Mary Richardson, to a new/old life by, oh... six months in.
Kathy Smail, Michael Maser, Sally Gellard, Norberto
Rodriguez de la Vega, Mike Moore, Gerald Woloshyn, But as time goes on, I see (maybe sharpened by pandemic eyes) the circles of knowl-
the writers, advertisers, distributors, and all who send edge intersecting more and more.
information. • Indigenous understanding and western biology
Deep thanks to our Board of Directors: Alice Grange, • Biology and psychology
Norberto Rodriguez de la Vega, Susan Yates, Lannie • The physical and the spiritual
Keller, Sally Gellard, Rob Powell and Carly Palmer.
Published five times per year. • The circle path of atomic particles and the celestial bodies
Subscriptions: Canada $25 one year, • The language of the heart and the knowledge of the fungal life among trees
$40 two years; US $35 per year, • The links between domination of nature and of other humans (and all beings)
Digital (by PDF): $15 a year
The blissful ignorance that is so often remembered as the good old days conceals the
Distribution by subscription, and to Friends of Cortes
Island. Free at Vancouver Island and Vancouver area misery of many who were not of the dominant race and sex. So much history, ancient
libraries, and by sponsorship in BC colleges, universi- and recent, is just being revealed. It will take lifetimes to contemplate it.
ties, and eco-organizations.
It all adds up to remind us, we don’t know nothin’ yet!
Disclaimer: Opinions published are not necessarily those —Delores Broten, Comox, BC, January 2021
of the publisher, editor or other staff and volunteers of the
magazine.
Member Magazines BC and Magazines Canada Don’t miss our third free webinar!
ISSN 1188-360X FRACKING BC: Report From The People #3
Publication Mail Canada Post Agreement
Site C, LNG, and Me, Wed. February 24, 12-1 pm PST: Delee Nikal, Wet’suwet’en
PM 40012720
Gidimt’en Clan; Ken Boon, Peace Valley Landowner Association; Mike Sawyer, Citi-
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: zen’s Oil & Gas Council. Register through www.watershedsentinel.ca
Watershed Sentinel
Box 1270, Comox, BC, Canada V9M 7Z8 Watershed Sentinel Annual General Meeting and 2020 Update
250-339-6117 Saturday Feb. 27 at 3 pm PST
editor@watershedsentinel.ca
By zoom, video, or telephone
www.watershedsentinel.ca
Open to all Watershed Sentinel Educational Society members
We acknowledge the financial support of the Contact editor@watershedsentinel.ca for sign in information
Government of Canada.
At the ’Shed
Growing family The Watershed Sentinel teams are starting to shape up and into action
When you want your message to reach
– proof readers, copy editors, and the editorial advisory board are engaging their gears
thousands of concerned and active
and moving forward. It might take a few issues to get it all rolling smoothly but the
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effort.
www.watershedsentinel.ca
World Community Film Fest One good thing from the COVID pandemic is that this
Next Issue Ad and Copy Deadline: year the Film Fest is online for people from all over the world. We will miss seeing
February 22, 2021 our friends in person, but happy to share this great event: www.worldcommunity.ca/
film-festival
2 | watershedsentinel.ca
International News
OR, WA reject gas pipeline, plant Bird biodiversity boosts happiness Batteries leap forward in Japan
Doubly Denied Natural High Solid-State
America’s Federal Energy Regulatory A new study out of Germany finds that Toyota plans to unveil a prototype
Commission (FERC) has upheld a deci- greater bird biodiversity is linked with electric vehicle in 2021 powered by
sion by Oregon to deny a key Clean Wa- greater happiness. The researchers found their solid-state battery technology. The
ter Act permit for the Jordan Cove LNG that birds are some of the best indicators batteries promise more than double the
export terminal and Pacific Connector of biological diversity because they are range, 10-minute charging times, and re-
fossil gas pipeline. It’s the latest in a se- seen and heard, especially in urban areas. duced risk of fires – advances that would
ries of regulatory losses for the 15-year- The study calculated the boost in satis- change the EV industry and beyond.
old proposal that is opposed by Native faction from being around 14 additional Toyota anticipates selling solid-state bat-
American tribes, impacted landowners, bird species was equivalent to earning an tery-equipped cars in the early 2020s.
fishers, and climate advocates. In border- extra $150 a month, and concluded that Japanese auto materials makers are tool-
ing Washington, a proposal for a massive conservation is just as important for hu- ing up to supply solid electrolytes for the
fracked gas-to-methanol plant in Kalama, man well-being as financial security. batteries while the Japanese government
WA is also shut down after the state de- —www.ecowatch.com is putting together a ¥2 trillion (US$19.2
nied critical permits on climate and ecol- Dec 8, 2020 billion) fund to support decarbonization
ogy grounds. The refinery was to convert technology, part of which will likely go
fracked gas into methanol for export to to subsidize solid-state battery develop-
China, for use as plastics feedstocks or ment.
automobile fuel. Road runoff is toxic to salmon —www.asia.nikkei.com
Smoking Gun
—Power Past Fracked Gas December 10, 2020
January 19, 2021
Flint water crisis: new charges laid
Accountability
The “unstoppable” got stopped
Pebble Mine
Former Michigan Governor Rick Sny-
The proposed Pebble Mine in Alas- der is charged with two counts of will-
ka’s Bristol Bay has been denied a per- ©Bureau of Land Management Oregon & Washington ful neglect of duty, and other ex-officials
mit by the US Army Corps of Engineers are also facing charges after a new state
which found the mine would run counter Over half the coho salmon that return criminal investigation into the Flint water
to Clean Water Act guidelines and public to Puget Sound’s urban streams every crisis. Neglect of duty is a misdemeanour
interests. The rejection follows the Sep- fall die before they can spawn, and now punishable by up to a year in prison or
tember release of secret recordings be- researchers from the University of Wash- a fine of up to $1,000. In 2014 the city
tween project executives revealing their ington have discovered the reason: Urban of Flint failed to properly treat drinking
goal was not a 20-year project as publicly stormwater runoff flushes worn car tire water after switching water supplies as
promised, but “unstoppable” growth with particles that leach a rubber preservative a cost-saving measure, causing lead to
a 200-year envisioned timeline. Con- deadly to the salmon into streams. “Most leach from old pipes. The contaminated
servation groups were jubilant but cam- people think that we know what chemi- water devastated the majority Black city
paigners stressed the need for the Biden cals are toxic.... But, in fact, animals are and has been blamed for a deadly out-
administration to put in place permanent exposed to this giant chemical soup and break of Legionnaires’ disease.
protections for the area. Bristol Bay sup- we don’t know what many of the chemi- —www.apnews.com
ports hundreds of species including the cals in it even are,” said study co-author January 12, 2021
planet’s most productive salmon fishery. Edward Kolodziej.
—www.commondreams.org —www.washington.edu
November 25, 2020 December 3, 2020
watershedsentinel.ca | 3
Letters
Disastrous Doubling renewables create more jobs than nucle- at the crawling stage, after he’d received
ar power. CELA cites an American study, two DPT shots containing mercury.
[Re: editorial, WS Dec-Jan ‘20-21] I had where high-tech manufacturing is com-
not known the doubling time rule could bined with simpler installation. Building For the most part, while parents of vac-
be used for the applications you describe nuclear plants pushes domestic technolo- cine-damaged children would like to
and using the number 70. I knew about gy forward. A job installing solar panels, warn others of the risks, what they want
the “Rule of 72” used to calculate the or cleaning wind turbines, does not. USA most of all is to be compensated for the
time it takes to double a sum of money manufactures wind turbines. Canada im- extraordinary care their children need.
at compound interest rates. The rules of ports wind turbines. Historically, CAN- Quebec is the only province in Canada
thumb have a Wikipedia page. The num- DU [a type of nuclear reactor] supply which has a vaccine compensation plan
bers 70 and 72 are used but 69.3 is most chain has always been a Canadian supply and even that has provided very little.
accurate. There are also formulas to cal- chain. CANDU was designed to be built, —Susan Fletcher
culate 50% increases, 33%, etc. maintained and fueled by Canadians. Sechelt, British Columbia
(US nuclear vessels are manufactured in
The compounded growth of population, France and Japan! Inapplicable study.)
greenhouse gas release, and interest on
one’s debt leads to disaster. Money is This is a Canadian export opportunity: Fac- Venerable Institution
created in the form of loans and an im- tory assembled and transportable, Canadian
possible contract is created. With the SMRs will allow us to help the world de- Tom and I just received the [Oct-Nov ‘20]
charging of interest more money has to be carbonize with Canadian hardware. Sentinel and rolled our eyes at the prig-
paid back than was issued by the loans. —Gordon McDowell gish comments about the Horgan cartoon.
Where do you get the extra money when Calgary, Alberta Just on the strength of it, I made a $50
all money is created by loans? donation to the Sentinel via your website.
—Edward Zak Keep tellin’ it like it is without fear or fa-
Nakusp, British Columbia vour. Political caricature is a venerable
Parent’s Perspective institution embraced by Pulitzer-winning
newspapers such as The Guardian and
[Re: “Sympathy for the Devil,” WS Oct- The New York Times. Watershed Sentinel
Export Opportunity Nov ‘20] Shame on you for publishing should be proud to be in such company.
an article which says so-called “An- Roar on, Sentinel!
Regarding Joyce Nelson’s article “Mini- ti-Vaxxers” kill kids! Obviously you and —Ana Simeon
Nukes, Big Bucks: The Interests Behind Stuart Parker have no idea what parents Victoria, British Columbia
the SMR Push,” [current issue; online ver- of vaccine-damaged children suffer. In
sion Jan. 14] IPCC recognizes nuclear life- the 1970s, I had my two sons vaccinated
cycle emissions as lower than solar, and assuming there was no reason to do oth-
almost as low as wind power. Elizabeth erwise. The nurses giving the injections
May’s sentiment “we do not need new didn’t inform beforehand that every type
nuclear” is not IPCC’s position: “Nuclear of vaccine comes with a monograph that The Watershed Sentinel welcomes letters
power increases its share [of world energy] warns of possible side effects. It wasn’t but reserves the right to edit for brevity,
in most 1.5°C pathways by 2050.” In path- until decades later that I discovered a clarity, legality, and taste.
ways with growing economies and energy study in the Canadian Medical Associa- Anonymous letters will not be published.
demand, nuclear provides half the world’s tion Journal about a teen who’d lost his Send your musings and your missives to:
low-carbon primary energy supply. centre vision, a loss the study said could Watershed Sentinel
have been due to mercury in a DPT [dip- Box 1270, Comox BC, V9M 7Z8
Nelson also links to CELA’s [Canadian theria, pertussis, and tetanus] shot. My editor@watershedsentinel.ca
Environmental Law Association] claim son lost his centre vision when he was or online at www.watershedsentinel.ca
4 | watershedsentinel.ca
Canadian News
Alberta taps conspiracies, deniers Estuary critical habitat for Chinook Canada ignoring human rights: UN
Inquiry Expiry Fraser Nursery Pipeline Pariah
Experts reviewing reports from Al- A study by biologists at the Raincoast The UN Committee on the Elimina-
berta’s $3.5 million Public Inquiry Into Conservation Foundation and UVic, tion of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
Funding of Anti-Alberta Campaigns say which examined tiny salmon ear bones says Canada is failing to comply with
they are based on bogus climate deni- and used genetic fingerprinting, confirms international law in pursuing the Coastal
al science, baseless conspiracy theories, the importance of the Fraser estuary for Gaslink pipeline, Trans Mountain pipe-
and pro-fossil propaganda. Reports com- juvenile Chinook salmon and underscores line and Site C dam without the free, pri-
missioned by the inquiry include those the need for protection of the estuary as or, and informed consent of Indigenous
by: a U of C professor who reportedly rearing habitat. The study found most peoples. In a letter to Canada’s UN rep-
used research accounts to funnel money juvenile Chinook resided in the estuary resentative in Geneva, the CERD called
to climate change denial group Friends for 30-50 days, and one even extended out the federal government for ignoring
of Science; a UK home school teacher its stay for 89 days. “Using modern tech- concerns raised in December 2019. At
who received nearly $28,000 for a report niques, we were able to confirm that this that time, the committee urged Canada to
claiming a “transnational progressive threatened population of Chinook salmon halt the forced eviction of Wet’suwet’en
movement” is attempting to overthrow rely heavily on the estuary during their and Secwépemc Peoples from pipeline
society by infiltrating the UN, World emigration to the ocean, which is a crit- routes, prohibit the use of lethal weapons
Bank, universities, and corporations; En- ical period that influences their future by police, and suspend all three projects
ergy In Depth, an industry front group of survival,” said lead author Lia Chalifour. until consent is granted.
the Independent Petroleum Association —Raincoast Conservation Foundation —www.thenarwhal.ca
of America, which was paid $US50,000 January 19, 2021 January 15, 2021
for a report titled “Foreign Funding Tar-
geting Canada’s Energy Sector.”
—www.cbc.ca
January 14, 2021 Site C contracts go to SNC-Lavalin Decisive climate action in Montréal
No-bid, No Prob More Trees, EVs...
Suspended sentences for protesters BC Hydro dished out over $171 million The city of Montréal has announced
Muskrat Falls 16
in no-bid contracts on the Site C dam an ambitious 10-year climate plan that
over an eight-month period ending in includes banning non-electric cars down-
July 2020, according to information ac- town, stripping métro stations of parking
Sixteen protesters found guilty of civil quired through a freedom of information and planting a half-million trees. The
contempt of court stemming from a 2016 request by The Narwhal. Scandal-ridden city will also impose a “climate test” on
protest at the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric engineering firm SNC-Lavalin, which municipal decisions and follow stringent
site have been given suspended sentenc- was banned from World Bank contracts emissions regulations for buildings. All
es for breaching an injunction. Justice for a decade in 2013 for fraud and corrup- told, the plan contains 46 measures to
George Murphy said although he under- tion overseas, received nearly $27 million reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 55%
stands the protesters feel passionately in three of the deals. That’s in addition to below 1990 levels by 2030. If the plan’s
about the contentious hydro project, the $131 million in Site C dam no-bid con- ultimate goal is met, city operations will
rule of law must be obeyed. “We would tracts previously granted SNC-Lavalin. be carbon neutral by 2040 and Montréal
not be here if it wasn’t for Nalcor and that TE Little Consulting, headed by Tim Lit- completely carbon neutral by 2050.
dam,” said protester Jacinda Beals. “We tle, BC Hydro’s former chief engineer, —www.montrealgazette.com
all understood the rule of law. We just be- received $309,000 for Little’s services as December 11, 2020
lieved that this was too important.” the dam’s “independent engineer.”
—www.cbc.ca —www.thenarwhal.ca
January 6, 2021 January 13,2021
watershedsentinel.ca | 5
2020 Rear View
The good, the bad, the possible
©Cristian Ibarra Santillan
by Stephen Leahy
I once covered a climate conference in for her efforts to protect ancestral lands. Change Service. Last year was 1.25°C
Anchorage, Alaska organized by Indig- hotter than the long-term global average
enous Peoples from around the world. “Why not give automobiles and planes a over land and the oceans. Large areas of
I’ve never forgotten what one elder day of rest? And then later on, two days the Arctic and Siberia averaged 6.0°C
said. of rest. That would cut down on pollu- above normal for the entire year.
tion,” Dann suggested.
Mother Nature was getting warmer and The last six years have been our six hot-
the “fever” needed to be cured. “We see That was nearly a dozen years ago. Dann test years ever.
many range (grassland) fires in my ter- has recently passed away but I hope her
ritory, it is getting so hot,” said Carrie words and wisdom will live on. The planet is experiencing record heat
Dann, an elder from the Western Shosho- because of record high levels of carbon
ne Nation, whose ancestral lands extend 2020 tied 2016 as the world’s hottest year dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. By the
across the western United States. Dann despite the cooling effects of La Niña, ac- end of 2021 we’ll have added 50% more
was awarded the Right Livelihood Award cording to Europe’s Copernicus Climate CO2 to the atmosphere than there was
6 | watershedsentinel.ca
before widespread use of coal 175 years
ago. Increasing the concentration of CO2
by 50% is a staggering feat given the The 2020 emissions decline needs to be repeated in
enormous volume of the Earth’s atmo- 2021, and in 2022, and... well, until we get to zero.
sphere.
Finally a good news record
country before 2060. That means they’ll This is just one example of a low-carbon
The good news is that our CO2 emissions have to eliminate coal use, as well as tipping point. Another is in the power
dropped a record 7% in 2020. That’s a natural gas. China already has over half sector where renewables generate elec-
decline of 2.4 billion tonnes of CO2 com- of the world’s electric vehicles thanks to tricity cheaper than fossil fuels in more
pared to 2019. That might be the only government incentives. and more countries.
good thing that’s come from the pandem-
ic. Much of the decline came from a big Technological transformation There is a cascade effect that can accel-
drop in transportation emissions from erate this transition, says Tim Lenton,
cars and trucks. Cars replaced horses as the main means of Director of the Global Systems Institute
transport in only 10-15 years in the early at the University of Exeter in the UK.
The 2020 emission decline was particu- 1900s. The hurdles to make that happen Increasing renewable power generation
larly steep in the United States and Eu- were enormous: no paved roads, no gas helps accelerate decarbonization of large
ropean Union. It needs to be duplicated stations or service stations, and cars were parts of transportation, heating and cool-
in 2021, and in 2022, and in 2023, and… costly. (The cost of the first Ford Model ing, and industry.
well, until we get to zero. (Preferably Ts would be like spending US $137,000
without an ongoing pandemic.) This is on a car today.) Governments played The beauty of tipping points, says Len-
why it’s imperative that the economic a major role in the transition – paving ton, is that thanks to reinforcing feed-
recovery funds be used to build green roads, financial incentives to the oil in- backs, a relatively small number of initial
economies. An investment of an addition- dustry and so on. actions could produce large changes on a
al 1.2% of global GDP a year would be global scale. However, government poli-
enough to make the transition to a net-ze- Something similar is happening in Nor- cies will be required to overcome barriers
ro carbon global economy. way. More than 50% of new car sales until the feedbacks kick in.
are now electric vehicles (EVs) thanks to
The CO2 emissions in 24 countries have government incentives and policies. By There is, and will continue to be, lots
been declining for at least one decade 2025 only EVs will be sold in Norway. of resistance to this transformational
while their economies continue to grow. change. Many societies in the past have
These are mostly European countries Low-carbon tipping points collapsed because they allowed this re-
such as the Denmark, the UK and Spain, sistance to slow or prevent making the
but also the USA, Mexico, and Japan. EVs are superior to traditional gaso- changes they needed to survive. Let’s
Canada is not in this group. line-powered vehicles. They are easier hope we can embody the wisdom and
to manufacture, cheaper to operate, re- courage exemplified by Carrie Dann.
But China!! quire virtually no maintenance and don’t
pollute. When their purchase price is the
Everyone wants to blame China for cli- same, experts say, a positive tipping point Stephen Leahy is an award-winning envi-
mate change these days. They are the will be reached and sales will accelerate. ronmental journalist and author who has
world’s biggest overall producer of CO2 Emission reduction policies in the US, written for National Geographic, The
by far – double US emissions. However China, and Europe could make this price Guardian, Vice, and Maclean’s Magazine,
their per-person emissions are still low- parity happen in less than three years, among others.
er than the US, Canada, Australia, and and certainly by 2025. EVs are likely to © 2021 Stephen Leahy
Germany’s per-person levels. China also dominate the global automotive market
intends to become a net-zero emissions by 2030.
watershedsentinel.ca | 7
In this time of change and turmoil, we
were unsure of a theme for this issue
— until we looked at the articles and
realized many of them question or cast
light on the future of major industrial
sectors.
From the removal of fish farms from the
Discovery Islands on BC’s coast to the
changes needed in the mining industry
to become truly just and accountable as
it feeds the green tech explosion, to the
exponential growth of the “data industrial
complex” through 5G technology (and its
Industrial
huge implications for electricty demand)
– these stories all speak to expansion,
contraction, and transformation in indus-
try unfolding over the next decade.
Futures
And then there is Joyce Nelson’s reveal-
ing look at the well-monied push towards
the unproven technology of Small Mod-
ular (nuclear) Reactors, where investors
©FLY:D
are looking forward to mining taxpayers
once again. Some things do not change.
8 | watershedsentinel.caManaged Wind-Down
The conversation Canadians need to have
by Marc Lee and Seth Klein
An enduring lesson from COVID-19 is export. And industry is too often given a fluence they play an oversized role in
that where there’s a will there’s a way. free pass to do nothing, as climate action shaping policy and delaying meaningful
Faced with a pandemic, governments plans focus on reducing emissions from action. Because fossil fuel interests will
have risen to the challenge and made buildings and passenger transportation. fight a managed wind-down tooth and
profound changes that would have nail, it will take much stronger political
seemed impossible mere months be- Consider that almost one-quarter of BC’s will and public oversight (i.e., regulation
fore. total carbon emissions are from the ex- and management) of our fossil fuel re-
traction and processing of fossil fuels, the sources and industrial activity.
We now need to shift this out-of-the-box vast bulk of which are from natural gas
thinking to the existential threat posed production. BC’s commitment to expand- Given the late hour in confronting the
by climate change. The need to eliminate ing fracking to supply an LNG export in- climate emergency, it is time our gov-
fossil fuels for energy as fast as possible dustry is driving the province beyond its ernments stopped trying to appease these
must be at the centre of that shift. An Au- legislated GHG targets. fossil fuel companies. Our official climate
gust 2020 open letter published in The plans should not seek to win the support
Guardian and signed by over 100 top The BC government is seeking some or endorsement of these companies (as is
economists around the world argues it emission reductions by powering up- currently the case). Rather, if our climate
clearly: stream fracking and processing with elec- plans are not making the oil and gas com-
tricity, while continuing to be a growing panies deeply anxious, they are not plans
“Governments must actively phase out exporter of fossil fuels. This approach to worth having.
the fossil fuel industry. Bailouts and managing the climate costs of fossil fuel
subsidies to big oil, gas and coal compa- extraction is ultimately untenable, and to BC communities that are dependent
nies only further delay the essential en- add insult to injury, means all BC Hydro on fossil fuel extraction and export are
ergy transition, distorting markets while ratepayers are effectively subsidizing the highly vulnerable in the growing move-
locking us into a future we cannot af- expansion of gas production. ment to decarbonization. Major shifts in
ford. Instead, a coordinated phaseout of global climate policy and energy demand
exploration for and extraction of carbon Major investments in BC to expand require BC to take a more proactive and
resources allows governments to rede- fracked gas production are a local mani- planned approach to the managed wind-
ploy funds towards green technology, festation of a global fossil fuel over-sup- down of fossil fuel extraction.
infrastructure, social programs, and good ply problem that threatens to undermine
jobs, spurring an economic transition that the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate Unjust transitions permeate Canadian
benefits people and the planet.” change objective of “holding the increase history – whether from plant closures
in the global average temperature to well due to industrial consolidation, commod-
In BC, in spite of climate action planning below 2°C above pre-industrial levels ity price busts, or free trade agreements.
going back to 2007, the idea of a man- and to pursue efforts to limit the tempera- Without advanced planning, change may
aged wind-down of fossil fuel industries ture increase to 1.5°C above pre-industri- come from the outside, and too often
remains a taboo topic. Talk about green al levels” (Article 2). workers end up being cast aside.
energy and new technology development
too often accepts as a given the continued Fossil fuel producers are no ally in this
expansion of oil and gas production for transition, and due to their political in- Continued on Page 10
watershedsentinel.ca | 9Winddown continued
What would a managed wind-down look down fossil fuel industries, apart from
like? In addition to measures to reduce climate change. Mining coal has adverse
demand for fossil fuels within BC, the health impacts on workers, and burning “If our climate plans are
province needs new supply-side mea- it has adverse impacts on people exposed not making the oil and
sures to restrict production eventually to the resulting air pollution. Pipelines
to zero. Our framework for a managed rupture and coal trains derail, causing gas companies deeply
wind-down is built on four pillars: damage to habitat and ecosystems even anxious, they are not
• Establish carbon budgets for domes- when far away from human settlements.
tic GHG emissions including fossil Fracking for gas can contaminate aqui- plans worth having.”
fuel production limits between now fers and has long-term impacts on fresh
and 2050; water supplies.
• Invest in the domestic transition off
of fossil fuels and develop a green A plan to wind down fossil fuel extraction and that no one, in particular workers and
industrial strategy for BC; and export will thus have substantial communities in the existing fossil fuel
• Ensure a just transition for workers, co-benefits besides reducing greenhouse sectors, is left behind. But it starts with an
being mindful of the regional nature gas emissions, including the development honest conversation in which our leaders
of resource employment; and of alternative green jobs, new investment acknowledge that we face a climate emer-
• Enhance public returns from re- in green infrastructure, skills and train- gency, and that fossil fuel production in
source development through tax and ing, with a focus on decarbonization. our province will have to be wound down
royalty reform to fund the transition, in the next 20 to 30 years.
to be shared with Indigenous nations. Phasing out fossil fuels must be informed
by notions of climate justice: that the In the wake of COVID, there’s no reason
There are, of course, many other envi- transition is fair, the path forward is set to believe BC cannot rise to this chal-
ronmental and health reasons for winding in partnership with Indigenous people, lenge.
Marc Lee is a Senior Economist at the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative’s
BC Office and Co-Director of the Climate
Justice Project, a research partnership
with UBC’s School of Community and Re-
gional Planning.
Seth Klein is a CCPA-BC research associ-
ate, Adjunct professor with Simon Fras-
er University’s Urban Studies program,
and former CCPA-BC director. His book
A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the
Climate Emergency is now available. This
article originally appeared at www.poli-
cynote.ca
“Fossil fuel interests will
©Andreas Gücklhorn
fight a managed wind-down
tooth and nail.”
10 | watershedsentinel.ca19 Fish Farms Out!
Now it’s time to rebuild salmon stocks
by Odette Auger, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
The night that Chief Darren Blaney of Blaney has been a part of the leadership been working for years to help protect
Homalco First Nation found out that team working to remove fish farms in wild salmon and has lobbied to have the
fish farms would be phased out in his an area known as the Discovery Islands, pens closed.
traditional territories, he celebrated near Campbell River, BC, for years.
over dinner with his wife. “I told her and she just cried,” Blaney
Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan says. But the real celebration, he adds,
“I was kind of skeptical all the way made the announcement on Dec. 17, af- will take place when “this virus is under
through, until I heard it from the minis- ter consultation with seven First Nations control,” referring to COVID-19 and the
ter’s mouth,” Blaney says. which began on Sept. 28, 2020. restrictions it places on community gath-
erings.
“She talked about it being a really tough While Blaney dined with his wife, he
decision for her. They knew there were made a few important phone calls, one “It’s a historic moment”
going to be job losses, but they had the to Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Na-
courage to move forward with that. That tions Wild Salmon Alliance, and another The fish farms are being blamed for con-
decision takes some courage to imple- to Alexandra Morton, a biologist who has tributing to the decline of the wild Fraser
ment.”
Continued on Page 12
©Oregon Department of Forestry
watershedsentinel.ca | 1119 Fish Farms Out! continued
River salmon population after scientists
discovered sea lice and other parasites
were being transferred between the spe- “I’ve never felt this in my life. I’ve never felt that we
cies. humans did something that is actually restoring a
Jordan said the 19 sites would be phased very important central part of this ecosystem.”
out over 18 months to allow existing fish —Alexandra Morton
to “grow out” of the farms.
According to DFO, only nine of the sites
contain fish while the others sit empty.
The farms are run by companies based
in Norway, who raise Atlantic salmon in
Pacific waters.
The night she found out about the deci-
sion to phase out fish farms in the Discov-
ery Islands, Morton turned off all of her
electronics and started a fire.
“I stood there and watched the sparks go
into the sky,” she says. “They looked like
little fish, and I can’t even try to name the
feeling.”
Morton says the Cohen Commission of
Inquiry into the decline of sockeye sal-
mon in the Fraser River focused on the
Discovery Islands because evidence sug-
gested that the sockeye were going miss-
ing between Vancouver and the north end
of Vancouver Island.
“The Discovery Islands are where one-
third of all BC wild salmon and most of
the Fraser River sockeye salmon migrate
through the waste flowing from seven
million Atlantic salmon in cages,” says
Morton.
“There’s evidence of amplified parasites,
viruses and bacteria pouring out of these
farms into the migration route of what
was the largest wild salmon run in the
world.”
©Lee George
Morton credits Blaney and other First
Nations leaders for carrying the message
12 | watershedsentinel.caof wild salmon to the government in a “Going forward, I’m going to make my- that we can, the government should give
meaningful way. self available to all nations who are con- them some support to move on land.”
cerned about their salmon, because these
“What they did is like opening an artery Indigenous governments are the only Homalco teachings get reinforced
and suddenly the blood is going to flow ones who really actually want the wild through wild salmon, Blaney says, and
again. And that’s what these fish are. salmon – it’s bigger than ‘want’ – they it’s a critical part of why he has fought for
They are the bloodstream, because they insist that they are here,” she says. the last fifteen years to remove fish farms
pick up the energy in the ocean, carry it in his territories.
up the mountains, and then they pour this Next spring, Morton says she will be out
energy down over the hills, creating for- on the water, “looking at everybody’s fish “When the salmon are there, that’s a big
ests for 100 species and cultures.” ... I’m going to watch these fish go to sea feast. They have a celebration wherev-
undestroyed. They’re going to be beau- er they go, they feed everything in their
But while the minister’s announcement tiful.” path. When the salmon gets to us, it’s our
was an important decision for the region, feasting time,” Blaney says.
the effects will ripple across the coast and While Blaney feels heartened by the
the country, Morton says. government’s decision to stand behind “It’s about culture and knowledge that
First Nations in their fight to protect wild gets passed on through the salmon, our
“I’ve never felt this in my life. I’ve never salmon, it’s up to his community and oth- teachings about sharing get reinforced in
felt that we humans did something that is ers to “help them rebuild,” he says. the salmon. The salmon does a potlatch in
actually restoring a very important cen- the ocean, it’s giving all over the place.”
tral part of this ecosystem, we’re allow- “I know they’re resilient, but we need to
ing life to continue and this is a trend that help them, because they’re going to be so And now it’s time for people to give back
has to happen, or, you know, our children vulnerable.” to the salmon, he says.
are gonna suffer incalculably, but I see a
pathway to it now,” says Morton. Blaney knows this decision was a hard “Now we need to look at the rebuilding
one for Minister Jordan to make, and process, to support salmon stocks. I know
“It’s time to rebuild” he also recognizes this may not be good they’re resilient and will rebuild, but we
news for everyone. need to help them,” Blaney says. “It’s a
Blaney knows there is more work on the part of our job as stewards of the land.”
horizon. He is already planning to show “I know the people that work in the in-
Jordan what enhancement projects could dustry are struggling with that decision,
expand into. but at the same time we have been strug- Odette Auger, Sagamok Anishnawbek, is
gling without our salmon, commercial a guest on Klahoose, Homalco, Tla’amin
Now that the arteries are open, says Mor- fishermen have been struggling with less territories. She works with IndigenEYEZ,
ton, conservation projects stand a chance. and less days to fish. I think there’s a way has written and produced for First Peo-
ple’s Cultural Council project and Cortes
Radio. Her journalism covering Indige-
Farms ask for judicial review nous health, Vancouver Island, and Indig-
enous art, can be found at IndigiNews,
In mid-January, Mowi Canada applied to the Federal Court of Canada for a judicial the Discourse, APTN, and the (Toronto)
review of the farm phase-out decision by Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan. Mowi Star, among other places.
owns 15 farms in the area, 30% of its BC business. The 2012 Cohen Commission in-
quiry into the collapse of Fraser River sockeye recommended the removal of all salm- This article origi-
on farms in the narrow waterways of the Discovery Islands by September 2020 if they nally appeared in
presented risks to wild stocks. The licenses have been renewed annually since, amid IndigiNews (www.
First Nations and public protests. However Mowi claimed this year’s decision would indiginews.com)
mean the company would have to cull several million young fish from their hatcheries
because they had nowhere to place them.
—CTV News, January 20, 2021
watershedsentinel.ca | 13The Future of Mining
Social and environmental impacts, and carbon releases
©Ralph Hunter
©CardMapr
by Gavin MacRae
From Argentina to the Democratic Re- Driven by demand for electric vehicle MiningWatch says that growth could
public of Congo, Canada to Papua New batteries and renewable energy infra- cause ecological damage that would
Guinea, sky-high demand for metals structure, the need for lithium, graphite, affect whole regions and watersheds,
and minerals integral to a renewable nickel, cobalt, platinum-group and rare “posing a long term threat through toxic
energy revolution will cause environ- earth elements is primed to explode. The contamination and massive mine waste
mental and social collateral damage World Bank predicts that production of dumps.”
without reforms to mining and society. many of the minerals could increase near-
ly 500% by 2050. For cobalt, lithium, and After tripling in some regions in the last
This is the warning from Turning Down nickel, projected demand is greater than decade, mining waste already represents
the Heat: Can We Mine Our Way Out of known reserves. [For more on the EV the largest source of solid waste in Cana-
the Climate Crisis, a report by Mining- connection see “Electric vehicles: the da and the US, the report says, dwarfing
Watch Canada born from a conference of good, the bad, the context” in Watershed waste from municipalities and industry.
nearly 200 academics, researchers, grass- Sentinel, Februrary-March 2020]. “The nascent renewable energy-fuelled
roots representatives, and activists. mining boom is already having dramat-
14 | watershedsentinel.caic social and environmental impacts, in-
cluding on Indigenous and human rights,
in many places, both domestically and The report extends the concept of a just transition
internationally.” beyond a renewable energy transition to reduced
The mining process is also carbon inten- consumption, and equitable distribution of energy
sive. Estimates by the UN Environment and material wealth.
Programme have identified metal mining
as responsible for some 10% of global
greenhouse gas emissions – 20% when
including non-metal minerals such as
sand, gravel, and graphite. tation modes away from zero-emissions exploration or development begins, the
vehicles altogether. report urges, including a process for com-
The narrative fostered by the mining in- munities to identify and forbid mining in
dustry, the report says, is that any harms “Beyond zero emission vehicles, public ecologically, socially, or culturally sen-
from the coming bonanza are the price of policies must also aim at reducing the sitive areas. In the case of pending com-
transitioning away from fossil fuels. But number and sizes of vehicles on the roads mercial deep sea mining, such a “no-go”
to safeguard human rights, Indigenous for a truly low-carbon, low-material fu- zone should extend to the entire seabed,
communities, and the environment, that ture.” the report says.
narrative must be “reframed as one of a
‘just transition’ putting environmental More broadly still, the report extends Where mines are developed, communi-
justice and social justice ahead of profit the concept of a just transition beyond a ties must retain control of the placement
and endless economic growth.” renewable energy transition, to reduced of mine wastes. Environmental protection
consumption by the wealthy and equi- needs to be a priority backed by a pollut-
The report sketches out the legislation, table distribution of energy and material er-pay principle with mandatory financial
industry reforms, and societal changes wealth. assurances against contamination, min-
necessary for that to happen. ing disasters, mine closure, remediation
“Workers cannot be asked to make sac- and monitoring.
The first step is to reduce demand for the rifices that consumers and investors are
finite materials through increased manu- not also asked to make,” says the report. Finally, human rights throughout the
facturing efficiency and development of a “A thoughtful transition provides oppor- mineral supply chain need to be protected
circular economy with a focus on battery tunities for redesign at all levels, from with a legal framework and correspond-
recycling. In a best case scenario, these building codes to municipal and regional ing voluntary measures for responsible
measures could cut demand 30-40% for planning, to global flows of goods and investment and purchasing. This would
some of the metals, according to a study materials – a reorganization of work and include mandatory due diligence for hu-
by the Institute for Sustainable Futures production, trade, and consumption.” man rights and transparency, establish-
and the ENGO Earthworks. ment of traceable supply chain controls,
On the production end, current min- and investment criteria for private and
A corollary to these efforts is to wind ing governance is “clearly inadequate” public investors.
down unnecessary mining of gold and di- the report says, and cannot be substitut-
amonds for speculative and luxury mar- ed with voluntary third-party standards.
kets, and uranium and coal that will be Laws and policies must be strengthened For more information, and examples,
supplanted by renewables. throughout the supply chain to prevent see www.miningwatch.ca
harm and establish real accountability.
The remaining gap could be reduced by www.earthworks.org/publications/re-
scaling back the need for batteries them- Mining interests must have the free, prior sponsible-minerals-sourcing-for-renew-
selves, MiningWatch says, with urban and informed consent of Indigenous peo- able-energy/
design that supports switching transpor- ple and local communities before mining
watershedsentinel.ca | 15Mini-Nukes, Big Bucks
Mining the public purse for a clean, green nuclear revival
by Joyce Nelson
Back in 2018, the Watershed Sentinel industry gave up on SMRs for various a major role in the push for SMRs. In her
ran an article by D. S. Geary warning reasons: Babcock & Wilcox in 2017, mid-December 2020 newsletter, Eliza-
that “unless Canadians speak out,” a Transatomic Power in 2018, and West- beth May, the Parliamentary Leader of the
huge amount of taxpayer dollars would inghouse in 2014 (after a decade of work Green Party, focused on SNC-Lavalin,
be spent on small modular nuclear re- on its project) in 2014. reminding readers that in 2015, then-PM
actors (SMRs), which he called “risky, Stephen Harper sold the commercial re-
retro, uncompetitive, expensive, and But in 2018, the private equity arm of actor division of Atomic Energy of Cana-
completely unnecessary.” Now here Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management da Ltd. (AECL) “to SNC-Lavalin for the
we are in 2021 with the Trudeau gov- Inc. announced that it was buying West- sweetheart deal price of $15 million.”
ernment and four provinces (Saskatch- inghouse’s global nuclear business (West-
ewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Al- inghouse Electric Co.) for $4.6 billion. May explained, “SNC-Lavalin formed a
berta) poised to pour billions of dollars consortium called the Canadian Nation-
into SMRs as a supposed “clean ener- Two years later, in August 2020, Brook- al Energy Alliance (CNEA) to run some
gy” solution to climate change. field announced that Mark Carney, former of the broken-apart bits of AECL. CNEA
Bank of England and Bank of Canada has been the big booster of what sounds
It’s remarkable that only five years ago, governor, would be joining the company like some sort of warm and cuddly ver-
the National Energy Board predicted, as its vice-chair and head of ESG (envi- sion of nuclear energy – Small Modular
“No new nuclear units are anticipated to ronmental, social, and governance) and Reactors. Do not be fooled. Not only do
be built in any province” by 2040. impact fund investing, while remaining we not need new nuclear, not only does it
as UN Special Envoy for Climate Action have the same risks as previous nuclear
So what happened? and Finance. reactors and creates long-lived nuclear
wastes, it is more tied to the US mili-
The answer involves looking at some of “We are not going to solve climate change tary-industrial complex than ever before.
the key influencers at work behind the without the private sector,” Carney told That’s because SNC-Lavalin’s partners in
scenes, lobbying for government funding the press, calling the climate crisis “one the CNEA are US companies Fluor and
for SMRs. of the greatest commercial opportunities Jacobs,” both of which have contracts
of our time.” He considers Canada “an with US Department of Energy nuclear-
The Carney factor energy superpower,” with nuclear a key weapons facilities.”
asset.
When the first three provinces jumped on But, states May, “Natural Resources Min-
the SMR bandwagon in 2019 (at an esti- Carney is an informal advisor to PM ister Seamus O’Regan has been sucked
mated price tag of $27 billion), the Green Trudeau and to British PM Boris John- into the latest nuclear propaganda – that
Party called the plan “absurd,” especial- son. In November, Johnson announced ‘there is no pathway to Net Zero [carbon
ly noting that SMRs don’t even exist yet £525 million (CAD$909.6 million) for emissions] without nuclear’”.
as viable technologies but only as designs “large and small-scale nuclear plants.”
on paper. Terrestrial Energy
SNC-Lavalin
According to the BBC (March 9, 2020), Then there’s Terrestrial Energy, which in
some of the biggest names in the nuclear Scandal-ridden SNC-Lavalin is playing mid-October 2020 received a $20 million
16 | watershedsentinel.cagrant for SMR development from Natural
Resources Canada’s (NRCan)O’Regan
and Navdeep Bains (Minister of Inno- “If Wall Street and the banks will not finance this,
vation, Science and Industry). The an- why should it be the role of the government to engage
nouncement prompted more than 30 Ca-
nadian NGOs to call out SMRs as “dirty, in venture capitalism of this kind?”
dangerous, and distracting” from real,
available solutions to climate change.
The Connecticut-based company has a of the Dept. of Energy (2013-2017) who al nuclear plants because they would
subsidiary in Oakville, Ontario. Its ad- provided more than $12 billion in loan change the scale of capital at risk.
visory board includes Stephen Harper; guarantees to the nuclear industry. Moniz
Michael Binder, the former president has been a key advisor to the Biden-Har- For years, banks and financial institutions
and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safe- ris transition team, which has come have been reluctant to invest in mon-
ty Commission; and (as of October) Dr. out in favour of SMRs, calling them ey-losing nuclear projects, so now the
Ian Duncan, the former UK Minister of “game-changing technologies” at “half goal is to get governments to invest, espe-
Climate Change in the Dept. of Business the construction cost of today’s reactors.” cially in SMRs. That has been the agenda
Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). of a powerful lobby group that has been
In 2015, while the COP 21 Paris Climate working closely with NRCan for several
Perhaps more importantly, Terrestrial Agreement was being finalized, Moniz years.
Energy’s advisory board includes Dr. told reporters that SMRs could lead to
Ernest Moniz, the former US Secretary “better financing terms” than tradition- Continued on Page 18
©NuScale
watershedsentinel.ca | 17SMRs continued
The “billionaires’ nuclear club” billion fund to provide start-up capital billionaires, it is not so much of an issue.
to clean-tech companies in several coun- The problem is that he is lobbying hard
The 2015 Paris climate talks featured tries. for government investment.”
what cleantechnica.com called a “splashy
press conference” by Bill Gates to an- Going after the public purse Dr. Ramana explained that because
nounce the launch of the Breakthrough SMRs only exist on paper, “the scale of
Energy Coalition (BEC) – a group of Bill Gates was apparently very busy investment needed to move these paper
(originally) 28 high net-worth investors, during the 2015 Paris climate talks. He designs to a level of detail that would sat-
aiming “to provide early-stage capital for also went on stage during the talks to an- isfy any reasonable nuclear safety regula-
technologies that offer promise in bring- nounce a collaboration among 24 coun- tor that the design is safe” would be in the
ing affordable clean energy to billions.” tries and the EU on something called billions of dollars. “I don’t see Gates and
Mission Innovation – an attempt to “ac- others being willing to invest anything of
Though BEC no longer makes its mem- celerate global clean energy innovation” that scale. Instead, they invest a relative-
bership public, the original coalition in- and “increase government support” for ly small amount of money (compared to
cluded such familiar names as Jeff Bezos the technologies. Mission Innovation’s what they are worth financially) and then
(Amazon), Marc Benioff (Salesforce), key partners include the Breakthrough ask for government handouts for the vast
Michael Bloomberg, Richard Branson, Energy Coalition, the World Economic majority of the investment that is need-
Jack Ma (Alibaba), David Rubenstein Forum, the International Energy Agency, ed.”
(Carlyle Group), Tom Steyer, George So- and the World Bank.
ros, and Mark Zuckerberg. Many of those Gordon Edwards, President of the Cana-
names (and others) can now be found on An employee at NRCan, Amanda Wil- dian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibili-
the “Board and Investors” page of Break- son, was appointed as one of the 12 inter- ty, says governments “are being suckers.
through Energy’s website. national members of the Mission Innova- Because if Wall Street and the banks will
tion Steering Committee. not finance this, why should it be the role
Writing in Counterpunch (Dec. 4, 2015) of the government to engage in venture
shortly after BEC’s launch, Linda Pentz In December 2017, Bill Gates announced capitalism of this kind?”
Gunter noted that many of those 28 BEC that the Breakthrough Energy Coalition
billionaires (collectively worth some was partnering with Mission Innovation “Roadmap” to a NICE future
$350 billion at the time) are pro-nucle- members Canada, UK, France, Mexi-
ar and Gates himself “is already squan- co, and the European Commission in a By 2018, NRCan was pouring money
dering part of his wealth on Terra Power “public-private collaboration” to “double into a 10-month, pan-Canadian “conver-
LLC, a nuclear design and engineering public investment in clean energy inno- sation” about SMRs that brought together
company seeking an elusive, expensive vation.” some 180 individuals from First Nations
and futile so-called Generation IV trav- and northern communities, provincial
eling wave reactor” for SMRs. (In 2016, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and territorial governments, industry,
Terra Power, based in Bellevue, Wash- at the time, Jim Carr, said the partnership utilities, and “stakeholders, which result-
ington, received a $40 million grant from with BEC “will greatly benefit the envi- ed in a November 2018 report, A Call to
Ernest Moniz’s Department of Energy.) ronment and the economy. Working side- Action: A Canadian Roadmap for Small
by-side with innovators like Bill Gates Modular Reactors.
According to cleantechnica.com, the can only serve to enhance our purpose
Breakthrough Energy Coalition “does and inspire others.” At the same time, Bill Gates announced
have a particular focus on nuclear ener- the launch of Breakthrough Energy Eu-
gy.” Think of BEC as the billionaires’ Dr. M.V. Ramana, an expert on nuclear rope, a collaboration with the European
nuclear club. energy and a professor at the School of Commission (one of BEC’s five Mission
Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC, Innovation partners) in the amount of 100
By 2017, BEC was launching Break- told me by email: “As long as Bill Gates million euros for clean-tech innovation.
through Energy Ventures (BEV), a $1 is wasting his own money or that of other
18 | watershedsentinel.caYou can also read
