Sarah Cox, The Narwhal

Sarah Cox

The Narwhal

Victoria, BC, Canada

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • The Narwhal
  • DeSmog

Past articles by Sarah:

‘A huge win’: B.C. government suspends logging in endangered caribou habitat near Revelstoke

Plans to log a rare old-growth forest in critical caribou habitat are on hold following public outcry. Now, conservation groups are calling on the province to finish the job and remove the remaining cutblocks in Argonaut Creek from auction → Read More

Old-growth logging leaves black bears without dens: biologist

B.C. protects beaver lodges and occupied migratory bird nests, but there are no regulations protecting black bear dens in most parts of the province. On Vancouver Island, dens are vanishing along with old-growth forests. Meet biologist Helen Davis, who is on a mission to make sure female bears and their cubs have homes → Read More

B.C. approves 314 new cutblocks in endangered caribou habitat over last five months

As more caribou populations flicker out, and pressure mounts on the province to protect the species’ habitat, logging approvals have almost quadrupled since mid-October → Read More

United Nations instructs Canada to suspend Site C dam construction over Indigenous rights violations

The world's foremost racial discrimination committee says Canada must work with Indigenous communities to find an alternative to the $10.7 billion hydro project in B.C. → Read More

A Cautionary Tale for Oil-by-rail: the Lac-Mégantic Disaster Five Years Later

By James Wilt, The Narwhal. Originally posted on The Narwhal. → Read More

Time For a Fix: B.C. Looks at Overhaul of Reviews for Mines, Dams and Pipelines

As pipeline politics dominate headlines, British Columbia is poised to overhaul the process that guides how major resource and development projects proceed. → Read More

‘Slow-Motion Disaster’: As Canada’s New Hydro Dams Spiral Out of Control, Who’s Overseeing Site C?

Peace River Valley farmers Ken and Arlene Boon were at a lookout on a neighbour’s property on Sunday when they spotted a fresh landslide at the Site C dam construction site. → Read More

How a First Nation Bargained to Build B.C.’s Largest Solar Farm

The language and culture of the Upper Nicola Band honour the natural laws of the tmixw — “that which gives us life.” One tmixw is the sun, which shines for more than 2,000 hours annually in much of the band’s traditional territory in B.C.’s arid Okanagan region. → Read More

Indigenous Rights Canada’s Biggest Human Rights Challenge: Secretary General of Amnesty

Both Canada and British Columbia have vowed to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). And yet recent natural resource decisions — like the approval of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline or ongoing construction of the Site C dam — have some wondering what governments mean when they make that promise. Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty… → Read More

Conflict of Interest? Troubling Questions Raised About New BC Hydro Board Appointees

BC Hydro is the utility that keeps the lights on in B.C. and generally it does a fine job of restoring wind-toppled power lines and firing up our smart phones and flat screens. → Read More

Auditor General Nudges B.C. to Amend Act that Exempted Site C Dam from Independent Review

Remember B.C.’s Clean Energy Act, championed by former Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell to position B.C. as a “world leader” in addressing climate change? → Read More

What You Need to Know About BC Hydro’s Financial ‘Mess’ and the Site C Dam

B.C. Energy Minister Michelle Mungall said Thursday that “there’s a mess” at BC Hydro. Mungall made the comment after the B.C. Utilities Commission denied the government’s request for a hydro rate freeze — putting the kibosh on one of the NDP’s campaign promises. → Read More

Did BC Hydro Execs Mislead Public About Cost of Site C Dam?

BC Hydro executives have mismanaged the Site C dam’s overall budget and cost control process, and they are “not capable” of accurate estimates or controlling costs on the $10.7 billion project, according to an affidavit filed this week by former BC Hydro CEO Marc Eliesen. → Read More

Site C Dam Decision Causes Friction Within NDP Ranks Ahead of Provincial Council Meeting

When B.C. cabinet members arrive at the NDP’s provincial council meeting tomorrow in New Westminster, they will face a group of “very concerned” delegates and party members who are urging the government to reconsider its decision to proceed with the Site C dam. → Read More

Site C Dam Eyed to Power Yukon’s Mining Boom

A new proposal to send power from B.C.’s Site C dam to remote Yukon mines is baffling on both environmental and financial grounds, according to Yukon mining analyst Lewis Rifkind. → Read More

‘Deck Stacked’ Against First Nations Seeking Site C Injunction, Experts Say

Can the Site C dam still be stopped? It all boils down to one B.C. Supreme Court judge who will decide whether or not to grant First Nations an injunction against the project this spring, according to legal scholars who are keenly watching a new legal case against the $10.7 billion dam. This week West Moberly First Nations and Prophet River First Nation filed notices of civil action claiming… → Read More

NDP Government’s Site C Math a Flunk, Say Project Financing Experts

The NDP government’s arithmetic on Site C cancellation costs is “deeply flawed,” has “no logic at all,” and is “appalling,” according to three project financing experts. → Read More

UPDATED: Site C Dam Approval Violates Basic Human Rights, Says Amnesty International

Ending months of speculation, Premier John Horgan announced Monday that construction of the Site C dam on B.C.’s Peace River will continue even though the cost of the troubled project has climbed to $10.7 billion and the government faces a potentially pricey legal challenge from First Nations. → Read More

Site C Decision Will be Made Any Day Now — What the Hell is Going On?

An independent review of the Site C hydro dam was pegged as the solution to a long and bitter battle over the fate of the $9 billion project championed by B.C.’s former Liberal government. → Read More

NDP Union Heavyweights Come Out Fighting for Site C

The NDP’s trade union base fired another missive today in an attempt to persuade the B.C. government to greenlight the Site C dam, as party insiders and union donors to the party continue to ramp up lobbying efforts in support of the $9 billion hydro project. → Read More