Judith Lavoie
The Narwhal
Victoria, BC, Canada
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Past articles by Judith:
Canada delays insecticide ban as study finds 40% of insects on verge of extinction
Neonics were banned in the European Union last year → Read More
Teck Resources pegged with $8 million fine for toxic smelter pollution of Columbia River
U.S. judge rules it is ‘inconceivable’ company did not know its Trail, B.C. lead and zinc smelter — one of the largest in the world — was contaminating transboundary waters destined for Washington state → Read More
Canada, US Governments Watching, But Not Intervening, in Coal Mine Pollution Controversy
By Judith Lavoie, The Narwhal. Originally posted on The Narwhal. → Read More
Ancient Glass Sponge Reef Smothered By Salmon Farm Waste in B.C.
As Tavish Campbell dropped his remote camera into the water close to a salmon farm in the Broughton Archipelago, his heart sank. → Read More
Gwich’in Call on Canadians to Speak Out Against Trump’s Arctic Drilling Push
Canadians are being urged to fight against a push by U.S. President Donald Trump to fast-track drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the calving grounds of Porcupine caribou herd. → Read More
Caribou on the Brink: B.C. Herd Reduced to Three Females Points to Failure to Protect Endangered Species
The much-studied South Selkirk mountain caribou herd is teetering on the brink of extinction. → Read More
‘It’s An Environmental Law-Free Zone’: B.C. Auditor General Asked to Investigate Unregulated Placer Mining
Placer mining kills fish, damages streams, poses a risk to drinking water and jeopardizes Indigenous rights, but the activity is virtually unregulated and brings little money into government coffers, says a report urging B.C. Auditor General Carol Bellringer to conduct an audit of the province’s → Read More
Canada’s Upcoming Fish Farm Rules Likely to Prop Up Industry, Critics Warn
As the federal government considers bringing in new laws to govern fish farms, there is widespread skepticism that the government will act in the public interest. → Read More
Seeking the Science Behind B.C.’s Wolf Cull
Even if you live on Vancouver Island you’re not likely to have seen the elusive coastal wolves that populate its northernmost corners. These genetically unique wolves, which are distinct from their land-locked cousins, live an atypical life for a grey wolf, living in remote estuaries and consuming a diet of mostly marine life. There are an estimated 250 wolves on Vancouver Island, according to… → Read More
Canada's Governments Don't Have Real Plans to Fight or Adapt to Climate Change: New Audit
Canada talks the talk, but fails to walk the walk on climate change, according to a cross-country audit of climate change planning, emissions reductions and the likelihood of Canada meeting any of its targets. → Read More
Mismanagement of Canada’s Largest National Park Is Attracting International Scrutiny. Here's Why.
One year ago, after scathing reports by international agencies, the federal government promised to better protect Wood Buffalo National Park, with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna saying a warning from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, followed by an equally dire assessment by the → Read More
The Race for Adaptation in an Increasingly Acidic Salish Sea
Underneath the picturesque Salish Sea there are churning currents, with water swooshing in from the open ocean and surges of nutrient-rich fresh water from creeks and rivers that alter the sea’s chemistry — and can make life tough for species trying to survive in a rapidly changing environment. → Read More
B.C. Moves Ahead With Review of Controversial Environmental Assessment Process
There are so many problems with B.C.’s current environmental assessment process that a review, announced Wednesday by Environment Minister George Heyman, will almost certainly mean improvements, say environmental groups. → Read More
What Canada Can Learn From Germany’s Renewable Revolution
Changing from an energy system powered by fossil fuels to one based on renewable energy takes long-term planning, innovation and a buy-in from citizens, industry and all levels of government, says deep decarbonization expert Manfred Fischedick, an advisor to the German government during its → Read More
B.C. Not Prepared for Climate Change Disasters, Not On Track to Cut Emissions: Auditor General
B.C. is woefully unprepared to deal with climate change catastrophes, despite recent floods, droughts and forest fires, and the province is not dealing effectively with the root cause of climate change, meaning it is unlikely to meet its 2020 or 2050 greenhouse gas emission targets, says a highly → Read More
How a U.S. Company is Suing Canada for Rejecting Quarry in Endangered Whale Nursery
When a Canadian federal-provincial environmental review panel ruled in 2007 that a proposed quarry would go against community core values and would threaten right whales and other marine life in the Bay of Fundy, groups that had fought against the project believed that was the end of the story. → Read More
Mining Company Loses 5-Year B.C. Lawsuit Meant to ‘Silence’ Critics
The Wilderness Committee has won a landmark defamation case brought against it by Taseko Mines Ltd. but, despite the win, the non-profit environmental group will suffer financially after fighting the company in court for five years. → Read More
Imperial Metals’ Financial Downgrade Raises Questions About Liability of Mount Polley, Red Chris Mines
A leading credit rating agency’s financial downgrading of Imperial Metals Corp. is sending alarm signals through B.C. and Alaska groups concerned about the future of mines operated by the company. → Read More
B.C. Urged to Review Industry-Funded Science Behind Approval of Gravel Mine
A controversial proposal for a gravel mine at the mouth of a salmon-bearing creek on Howe Sound is a graphic illustration of a broken environmental assessment process — one that relies on science paid for by the proponent, say opponents of the Burnco Aggregate Project on McNab Creek. → Read More
Alternatives to the Site C Dam Will Create Way More Jobs: UBC Analysis
Alternatives to the $10 billion Site C dam would produce significantly more jobs than construction of the controversial hydroelectric dam, according to a new study led by the University of British Columbia. → Read More