BC Business
Hereditary Chiefs from all across the Skeena watershed signed the Lelu Island Declaration at the Salmon Nation Summit in Prince Rupert, B.C., on January 23, 2016
War of words On Monday, B.C. Premier Christy Clark came out swinging against a declaration signed January 23 by a coalition of First Nations, environmentalists and NDP politicians demanding permanent protection of wild fish habitat surrounding Lelu Island near Prince Rupert, the site of a proposed LNG terminal. On Tuesday, the coalition fired back.
Responding to the premier’s assertion that “It’s not really about the science, it’s not about the fish, it’s just about saying no. It’s about fear of change, it’s about fear of the future,” the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition released a counter statement Tuesday morning. In it, Des Nobels, a North Coast fisherman and municipal leader with the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District, said, “If she thinks she can just come up here and destroy critical salmon habitat, to threaten the very basis of an economy that has shaped our culture and sustained our families for untold generations, well, of course we say ‘no’ to that. Clark wants to blame us for trying to halt Petronas in its tracks. Actually, it is her utter lack of respect for us, for Indigenous peoples, for our laws, and for wild salmon that has placed this project on death row—not us. And make no mistake, this project will not proceed.”
A bridge too costlyOn the feasibility of a bridge linking Gabriola Island to Vancouver Island, the B.C. government has sided with the forces of no. The Gabriola Island Fixed Link Feasibility Study concluded that while a bridge appears to be technically feasible, it would not be a cost-effective alternative to the current ferry link. Most residents appeared to oppose the building of a bridge: there were nearly 3,400 signatures on a petition against it compared to 700 on a petition in favour.
Scooter2Go Following the lead of car-sharing services like Car2Go and Modo, a Vancouver company, Saturna Green Systems, wants to launch electric scooter sharing. It will be a one-way service with no time limits and probably cost $15 a month plus 25 cents per kilometre. Members would receive their own helmet when they join, plus there would be additional helmets in a lock box for emergencies. The company hopes to start testing the service with 50 to 100 scooters at UBC starting in June, but would need city approval to expand. (via CBC)