Government documents show low environmental standards and repeated non-compliance for Cloudworks Upper Harrison private power project

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 VANCOUVER, BC Government documents received by the Wilderness Committee reveal a litany of environmental problems with a large private power project being constructed near Harrison Lake in British Columbia. The Freedom of Information request showed low environmental standards, repeated non-compliance with existing standards, and inadequate enforcement by BC government staff... more | Check out the FOI report | For more info visit our Rivers Wild - Power Public campaign website.

Wilderness Committee says New Minister of Transportation is needed to Fight Climate Change

Thursday, June 4, 2009 Vancouver, BC - The Wilderness Committee is calling on BC’s Premier Gordon Campbell to replace Kevin Falcon as Minister of Transportation when the new MLAs are sworn in and cabinet members are selected. "Since 2004, the Minister of Transportation has been Kevin Falcon who has probably been the biggest bottleneck preventing meaningful action on climate change in BC. Not only has Falcon been the driving force behind massive highway expansion around the province including the controversial Gateway project..." more | For more info visit our Gateway to global warming campaign website.

Cross-Canada cycle tour for endangered species completes first stage through heart of spotted owl habitat

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Vancouver, BC - French cyclists led by Wilderness Committee volunteer Franck Brezille have just completed the first stage of their cross-Canada trip from Vancouver, cycling on logging and gravel roads through an area formerly the stronghold of spotted owls in BC, the lower Fraser, Harrison, Lillooet and Birkenhead River valleys northeast of Vancouver... more | Visit our Endangered Species campaign for more information!

Environment Week kicks off with sage-grouse court battle

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Vancouver, BC – To stop the disappearance of one of the Prairies most iconic species, six conservation groups are in federal court today arguing a lawsuit against the federal Minister of Environment, Jim Prentice, for refusing to identify critical habitat for the endangered greater sage-grouse... more | Visit our Endangered Species campaign for more information!

Investigation yields Insight into Destruction of Salmon and Trout Habitat

Friday, May 29, 2009 Vancouver, BC Over the past three weekends, numerous international activists from 20 countries have joined local volunteers and Wilderness Committee Staff Scientist Andy Miller to investigate potential impacts to fish from privatized run of river hydro projects (also known as Independent Power Projects or IPPs) planned or under construction by Cloudworks Energy Inc. in the Lillooet River system southeast of Pemberton, BC... more | For more info visit our Rivers Wild - Power Public campaign website.

International activists join protest camp in bid to save endangered species

Monday, May 4, 2009 Lillooet Valley - British Columbia, Canada Wilderness Committee staff and volunteers joined environmental activists from France, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and New Zealand this past weekend to protest BC government-sponsored logging in habitat critically important to endangered spotted owls. The old-growth logging operation is within the Fire Mountain spotted owl territory located 75 km southeast of Pemberton, BC... more | Visit our Spotted Owl campaign for back ground information

Leaked Government Document Reveals Newly Lowered Environmental Standards for IPPs

Monday, May 4, 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia – Vancouver, BC – A confidential BC government document provided to the Wilderness Committee this week reveals the provincial government has weakened the authority of Ministry of Environment officials to protect wildlife habitat from industrial developments including independent power projects (IPPs) ... more | Leaked IPP document | For more info visit our Rivers Wild - Power Public campaign website.

33,000 Salmon Petition Signatures Denied Delivery to BC Government Cabinet Offices

Monday, May 4, 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia – Today Alexandra Morton and the Wilderness Committees salmon mascot, "Tum Tum, Voice of the Wild Salmon," along with concerned citizens, tried to deliver over 33,000 petition signatures in a wheel barrow to the BC government cabinet offices at the World Trade Centre at Canada Place urging them to protect wild salmon from fish farms, but were denied entry... more | You can view a report by Global TV and another made by The Tyee. For more info visit our Protect our wild salmon campaign website.

Protest camp recruits activists from 20 countries as logging continues at site important to Canadas most endangered species – the spotted owl

Monday, May 4, 2009 Vancouver, BC - The Wilderness Committee has gone global in its attack on BC Environment Minister Barry Penners promotion of "run of river" hydro projects and clearcut logging within critical spotted owl habitat at Fire Mountain and other locations in the Lillooet River Valley. Environmental activists from 20 countries began to congregate at the protest camp in the Lillooet River Valley this past weekend to join forces with the Wilderness Committee to witness the destruction of old growth forest spotted owl habitat and to learn about the impacts of new and planned run of river hydro projects... more | Visit our Endangered Species campaign for more information!

Feds admit illegal treatment of endangered species in BC

Monday, May 4, 2009 Vancouver, BC – The Government of Canada has conceded it has been breaking the law by removing critical habitat maps for endangered species it is tasked with protecting. The admission surfaced in a legal argument filed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in a lawsuit concerning the Nooksack dace, an endangered fish found in BCs Fraser Valley... more | Visit our Endangered Species campaign for more information!

Barry Penner Can't Count BC Park Rangers

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 Vancouver, BC – Government documents reveal Environment Minister exaggerated number of park rangers by over 300 percent. The Wilderness Committee and Sierra Club BC today released a Freedom of Information document which shows... more | PDF of BC Park Rangers FOI campaign website.

Pesticide Free BC Protest Today

Thursday, April 23, 2009 Invitations to protest the group were sent out by grassroots organizer Arzeena Harjan who said "Lets show them that we care about our health, our community, and our planet more than the weeds in our lawn!" The Wilderness Committee is working with grassroots organizers in their effort to ban cosmetic pesticides... more | You can watch a video and read a story on the Richmond News website.

Earth Day "MONSTER TREES TOUR" of the Largest Trees in Greater Victoria!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 On Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, the Wilderness Committee hosted an Earth Day "Monster Trees Tour" to Greater Victorias two largest (10 and 9 feet in diameter) but little-known ancient Douglas firs and of other spectacular ancient forests in Francis King Regional Park, the Department of National Defense surplus lands, and Royal Roads University lands... more | Visit our Victoria office's website for more information!

Fight to protect endangered killer whales far from over

Monday, April 20, 2009 VANCOUVER, BC – A lawsuit to protect Canadas two populations of resident fish-eating killer whales is back in court today as environmental groups fight for legal protection of their critical habitat. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is seeking to have the case thrown out of court claiming that the Order filed in February will protect the orcas critical habitat... more | Visit our Endangered Species campaign for more information!

Wilderness Committee publishes 80,000 copies of Vote Wild!

Tuesday, April 15, 2009 Vancouver, BC – Environmental issues are increasingly making headlines in the run-up to the BC election, scheduled for May 12. The Wilderness Committee, Canadas largest grass-roots membership-based conservation organization has printed some headlines of its own with their newest educational newspaper report, entitled Vote Wild! 80,000 copies of the four page report have just rolled off the presses in the first print run and volunteers are helping to distribute them... more | Visit the Vote Wild! website for more information!

UBC Farm Trek to protect 'Model of Regional Development'

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 Vancouver, BC – After months of planning, the “Great UBC Farm Trek” is happening today, leaving from the University of British Columbia’s Student Union Building at 3:30 PM, and arriving at 5:30 PM at UBC Farm, 6182 South Campus Road, Vancouver, BC. more

10,000 Voices Day of Action for BC Rivers has been a wild success – thanks to YOU!

Thursday, March 26, 2009 Vancouver, BC – Reports are still coming in, we have heard several reports that Premier Campbell's Vancouver office was buzzing along all day at about a call a minute. By 7:30 PM last night, people were calling us to complain that the answering machine at the Premiers Vancouver and Victoria offices were full!... more | Visit the 10,000 voices website for more information!

Pulp Workers Vice-President and Environmentalists Protest at Premier Campbells Point Grey office for Old-Growth Forests and BCs Forestry Jobs

Friday, March 13, 2009 Vancouver, BC - A giant, 40 foot long banner will be unfurled, and a "gift-giving ceremony" for Gordon Campbell will take place, including "Popeyes Old-Growth Spinach" to help him develop his strength and resolve to protect ancient forests; New Zealand kiwis, so he can be more green like the government of New Zealand which banned the logging of old-growth forests in their nation in 2000; and a giant green heart with a spotted owl in it, so he can learn to care about endangered species and old-growth forests... more | Visit our Victoria office for more information!

Wilderness Committee condemns lack of public meetings regarding Bute Inlet private power project

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 Vancouver, BC The Wilderness Committee is criticizing the provincial and federal Environmental Assessment offices for failing to schedule public meetings in Vancouver, Victoria and other communities around BC regarding the "draft terms of reference" for the massive Bute Inlet private hydropower project, located 150 kilometers north of Powell River... more | Read an article in the Georgia Straight for more information. | Visit our Rivers at risk campaign for more information!

Carbon Tax survives – but rest of BC budget bad news for environment says Wilderness Committee

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 Victoria, BC – The Wilderness Committee today applauded the BC government for holding the course on the carbon tax but condemned the rest of the budget as a missed opportunity for green stimulus and environmental protection... more |

Wilderness Committee Lauds Green Bonds Plan

Friday, February 13, 2009 Vancouver, BC – "The NDPs proposal to issue $10 Billion in Green Bonds to generate funds to invest in public transit, home retrofits, and research and development is very encouraging," said Healthy Communities Campaigner Ben West. "The proposal represents a race to the top instead of a race to the bottom. This is the kind of investment BC needs to stimulate action on climate change instead of spending that will actually make things worse."... more

Other recent stories