DOES AN INDUSTRIAL SALMON FARM LARGER THAN TWO FOOTBALL FIELDS SEEM MASSIVE TO YOU?

Building a  a massive, new salmon farm in Clayoquot Sound is in the plan of Mainstream Canada. The tenure rights they are applying for is a whoping 56 hectares in the heart of Clayoquot,  off the coast of the beautiful Meares Island.

We have been sending out action alerts to our membership and creating a buzz using social media. Together we have generated over 250 letters opposing this new salmon farm.

Our attention has sparked the interest of Mainstream Canada’s public relations staff, who have taken issue with our use of the word “massive”.

Mainstream’s Communications Office complained, asserting that the actual salmon farm would be the size of just a little more than two football fields. That still sounds pretty massive to us, and we know well what kind of damage even smaller salmon farms can do to wild salmon and other marine life.

What do you think?

You still have time to let Mainstream Canada and the provincial government know what you think about this fish farm – the deadline for comments is July 22nd 2011.

We encourage you to feel free to use words like ‘massive’, ‘huge’ or just plain old ‘large’.

Please send this message to your friends, colleges, casual acquaintances, your mother’s dog walker – pretty much any one you know.

Our oceans do not need another polluting salmon farm. Enough is enough. It is time to draw a line in the sand. We need to get salmon farms OFF our coast altogether; the last thing we need is another massive fish farm in the heart of beautiful Clayoquot Sound.

Let’s take a stand now for the future of our wild salmon.

Related Campaigns:
Clayoquot Sound Wild Salmon Victoria

THE SOUTH OKANAGAN SIMILKAMEEN NATIONAL PARK PROPOSAL

Sometimes good things require a little perseverance. National parks are one of those things.

Right now the Canadian government is finally ready to move forward on establishing a national park in the South Okanagan Similkameen region, but the BC government is standing in the way.

The South Okanagan Similkameen is a very special place. This arid landscape contains Canada’s only pocket desert where cacti, canyon wrens and sage thrashers flourish. Unfortunately, rapid development is encroaching on this endangered ecosystem every day and if we don’t act now we will have lost the chance to protect this fragile place.

Please write to B.C. Premier Christy Clark and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Your e-mail doesn’t have to be long, just heartfelt. Let these decision makers know your thoughts on the importance of establishing a national park in B.C.’s South Okanagan-Similkameen. Recent polling shows that local residents support a national park by a ratio of over two to one (63% in favour vs 26% opposed).

Thank you for taking the time to write – together our voices make a difference.

NO MORE COAL: OVER 500 PEOPLE SEND CLEAR MESSAGE AT RAVEN COAL PUBLIC MEETING

Chants of ‘No More Coal” filled a packed Courtenay room for the first of three public comment meetings scheduled for the Raven Coal Mine environmental assessment.

Over five hundred people crammed into the Filberg Centre for the six hour meeting, to ask questions and express their concerns with the proposed mine.

“Throughout the night it was clear that people are frustrated with the process and deeply worried about the future of our communities,” said John Snyder, President of CoalWatch Comox Valley. “The government cookie cutter response of ‘it will be assessed’ doesn’t cut it when you are talking about peoples drinking water, their livelihood and their health.”

About 70 citizens registered to asked questions on broad range of topics including climate change, water quality, impact on tourism, liability and reclamation to the shellfish industry. Not one person spoke in favour of the project, and many people brought serious concerns about the feasibility of the project.

“It is clear that Compliance’s unproven track record managing these types of project calls their ability protect the environment into question,”said Tria Donaldson, Pacific Coast Campaigner at the Wilderness Committee. “Compliance Energy’s CEO John Tapics stated that his 1975 stint as a worker in an underground mine was the most experience in underground mining held by any Compliance board members. If true, that is unacceptable risk.”

Another consistent theme throughout the meeting was a resounding call for a full independent review panel, and for more public meetings in impacted communities like Denman Island and Qualicum Beach. Over 22 environmental, community, labour organizations and local governments have joined that call.

“The location and scheduling of the meetings effectively excludes many Denman and Hornby Islanders,” says Mike Morrell, from Denman Opposes Coal. Residents on Denman will be able to directly see the proposed mine site. “ We have repeatedly requested that a public meeting be held on Denman and have been refused.”

The Wilderness Committee and its allies are gearing up for the upcoming public meetings in Port Alberni on Thursday and Union Bay on Friday. It is expected that both meetings will have large crowds.

Coal Mining in BC

LOGGING AND MINING DEVASTATES MOOSE POPULATIONS

Hunting ban a stop-gap measure; roadways for industrial activity are causing moose population to plummet Winnipeg- The Wilderness Committee is again calling the government to account on plummeting moose populations, and encouraging them to fix the problem by addressing the root cause of the decline: industrial activity in our wild lands. The government is silent [...] Read more »

How to Clean Up an Oil Spill?

No two oil spills are the same because of the variation in oil types, locations, and weather conditions involved. However, broadly speaking, there are four main methods of response. Leave the oil alone so that it breaks down by natural means. If there is no possibility of the oil polluting coastal regions or marine industries, [...] Read more »

MEET THE PEACE IN VICTORIA, VANCOUVER, THE SUNSHINE COAST AND WHISTLER

I have just returned from visiting our province’s interior on the first leg of our Meet the Peace BC-wide speaking tour. I had the privilege of presenting about the Peace River and the Site C Dam to four amazing communities. Accompanied by Tribal Chief Liz Logan of the Treaty 8 First Nations , Diane Culling [...] Read more »

IT’S TIME TO RISE UP AGAINST THE RAVEN COAL MINE

Right now, on Vancouver Island, we have a chance to stand up against Dirty Coal. The proposed Raven Coal Mine just entered the environmental assessment public comment period. This is our chance to let government know what we think about this project. Located just south of Courtenay in Fanny Bay, the Raven Coal Mine would [...] Read more »

The Price of BC Hydro Site C Dam Going Up

Today BC Hydro moved forward with the environmental assessment for the Site C Dam project. The mega-dam project also has a new, higher estimated cost of almost $8 billion. There is significant opposition to Site C from environmentalists, First Nations, farmers and others in the Peace River Valley and across the province. “Site C is [...] Read more »

CONFIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS REVEAL SHOCKING NEGLECT OF BC PARKS

BC Parks budget – not enough money for toilet paper VANCOUVER, BC – “Hey, buddy, can you spare a dime? And a ranger?” This is a communication from a BC Parks staff person in June 2010, one of scores of documents obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Wilderness Committee that paints [...] Read more »

TAKE A STAND FOR CLAYOQUOT SOUND AND SAY NO TO A MINE ON CATFACE MOUNTAIN

Last month, when we alerted you to new threats of logging on Flores Island in the heart of Clayoquot Sound, you responded with more than a thousand letters asking the provincial government to prevent road construction. Now we are asking you to join us to take a stand against another serious threat to Clayoquot Sound. [...] Read more »

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