40 h. ago ‘So much we don’t know’: why experts are warning against a new pipeline in British Columbia

Project on ‘very poorly understood’ terrain poses immense geological hazard, endangering fragile ecosystemsWhen an earthquake in 2002 struck in a remote pocket of Alaska, the shock was the strongest ever recorded in the interior of the state. But, miraculously, an oil pipeline that crossed directly over the fault line was unscathed.Engineers behind the design of the 800 mile system were prepared. Knowing the high likelihood of seismic activity along the route, which bisected the Denali fault, they constructed sections where the pipeline rested on rail girders, allowing it to sway and shear without snapping. Continue reading...

Events

40 h. ago ‘There’s no monitoring of earthquakes’: new British Columbia pipeline could spell catastrophe, experts warn

Project on ‘very poorly understood’ terrain and likely to pass through Rocky Mountain trench, which researchers say poses immense geological hazard When an earthquake in 2002 struck in a remote pocket of Alaska, the shock was the strongest ever recorded in the interior of the state. But, miraculously, an oil pipeline that crossed directly over the fault line was unscathed.Engineers behind the design of the 800 mile system were prepared. Knowing the high likelihood of seismic activity along the route, which bisected the Denali fault, they constructed sections where the pipeline rested on rail girders, allowing it to sway and shear without snapping. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago ‘Not going to happen’: First Nations threaten to end Carney’s pipe dream

The Canadian PM’s breakthrough oil deal with Alberta cost him a cabinet minister and will still face stiff oppositionWhen the people of the Haida nation won a decades-long battle for recognition that an archipelago off the coast of British Columbia in Canada was rightfully theirs, it was a long overdue victory.The unprecedented deal with the provincial and the federal governments meant the Haida no longer had to prove that they had Aboriginal title to the land of Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai, “the islands at the boundary of the world” Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Canada's prime minister and Alberta's premier sign pipeline deal which could reverse oil tanker ban

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the premier of Canada’s oil rich province of Alberta have agreed to work toward building a pipeline to the Pacific Coast to diversify the country’s oil exports beyond the United States

Politics

1 week ago Grizzly bear that attacked children and teachers in Canada still eludes searchers

Eleven people were injured as three teachers fought the bear during attack on walking trail in British ColumbiaConservation officers in British Columbia are still searching for a female grizzly bear and her two cubs, four days after the sow attacked a group of schoolchildren and their teachers in an “exceedingly rare” encounter that has shaken the remote Canadian community.Eleven people, some as young as nine years old, were injured on Thursday when the bear emerged from the forest near 4 Mile, a Nuxalk community near the town Bella Coola and attacked a school group on a lunch break alongside a walking trail. Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago Zombie fires: how Arctic wildfires that come back to life are ravaging forests

Blazes that smoulder in the permafrost, only to reignite, are extending fire season though winter, leaving vegetation struggling to recoverIn May 2023, a lightning strike hit the forest in Donnie Creek, British Columbia, and the trees started to burn. It was early in the year for a wildfire, but a dry autumn and warm spring had turned the forest into a tinderbox, and the flames spread rapidly. By mid-June, the fire had become one of largest in the province’s history, burning through an area of boreal forest nearly twice the size of central London. That year, more of Canada burned than ever before.The return of cold and snow at the close of the year typically signal the end of the wildfire season. But this time, the fire did not stop. Instead, it smouldered in the soil underground, insulated from the freezing conditions by the snowpack. The next spring, it reemerged as a “zombie fire” that continued to burn until August 2024. By then, more than 600,000 hectares (1.5m acres) had been ...

Events

1 week ago School praises 'courage' of hero teachers after horror bear attack on pupils

One teacher involved in the terrifying bear attack in Bella Coola, British Columbia, 'took the full brunt', a parent said, and was among those airlifted to hospital

Events

1 week ago Eleven injured after grizzly bear attacks schoolchildren and teachers in Canada

Two critically hurt after attack on walking trail in British Columbia as police and conservation officers search for bearA grizzly bear has attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers on a walking trail in British Columbia, Canada, injuring 11 people, two of them critically.The attack happened late on Thursday in Bella Coola, 435 miles (700km) north-west of Vancouver. The Nuxalk Nation said the “aggressive bear” remained on the loose and police and conservation officers were on the scene. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Raiders of the lobster pot: Canadian wolves learn to loot crab traps for bait

Researchers in British Columbia catch sea wolves in the act after placing camera to solve mystery of damaged trapsThe clues read like something from mystery novel: crab traps, suspiciously hauled ashore by unseen hands, had been damaged by baffling teeth marks. The bait inside was missing.The question for researchers in the remote corner of British Columbia was: whodunnit? As with many crimes of opportunity in the modern era, the culprit was unmasked by a remote camera. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Raiders of the lobster pot: wily wolves learn to haul in Canadian crab traps

Researchers in British Columbia catch sea wolves in the act after placing camera to solve mystery of damaged trapsThe clues read like something from mystery novel: crab traps, suspiciously hauled ashore by unseen hands, had been damaged by baffling teeth marks. The bait inside was missing.The question for researchers in the remote corner of British Columbia was: whodunnit? As with many crimes of opportunity in the modern era, the culprit was unmasked by a remote camera. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago At least 15 English sewage plants use plastic beads spilled at Camber Sands

Exclusive: Experts urge water companies to update plants to avoid another catastrophe, as analysis reveals scale of useAt least 15 sewage plants on England’s south coast use the same contaminated plastic beads that were spilled in an environmental disaster in Camber Sands, Guardian analysis can reveal.Environmental experts have urged water companies to update these old treatment plants to avoid another catastrophic spill, which can lead to plastic beads being permanently embedded in the environment and killing marine wildlife. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Not everything needs to be seen to be felt – I’m blind and this is my experience on a cruise around Alaska

On a sailing from San Franscisco to British Columbia, Sassy Wyatt relishes in the sounds, feelings and atmosphere of the Pacific Ocean – with activities ranging from whale watching to axe throwing

Politics

3 w. ago Canadian federal agency says cull over, all ostriches shot dead at British Columbia farm

A Canadian federal agency says it has shot dead all ostriches at a British Columbia farm, fulfilling a 10-month-old cull order over a bird flu outbreak

Events

3 w. ago Former Canada coach convicted of sexual assault not included on public sanctions lists

Bob Birarda, jailed in 2022 for assaulting players, is not listed by Canada Soccer or BC Soccer. The country’s new Safe Sport director says the omission exposes a major gap — and is calling for a global registry of banned coaches.Two years after receiving an 18-month jail sentence for sexually assaulting players under his care, a former Canada women’s national team coach is yet to appear on any public sanctions list published by Canada Soccer or BC Soccer, the regional governing body for soccer in British Columbia, where the crimes took place.The revelation has prompted the executive director of the Canadian organization newly appointed to manage reports of abuse and misconduct to call for an international registry of offenders to track individuals who have been banned from sports for misconduct. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Scotland curlers embark on 'once in a lifetime' trip to contest Muriel Fage Trophy in Canada

A squad of 24 players from across the country are competing in British Columbia

Politics