BC Creek Protection Society

As most of you know the Glacier-Howser project was put on pause by the Environmental Assessment Office last year. AXOR has been collecting data and information over the past year and is expected to resubmit their application in the coming months. This means Glacier and Howser creeks are still at risk. In one week, on Tuesday June 1, the EcoSociety, in partnership with the Wilderness Committee will be hosting a ‘Rivers at Risk’ event entitled ‘Saving Kootenays Rivers from a Power Gold Rush’. Speakers include Rex Wyler, co-founder of Greenpeace and spokesperson from B.C. Citizens for Public Power, Gwen Barlee and Joe Foy from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Gary Diers, an organic farmer who lives near Glacier and Howser Creeks, and myself, as the EcoSociety representative. Together the speakers will cover the big picture of power and sustainability, the recent history of power development in B.C. including the impacts of the Clean Energy Act which was released in April, a look at power in the Kootenay region, including an update on Glacier-Howser, and how residents can respond effectively to projects that put Kootenay rivers at risk. The event is set up so each speaker will present for about 10-15 minutes, some with films or slide shows, and the event will follow with a panel. I know I don’t need to highlight to you the significance of the discussion around IPPs and run-of-river projects in the Kootenays. However, this is a critical time for the future of energy development in the West Kootenays, and this event will work to keep the public informed and updated. If you can make it: Tuesday June 1 at 7 pm at Capitol Theatre (241 Victoria, Nelson) Admission is by donation to cover the event costs. Raelynn Gibson Climate and Conservation Coordinator West Kootenay EcoSociety 250-354-1909 Speakers Bios Rex Weyler, Communications and Research Support, BC Citizens for Public Power Rex Weyler is a passionate advocate for the protection of B.C.’s wilderness, wildlife, and public power. He is a co-founder of Greenpeace International and author of nine books, including Greenpeace: The Inside Story. In 2005, he received a Social Justice Award from the Urban Environmental Policy Center in Los Angeles recognizing his lifetime achievements. Gwen Barlee, Policy Director, Wilderness Committee Gwen Barlee’s diverse education and experience includes social work, film production, and web development, and she is a past executive team member of the Victoria chapter of the Council of Canadians. For the last several years she has focused on protecting B.C.’s rivers from private power development. Joe Foy, Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee Joe Foy has been the driving force behind many of the Wilderness Committee’s campaigns to successfully protect spectacular areas, including the Elaho Valley, Boise/Pinecone-Burke, and the Stein, Carmanah and Lower Walbran Valleys. His passion for the wild shines through in his speeches. Gary Diers, Organic farmer, Argenta Gary has lived in Argenta for over 30 years. He is an avid hiker and photographer of the spectacular wild areas of the Kootenays. He lives near Glacier and Howser Creeks and has been active in the campaign to protect them since the beginning. He has been active in the environmental movement and is incredibly familiar with the wilderness of the Kootenays.

MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release Environmental Groups Recommend New Approaches to Clean Electricity in BC Vancouver, December 17 — Several environmental organizations today released a blueprint for improving the planning and development of renewable electricity projects in British Columbia. The recommendations, authored by the David Suzuki Foundation, the Pembina Institute, Watershed Watch Salmon Society and West Coast Environmental Law, have been endorsed by 25 environmental organizations across the province. British Columbians are deeply concerned about climate change, and while they support clean electricity to address climate change, many harbour concerns about how clean electricity is currently developed. Government energy and climate policies have stimulated a rapid increase in the rate of development of renewable electricity projects, but public support has not kept pace in many cases. Projects have frequently been opposed due to concerns about social, environmental and economic costs. The blueprint released today, “Recommendations for Responsible Clean Electricity Development in British Columbia,” outlines how planning and development can proceed in a way that is more transparent, strategic and inclusive of and beneficial to all British Columbians — First Nations and the public alike — while limiting environmental impacts. The groups recommend that British Columbia’s progress on clean electricity policy and development can be dramatically improved by: 1. Ensuring that energy conservation and efficiency is the highest priority. 2. Making British Columbia’s electricity supply as clean, renewable and low-impact as possible. 3. Adopting a renewable electricity planning framework that limits environmental, social and economic impacts and maximizes public benefit. 4. Reforming water licensing, land leasing decisions and governance. 5. Strengthening the environmental assessment process, addressing and managing cumulative effects, and improving monitoring and compliance performance. 6. Developing an informed consensus about the conditions whereby renewable electricity could be exported from British Columbia, if at all. -30- Organizations endorsing the Recommendations for Responsible Clean Electricity Development in British Columbia: BC Spaces for Nature BC Sustainable Energy Association Cassiar Watch David Suzuki Foundation Forest Ethics Friends of Clayoquot Sound Friends of Wild Salmon Georgia Straight Alliance Living Oceans Society Northwest Watch Outdoor Recreation Council Pacific Wild Pembina Institute Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition SkeenaWild Conservation Trust Steelhead Society of British Columbia Sunshine Coast Conservation Association T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation Watershed Watch Salmon Society West Coast Environmental Law West Kootenay EcoSociety Wilderness Tourism Association Wildsight For more information, contact: Karen Campbell, Pembina Institute, cell: 604-928-2258 Craig Orr, Watershed Watch Salmon Society, cell: 604-809-2799 Josh Paterson, West Coast Environmental Law, phone: 604-601-2512 The full recommendations are available at: http://bc.pembina.org/pub/1951

Urgent: Take Action Now for BC Rivers At the power producers’ industry convention in November, BC Premier Gordon Campbell announced four ‘Green Energy Advisory Task Force’ groups and a mid-January deadline for their recommendations about nearly everything related to energy in BC. Task Force members are hand-picked: some are high-profile individuals with little experience, many have ties to energy industry profits, and most support existing government policies. The Task Force quietly offered just 4 weeks for public comments – until December 31, 2009. It is time to tell the Liberal government their methods are insincere and autocratic. Energy issues are some of the most critical questions facing BC and we need real opportunities for public participation. We need an energy-planning process that’s transparent and accountable – not what’s happening now! Write to the BC Government today. Your message can be very short: This process is a sham. Our rivers are precious and irreplaceable and they are BC’s last great resource. If all the 800 BC rivers now staked for private development are diverted to produce electricity at full capacity, our carbon offset would be less than 8% – with unimaginable environmental costs. Its time to stop and rethink what’s truly ‘green’! Send your email to

• BC Premier Gordon Campbell: premier@gov.bc.ca
• Minister of Energy Mines & Petroleum Resources, Blair Lekstrom: blair.lekstrom@gov.bc.ca
• Minister of Environment, Barry Penner: barry.penner@gov.bc.ca

Copy your email to the task force groups:

• ProcurementAndRegulatoryReform@gmail.com
• CarbonAndExportMarket@gmail.com
• CommunityAndFirstNations@gmail.com
• ResourceDevelopmentTF@gmail.com

WRITE YOUR LETTER TODAY! FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS: WE NEED MANY VOICES SPEAKING LOUD! You can also say more - best in your own words.

• Request province-wide town hall meetings and more time for public submissions.
• Demand return of community and citizen rights:
  • Repeal Bill 30 that silenced our local governments’ voice in private power projects.
  • Heed the report of our independent regulator, BC Utilities Commission, which ruled private river power is unnecessary, too expensive, and not in the public interest.
• Ask for a moratorium on river diversions until we have inclusive and comprehensive planning.
• Insist on energy conservation before energy production.
• Put the public good ahead of corporate profits.
• Design incentives and infrastructures to encourage conservation.
• End your letter with a question that requires a real answer.

FYI More info: http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Premier+Campbell+announces+sweeping+energy+policy+review/2173927/story.html http://www.straight.com/article-273776/vancouver/energy-task-force-members-green-bc-liberal-party-coffers http://www.buteinlet.net

The BC Creek Protection Society presents GENERAL PUBLIC LECTURE David Lam Auditorium (MAC A144) 7:00 pm on Thursday, October 29th Light refreshments and snacks will be provided. Dr. Michael M’Gonigle, one of the founders of Greenpeace International, will be giving a lecture at the University of Victoria on October 29th as part of the BC Creek Protection Society’s lecture series on environment and energy, entitled: Climate Myopia: backing into the future? For good reasons, climate change dominates the current headlines and presents itself as a difficult problem to solve within the framework of growth-based economies. Without a larger vision, governments have long prevaricated in taking action. Now, they seek solutions through minor policy changes, supposedly “renewable” energy sources and futuristic technologies. Their goal is to “fix” the problem–and get back to business-as-usual. However, upon close examination this approach to climate change proves to be intrinsically unsustainable. Instead, governments are prone to an ever-growing global dependence on a consumptive economic machine that is running out of space and time. This economy is oblivious to its planetary context; resurrecting it is a dream of a world gone by, all the while forsaking an opportunity for re-invention that can easily slip away. Dr. M’Gonigle is the EcoResearch Professor in Environmental Law and Policy in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria, one of the founders of Greenpeace International, EcoJustice, Smart Growth BC, the Dogwood Initiative, and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at UVic. He has written extensively in the areas of resource and environmental law and policy, and has been developing a new field of “green legal theory.”

Unfortunatelly, the 3rd annual Victoria BC Rivers day will be postponed most likely to November during the salmon run. Please stay tuned for more details and sorry for the inconvenience. Petra

Join with like-minded citizens as we Rally for BC Rivers at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) meeting in Nanaimo, Saturday, April 4th. We are gathering to focus public concern on the 700 BC river ecosystems threatened by private energy developments which will change the British Columbia wilderness landscape forever. We are requesting cumulative environmental assessments and a province-wide public process for river-diversion energy projects. Help promote precautionary principles and send a message to AVICC, at this important annual meeting of our municipal and regional government leaders. Meet people who share your concerns — and help build coalition among our coastal communities! Watch here for more details. Calling all BC Citizens: First Nations • Elders Naturalists • Sport & Commercial Fishers • Forest Workers Environmentalists • Paddlers • Hikers & Climbers Moms & Kids • Teachers & Students • Business People YOU and Your Friends! Bus to the Rally for Rivers from Campbell River and Victoria - pickups along the way! We’ve got bus transportation to our Rally for Rivers on Saturday, April 4th. From Campbell River Catch the noon ferry to Campbell River and join with other islanders who are going to 1) have fun, and 2) tell government how much we care for BC’s wild rivers. We’re going to sing and chant and wave our placards; excellent speakers will deliver our message to local and provincial politicians meeting at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities. Lets tell them we want to have a say in what happens to BC Rivers and BC energy! Bus departs CR at 12:15 from the ferry terminal. The Rally for Rivers happens downtown at the Nanaimo Convention Centre starting at 2:30. Parade to after-rally gathering where we can share more info, ask questions, collaborate and strategize. Come home feeling satisfied and energized! Bus leaves Nanaimo in time to catch the 8:30 ferry. So pack some food, gear up for the weather and join your neighbors in a show of support for Bute Inlet — and all of BC’s rivers! Bus fare $16 return. Please call soon to reserve your seat! If we receive enough early commitments, we’ll organize a second bus. Please call Carol 285-2771. From Victoria The bus will leave Saturday April 4th at 12:00 from Felicitas (Student Union Building) at UVic. We’ll be back 9:00 pm the latest. It is small bus for now (24 people) but if there are more people interested, we’ll switch it to a bigger one. We can also pick you up on the way (Goldstream, Mill Bay, Cobble Hill, Duncan, Ladysmith). Please let us know (Jakub and Petra 250-382-3499, jakub@bc-creeks.org) if you are riding with us! And spread the word! Help Paint Rally for Rivers Placards! Calling kids and artists! We’re aiming to make this a different kind of rally – not only are we joining our voices, we’re bringing heart and soul! Many kids and adult artists are creating art placards – no words, just evocative pictures – the only criteria is that a river runs through it. Please consider making a river picture for the rally! Colourful and joyful, please use poster stock or paint on something already sturdy. Send your really beautiful message even if you can’t attend! We’ve collected tons of great slogans and we’re also making 100 rally placards! On Wednesday April 1st at 7 pm come down to the Community Centre and help make slogan signs for the Rally for Rivers. If you have spare brightly coloured latex paint or paint brushes bring them along. Good placard materials also welcome: we need clean, bright and sturdy paintable surfaces, large but not huge! If you make a river picture placard at home, please deliver it to the Community Centre by Wednesday April 1st or bring it with you to the rally. For more info: http://buteinlet.net

Nanaimo PUBLIC MEETING: RIVER AWARENESS When: TUESDAY MARCH 31, 7:00 PM Where: The Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, 741-3rd St For Directions Click Here BC rivers are threatened by unprecedented rapid industrial development in remote areas. In the name of “green energy”, numerous proposed hydroelectric projects would divert hundreds of kilometers of rivers from their natural riverbeds and build a vast network of new powerlines to connect remote wilderness areas to the grid. The environmental and social impacts are unknown but may be severe given the size and cumulative effects of such development. The BC Creek Protection Society and special guest speakers will present and discuss the potential impacts of hydropower development in British Columbia at a public meeting on Tuesday, March 31 in Nanaimo. Guest Speakers: John Calvert, Associate Professor , SFU (author of Liquid Gold) Gwen Barlee, Western Canada Wilderness Committee Tanis Douglas, Watershed Watch Salmon Society The presentations will be aimed at educating the public on proposed Independent Power Projects in British Columbia. These projects will be shown in a broader context of independent hydroelectric development occurring across the entire province. An invitation is extended to the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, Snuneymuxw First Nation and any other interested parties. Everyone Welcome! 7:00-9:00 PM: Presentations, public Q & A Follow-up: Join Friends of Bute Inlet on the Rally supporting BC endangered Rivers - SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2:30pm, Nanaimo Convention Centre

 

On March 26th, join thousands of British Columbians in standing up for our wild rivers. Whether you like to swim in them, look at them, drink from them, or float down them, BC’s many wild rivers and streams are a natural heritage that we all enjoy. In 2002 the BC government banned BC Hydro from developing new sources of green power, decreeing that all new hydropower must come from private companies. This has lead to a gold rush mentality, with private operators staking almost 600 creeks and rivers throughout BC for the purposes of hydropower production. Each one of these projects involves building river diversions, dams, powerhouses and many kilometers of roads and transmission lines. Power production can be done the right way. Unfortunately, that’s not happening in BC. There is little environmental oversight and no regional planning. Local governments have lost their say on these projects. The Wilderness Committee, Canada’s largest grassroots conservation organization, is calling for a moratorium on these projects. We like our rivers wild and our power public. We hope you do too. Join with us and thousands of like-minded citizens from across the province on Thursday, March 26. Phone your Member of the Legislative Assembly and the Premier. Stand up for our rivers and streams. Find out just how powerful your voice can be! For more information visit: http://www.tenthousandvoices.org/

Three open houses were held recently by the Environmental Assessment Office to inform the public about the proposed mass scale Bute Inlet Hydro Project located on the BC South Coast. Despite the fact that a vast majority of the affected public lives outside the reach of the meeting locations, and that requests were made by conservation groups and the public to hold additional open houses in Vancouver and Victoria, no such opportunity was provided by the government. The conservation groups took the initiative to hold their own open houses in Vancouver on February 10th and Victoria on February 11th. The following open houses are co-hosted by Watershed Watch Salmon Society, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Save Our Rivers Society and the BC Creek Protection Society. EVENT DETAILS: Vancouver Open House: February 10, 2009, UBC Robson Square Campus, Vancouver; Room C300, 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. with speakers starting at 7:30. Victoria Open House: February 11, 2009, University of Victoria, Victoria; Elliot Building Room 168, 7:00-9:30 p.m. The Vancouver meeting, which will precede a similar open house in Victoria on February 11, will include technical explanations of the project, high-profile guest speakers, and the opportunity to pose questions to an expert panel. For more information: The Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Project Backgrounder

Not to be missed: Public meetings on Bute Inlet energy project An energy mega-project is proposed for Bute Inlet by Plutonic Power Corp and General Electric. It includes 17 hydroelectric facilities, 85 km of penstock, other structures, 267 km of permanent roads and 443 km of high-voltage transmission lines between Bute Inlet and Earl’s Cove. The massive scale and long-term environmental impacts of this development proposal warrant the most thorough and transparent public and scientific scrutiny. The BC Environmental Assessment Office is holding public meetings to discuss the environmental review process, and for Plutonic to provide information about its development proposal. Public meetings are scheduled for Powell River on January 27 (4-8 pm, Town Centre) Sechelt on January 28 (4-8 pm, Sechelt Indian Band Hall) Campbell River: Monday February 2 (4-8 pm, Quinsam Hall.) High levels of attendance at these meetings, and written public comments are key to what happens next. The federal government may also refer the Bute Inlet project to a more thorough and comprehensive review and public hearings that are important to proper assessment of this mega-development. This is your opportunity to influence what happens to an important part of BC’s wilderness coast! Comments to the draft terms of reference, and requests for a federal panel review and public hearings will be received only until February 18. The draft terms of reference for the Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Project can be downloaded from the BC Environmental Assessment Office, at: http://a100.gov.bc.ca/appsdata/epic/html/deploy/epic_project_home_316.html To find out more, please contact ButeInlet@gmail.com or phone 250-285-2846.

ATTACHMENT: EAO announcement The Stl’ixwim Hydro Corp. (previously Renewable Power Corp.) is proposing to build six interconnected run-of-river private hydroelectric facilities on streams that discharge into the Tzoonie River or Narrows Inlet northeast of Sechelt, B.C. The proposed project must be reviewed under BC and Canada’s Environmental Assessment Acts and obtain an environmental assessment certificate before any work begins. (Click here for more on the Environmental Assessment Acts and approval processes.) Prior to the application for this certificate, Stl’ixwim Hydro Corp. must provide the Environmental Assessment Office of British Columbia (EAO) with Terms of Reference, which outline the studies to be conducted and detailed information that will be provided with the application for the certificate. This is your opportunity to comment on the draft Terms of Reference. The EAO invites the public to an open house, to be held as follows: At: Seaside Centre – 5790 Teredo Street, Sechelt, B.C. On: December 10, 2008 From: 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm Stl’ixwim Hydro Corp will present the Terms of Reference and will be followed by a presentation by the EAO on its process. The public will have an opportunity to ask questions at 7:00 pm. This is an opportunity for citizens to voice concerns over privately operated run-of-river hydro projects. For more complete details, please see attached a PDF copy of the Open House and Invitation to Comment notification issued by the BC Environmental Assessment Office. If you cannot access the file, this information is also available at: http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/ ATTACHMENT: EAO announcement

It is once again time to stand up for the values of free flowing rivers. Please consider the below information from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee: PEMBERTON OPEN-HOUSE: When: Thursday, December 4th, 4-9 PM with Q&A session from 7:30 PM Where: The gymnasium at the old high school, 7567 Pemberton Meadows Rd. (near Collins Rd.), Pemberton, BC A large private power project is proposed for the Ryan River, an important grizzly bear recovery area near Pemberton. Toronto-based Regional Power Inc., a subsidiary of multi-billion dollar corporation Manulife Financial, is proposing a large 145 megawatt private hydropower project on the Ryan River. This project will involve building a dam (or “weir”) across the river, drilling a 9.5 km long tunnel, creating nearly 8,000 dump-truck loads of waste rock and dirt, and building 26 km of new transmission lines. The Ryan River is one of 11 rivers in this area recommended to be completely off-limits to private power development through the community planning process of the Sea to Sky Land and Resource Management Plan. The Ryan River is a key area linkage area for grizzly bears moving from the coast to areas further inland like the Cayoosh Range and Stein Valley. It is also home to dozens of other species including harlequin ducks, mountain goats and moose. Currently, the Sea to Sky area has over 100 private power projects proposals. Planning for each project is evaluated on a “one-off” basis, not assessing the cumulative impact of multiple projects on the landscape. Each project involves building river diversions, access roads, powerhouses and transmission lines. Make your voice heard! Attend the Pemberton open-house public meeting! The public has a limited time to speak up and stop this project. Comments close on December 15. When: Thursday, December 4th, 4-9 PM with Q&A session from 7:30 PM Where: The gymnasium at the old high school, 7567 Pemberton Meadows Rd. (near Collins Rd.), Pemberton, BC History is made by those who show up—this past spring over 1000 people succeeded in stopping a similar project in the Upper Pitt River Valley. If you can’t make it out to the meeting, please take a moment to write an email to the Minister of the Environment: Honourable Barry Penner env.minister@gov.bc.ca Send copies to: Derek Griffin, Environmental Assessment Office eaoinfo@gov.bc.ca Andrew Radzik, Wilderness Committee andrew@wildernesscommittee.org

Whistler – The debate about independent power projects (IPPs) rages on in some circles, leading a small but impassioned crowd to gather in Pemberton’s new community centre on Saturday (Oct. 18) to talk rivers, power and politics. Representatives from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee (WCWC) and the B.C. Creek Protection Society raised concerns about the environmental impact and the scope of privately owned run-of-river projects. Attachment: Full article (external link to www.whistlerquestion.com)

The BC Creek Protection Society is holding a free public awareness event (suitable for families) at the Goldstream Provincial Park on Sunday November 30th, 11am - 4pm. This is a great opportunity to find out about run-of-river projects and BC’s rivers that are currently endangered. Along with posters, displays, and crafts for children, BCCPS will be holding a bake-sale and will provide free hot beverages. Spread the word, invite friends and we hope to see you there! WHERE: Goldstream Provincial Park infront of the Nature House. Directions: The park is located 16km northwest of Victoria on the Trans Canada Hwy #1 WHEN: Sunday, November 30th, 11AM to 4PM. (Please note: regular vehicle parking fees apply in the park, however, if you park by the highway there is no charge.)

NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 5 New Video Released on Kootenay Rivers Threatened by Private Power Proposal as Save Our Rivers Society Leads “Rivers at Risk” Tour Through 5 Kootenay Communities! Watch this new 11-min short documentary, “Rivers at Risk: Glacier & Howser Creeks,” by POWERPLAY producer Damien Gillis on the battle to protect a treasured piece of Kootenay wilderness from private power development. This video is the second installment in Save Our Rivers Society’s new “Rivers at Risk” series, which profiles different rivers around BC threatened by private power development - told in the words of the local citizens batting to protect them. Featuring stunning high definition footage of this spectacular BC wilderness, revered by outdoor enthusiasts. Link to video Join Save Our Rivers in five different West Kootenay communities for a premiere of this video and presentations by Rafe Mair, Damien Gillis, Lee-Ann Unger of the West Kootenay EcoSociety, and the COPE 378 “Take Back the Power” campaign: NELSON: Sunday, November 30 7 PM - Nelson United Church NAKUSP: Tuesday December 2 7 PM - Bonnington Arts Centre MEADOW CREEK: Wednesday, December 3 7 PM - Lardeau Valley Hall KASLO: Thursday, December 4 7 PM - Langham Theatre ROSSLAND: Friday, December 5 7 PM - Rossland Miner’s Hall

This year’s second annual BC Rivers day at the Goldstream provincial park was a great success. As a continuous stream of visitors poured into the park throughout the day (total about 500 people), volunteers had very full hands helping out at the different stations. (more…)

PUBLIC MEETING: RIVER AWARENESS When: SATURDAY OCTOBER 18, 7: 00 PM Where: Great Hall in the New Community Centre, 7390 Cottonwood Dr., Pemberton, BC

Pemberton’s Ryan River along with many other free flowing rivers in BC face pressure from large-scale, fast-paced hydro power development.

The BC Creek Protection Society and a special guest speaker will present and discuss potential impacts of hydropower development in the Pemberton area and in British Columbia.

Guest Speaker: Gwen Barlee, Western Canada Wilderness Committee

The presentations will be aimed at educating the public on proposed Independent Power Projects in the Sea to Sky corridor. These local projects will also be shown in a broader context of independent hydroelectric development occurring across the entire province. An invitation is extended to the Lil’wat First Nation, N’Quatqua First Nation, Samahquan First Nation, Skatin First Nation, Douglas First Nation and any other interested parties.

Everyone Welcome!
7:00-9:00 PM: Presentations, public Q & A

The open-house hosted by the BC CPS on Friday the 26th in Tofino was a positive step forward.  The BC CPS will now work towards presenting to the Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousat Band Councils and Clayoquot Regional Board.   Please stand-by for a list of contacts which will be useful for public imput on the issue of RoR in Clayoquot Sound.  Thank-you to all those who attended. 

A public meeting will be held in Tofino, BC on September 26th at 7:30pm. The meeting will take place at the Clayoquot Community Theater on Campbell Street next door to the municipal offices. This meeting will include presentations by the BCCPS, Tofino Chamber of Commerce, and the Friends of Clayoquot Sound. The presentations will be aimed at educating the public on the development of a proposed Independent Power Project on Bulson Creek in Eastern Clayoquot Sound. This proposed local development, by Synex International, will also be placed in the broader context of independent hydroelectricity development currently occurring across the entire province. An invitation is extended to both the Ahousat and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations and any other interested parties.

      BC Rivers Day is a province-wide event, held every year on the last Sunday of September. Established in 1980 and coordinated by the Outdoor Recreation Council (ORC). www.ORC.ca Thousands of British Columbians celebrate BC Rivers Day on the last Sunday in September each year, making it Canada’s largest river appreciation event. BC Rivers Day generates public awareness about British Columbia’s waterways. Recreational clubs, conservation organizations, community groups, schools, and local governments host BC Rivers Day events across the province. Victoria BC Rivers Day is a free community festival and family event hosted by BC Creek Protection Society to celebrate free flowing rivers and the importance of our river heritage through information displays, educational videos, riverside nature walks, children’s crafts, wreath making, fishing demonstrations, bake-sale, and more… (more…)

The BC Creek Protection Society is hosting three seminars on Vancouver Island. The purpose of the meetings is to raise awareness about proposed hydropower development on Vancouver Island and the Coast Range (including Bute Inlet and the Klinaklini: http://www.klinaklini.info). We hope to learn from and discuss with affected First Nations groups potential positive and negative impacts. BC CPS can offer independent insight on current knowledge about ecological impacts and the environmental assessment process. June 2nd Port Hardy 6:30-8:30 PM, Civic Center June 3rd Gold River 6:30- 8:30PM, The Ridge Pub June 4th Alert Bay 6:00-8:00PM, ICNRC

MAY 24 - RIVERS AT RISK: RAFE MAIR COMES TO THE SALMON CAPITAL OF THE WORLD TO DISCUSS WITH PUBLIC AND FIRST NATIONS THE THREATS OF PRIVATE RIVER POWER TO THREE MAJOR LOCAL WATERSHEDS (more…)

The BC Creek Protection Society in association with the Graduate Student Society of The University of Victoria invites you to attend a 1-hour lecture explaining environmental, societal, and political implications of current BC government energy policy. The lecture is given by Prof. John Calvert, author of Liquid Gold: Energy Privatization in British Columbia. Wednesday, March 26th, 7:00 PM University of Victoria, Harry Hickman Building, ROOM 105 Location: http://www.uvic.ca/buildings/hhb.html Parking Lot #4: http://www.uvic.ca/maps/parkingmap.html (more…)

On Saturday February 2, 2008, when communities across Canada face some of the coldest temperatures of the year, many are standing up for Canadian energy strategy by learning more about our energy policies. Here, in Victoria Area, watch “49 Megawatts”, hear guest speakers and learn more about BC government selling of our rivers to private power companies - to generate electricity which we don’t even need. Learn what you can to do stop so-called ‘green’ run-of-river projects from damaging our pristine wilderness. (more…)

An educational forum presented by the New Westminster & District Labour Council Panel Presentation and Discussion Privatization of Public Power in BC (more…)

How Green is the British Columbia Energy Plan? The BC Creek Protection Society in association with the UVIC Kayak Club invites you to attend a free 1-hour public lecture critiquing the sustainability of the provincial Energy Plan, presented by noted economist Dr. Marvin Shaffer. (more…)

FOR THIS YEARS (2008) EVENT CLICK HERE

Victoria BC Rivers Day hosted by BC Creek Protection Society

Join us to celebrate the 1st BC Rivers Day in Goldstream!

UPDATE - september 26

The event will take place rain or shine, there are large rain protected areas where we can still enjoy the day standing near a warm fire, sipping tea and listening to great music. Don’t forget to bring a mug.

Admission is free!

Please note: regular vehicle parking fees apply in the park, however, if you park by the highway there is no charge.

Where: Goldstream Provincial Park.
www.naturehouse.ca

When: Sunday, September 30, 11am-4pm

Directions: The park is located 16km northwest of Victoria on the Trans Canada Hwy #1
(more…)

PRESS RELEASE
August 28, 2007

The proposed Glacier/Howser hydroelectric project in the West Kootenay region of BC continues to be quickly rammed through the environmental assessment review process. With only a 38 day public comment period in the peak of summer holiday season over 75 submissions have already been posted on the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) website. (more…)

Full Press Release (PDF)

For Immediate Release: August 13, 2007

Two new reports help answer questions, raise others, on the sustainability of
run-of-river hydropower

Coquitlam, BC –Watershed Watch today released two reports that expose
weaknesses in how government and industry measure, monitor, and minimize the
impacts of “green” hydropower in British Columbia. (more…)

Rivers for Generations: Maple Ridge this Thursday, Aug 9th from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

We hope to continue to raise awareness for the about the threat to BC’s
rivers by private power developers, with an emphasis on RoR Inc’s danger
to the Upper Pitt. We will have a booth at the Maple Ridge Jazz and
Blues Festival (www.jazzblues.ca) on
Saturday, Aug 11th and want to make sure members of the community feel
the urgency of this issue. (more…)