British Columbia

B.C. government figures say conservation officers destroyed 603 black and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.

In 2008, as the-then B.C. Liberal government was poised to bring in Canada's first carbon tax, the B.C. NDP staunchly opposed it, saying a climate plan should not tax consumers but target major industrial producers such as the gas, oil, cement and aluminum industries.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says this year's Fraser River sockeye salmon run is 2nd lowest on record

Some candidates say they're too moderate to support the B.C. Conservatives but oppose the NDP

New employment standards for people who work through gig-based apps like Uber, DoorDash, Skip the Dishes and Lyft come into effect in British Columbia on Sept 3.

While the regulations include a minimum wage of $20.88, workers' compensation coverage, and measures for pay transparency, some gig workers are still skeptical.

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According to the province, the new regulations will set employment standards for the approximately 46,000 ride-hailing and delivery workers in B.C.

Experts say the rules define app-based gig workers under existing B.C. labour laws, and establish a new way for the province to hold apps accountable as employers. Critics say the rules won't mean fair compensation for ride-hailing and delivery workers.

The BC Conservative party’s official “climate policy” explicitly rejects the idea that climate change is a “crisis.”

In August 2022, Rustad retweeted a tweet from prominent climate science denier Patrick Moore casting doubt on climate science.: “The case for CO2 being the control knob of global temperature gets weaker every day,” said the tweet amplified by Rustad, adding that people should “celebrate C02.”

A relatively new industry is taking off in British Columbia, as forestry companies set their sights on logging burn zones after wildfires.

It’s called salvage logging — and it may disrupt forests’ abilities to naturally recover from fires.

B.C. rules allow companies to remove the last remaining living trees from burn zones. Those trees can offer critical support for healing ecosystems. Now some experts and affected communities, including First Nations, are raising the alarm and calling for more selective logging practices.