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Good afternoon, and welcome to Globe Climate, a newsletter about climate change, environment and resources in Canada.
Wildfires continue to burn through Western Canada. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have evacuated more than 30,000 people, with both provinces under states of emergency. Officials in Alberta and British Columbia are contending with dozens of fires, too.
Now, new fires have led Ontario to request military support, with 26 actively burning in the northwest region. Prime Minister Mark Carney said yesterday that he called upon the Canadian Armed Forces to airlift nearly 3,000 people from Sandy Lake First Nation.
Even G7 summit preparations in Alberta now include plans for wildfire evacuations.
Now, let’s catch you up on other news.
Royal Canadian Air Force Warrant Officer Tyler Ashbee sits among evacuees from Pinaow Wachi Care Home flying from Norway House, Man., to Winnipeg on June 3 as crews continue to fight wildfires.David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press
Noteworthy reporting this week:
- Politics: Ontario’s Bill 5 has passed. Here’s why it has sparked conflict with First Nations
- Smoke: Wildfire smoke is affecting air quality across the country. Here’s what you need to know
- No to pipelines: B.C. remains opposed to a pipeline across the north despite Alberta’s demands
- Yes to pipelines: Natural gas pipeline across Northern B.C. can proceed, regulator rules
- Energy: Carney tells energy leaders how infrastructure projects in national interest will be assessed
- Artificial Intelligence: Alberta grid operator’s power cap could thwart province’s AI data-centre ambitions, critics say
- Design: Toronto and Region Conservation Authority leads by example with breathtaking new headquarters
- Profile from The Narwhal: How Wade Grant, Musqueam Member of Parliament in Vancouver, plans to face divisive times
A deeper dive
A drone image shows construction at Nuchatlitz Park, taken on April 17.Supplied
Precedent-setting court ruling on an Indigenous land claim
For this week’s deeper dive, a closer look at a ruling that establishes Aboriginal title can supersede park protections on Crown land.
British Columbia quietly ceded control of a large portion of a provincial park off the west coast of Vancouver Island, in response to a precedent-setting court ruling on an Indigenous land claim.
The B.C. Supreme Court declared last year that the Nuchatlaht, a First Nation with 180 members, has proved Aboriginal title to 1,140 hectares of land on the north end of Nootka Island.
Jack Woodward, the lawyer who represented the Nuchatlaht, says it is the first time parkland has been included in a title ruling from the courts. It is also setting precedent that Aboriginal title can supersede park protections on Crown land.
He also said that the governments of Canada and B.C. have failed to provide legal guidance for Aboriginal title lands.
The title lands include 320 hectares of old-growth forest in Nuchatlitz Park, which was established in 1996 with the primary goal of protecting special natural features. The land, about 110 kilometres northwest of Tofino, includes critical habitat for several at-risk species, including sea otters, the wandering salamander and the marbled murrelet (a small seabird), and features increasingly rare coastal sand ecosystems.
Thomas Isaac, an expert in Aboriginal law at the Vancouver law firm Cassels, said the province has legislative tools to protect the park, but is not using them. “The legislative objective of protecting the environment can justifiably infringe an Aboriginal right, including title,” he said.
“The government is negligent, asleep on the job. The Nuchatlaht is not responsible for the public interest‚“ he said, adding that it’s up to governments to balance Indigenous interests with those of the wider public.
Meanwhile, The First Nation is building a road through the former parkland for its members. They have plans to develop their title lands with “really strict guidelines.”
Public access to parts of Nuchatlitz Park is also no longer assured, and the province says it is up to visitors to ensure they are not trespassing. Kayakers and recreational boaters are only just learning, through word-of-mouth, that the popular destination is no longer public land.
What else you missed
- UN Ocean Conference opens in France as pressure mounts to turn promises into protection
- Coal mines on Alberta’s eastern slopes are poisoning fish populations, study says
- Nova Scotia’s Wind West offshore energy plan wins support from two environmental groups
- Meta signs 20-year deal with nuclear plant to meet energy demands for AI
Opinion and analysis
Ajay Virmani: These wildfires will cost Canada more than you think
André Picard: The risks of bird flu are real. We can’t bury our heads in the sand, even for the love of ostriches
Barry Hertz: Jai Courtney jumps the shark, in a good way, with gonzo Aussie thriller Dangerous Animals
Green Investing
Energy investment to reach record US$3.3-trillion worldwide, IEA says
Global energy investment is set to increase to a record US$3.3-trillion this year, with clean technologies attracting twice as much capital as fossil fuels, according to a new report.
Forecasts in the 2025 World Energy Investment report, released Thursday by the International Energy Agency, underscore how global investment trends are leaning toward clean energy, even at a time of geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties.
Keep reading
- There is trouble ahead for Canada’s EV goals as interest wanes, barriers mount
The Climate Exchange
We’ve launched the next chapter of The Climate Exchange, an interactive, digital hub where The Globe answers your most pressing questions about climate change. More than 300 questions were submitted as of September. The first batch of answers tackles 30 of them. They can be found with the help of a search tool developed by The Globe that makes use of artificial intelligence to match readers’ questions with the closest answer drafted. We plan to answer a total of 75 questions.
Photo of the week
Coral is visible in the protected area of France's Porquerolles National Park ahead of the UN Ocean Conference.Annika Hammerschlag/The Associated Press
Guides and Explainers
- We’ve rounded up our reporters’ content to help you learn about what a carbon tax is, what happened at COP29 and just generally how Canada will change because of climate change.
- We have ways to make your travelling more sustainable and if you like to read, here are books to help the environmentalist in you grow, as well as a downloadable e-book of Micro Skills – Little Steps to Big Change.
Catch up on Globe Climate
- Wildfire season is upon us
- How to fix instead of waste
- Drill, baby, drill ... that ice
- Canadian company net-zero rankings
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