Oilsands whistleblower calls federal pledge 'bittersweet'
John O’Connor recalls his long battle to have the health impacts of the oilsands acknowledged — and applauds the decision to have communities lead promised probe.
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Published by Observer Media Group
Wildfires pose increasing threat to water quality, experts warn
Recent research shows the fires can dramatically alter watershed dynamics and introduce harmful substances into drinking water.
B.C. government mulls ways to aid salmon through Chilcotin slide zone
Plans to help migrating salmon make it up British Columbia's Chilcotin River to spawning grounds are in the works after a massive landslide breach created barrier challenges, but officials will wait to see if the water carves a new route for the fish, says Nathan Cullen, the provincial water, land and resource stewardship minister.
Tail end of tropical storm Debby to dump heavy rain on Eastern Canada
Remnants of tropical storm Debby merging with another low pressure system over the Great Lakes could bring up to 100 millimetres of rain to parts of Eastern Canada on Friday.
National Park building rules could delay Jasper rebuild
Residents of Jasper, Alta., who lost their homes in last month’s wildfire face unique rebuilding challenges tied to leasing provisions nearly as old as Canada, followed modern rules dictating what they can and can’t construct.
Shell's focus on fossil fuels has profits climbing
The oil and gas giant's profits reached US$14 billion, angering climate advocates as the corporation continues to grow its fossil fuel business while pulling back on low-carbon alternatives.
Group of Alaska Tribes demands pause on B.C. mining project upstream of ‘ecological hotspot’
A group of Indigenous communities in Alaska are calling for a stop to a “reckless” mining plan across the Canadian border that they say will threaten their water, food supply and way of life.
'So late in the game' — Feds spend $12.5 M to study the tragedies of cancer downstream of oil sands
Following years of advocacy and struggle, Indigenous nations downstream of the oilsands have received funding to understand the diseases they argue are a direct cause of the fossil fuel industry.
RCMP hired private spies to monitor Fairy Creek activists
An invoice obtained through a federal Access to Information request allows Canada’s National Observer to reveal a report commissioned by the RCMP, spying on activists' online activities
Appointment of new federal human-rights commissioner delayed after independent review
After an independent review, Justice Minister Arif Virani announced on Wednesday that Birju Dattani has agreed not to begin his appointment as chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission on Thursday as planned.
Facebook remains important source for weather updates in disasters despite news ban
Residents of small communities across Canada are finding creative ways of getting around Facebook's news blackout to share updates about dangerous weather events, but they say it's still tough to get information to people quickly on the platform.
El Nino ebbs, but experts warn hot climate and extreme weather will persist
Earth’s string of 13 straight months with a new average heat record came to an end this past July as the natural El Nino climate pattern ebbed, the European climate agency Copernicus announced on Wednesday.
Feds free up money to study health of Indigenous communities downstream of oilsands
More than three decades after Indigenous leaders in northern Alberta began asking for funding to better understand if pollution from the oilsands was making their people sick, the federal government is funding a study to do just that.
Inuit grandmas make rap debut
For two Inuit grandmas, rap was always for the younger generations until it wasn’t.
Oil companies sold the public on a fake climate solution — and swindled taxpayers out of billions
The fossil fuel industry’s carbon capture bamboozle, explained.