B.C. fish farm licences renewed outside Discovery Islands until at least spring 2023 | Canada News Media
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B.C. fish farm licences renewed outside Discovery Islands until at least spring 2023

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OTTAWA — The federal government says open-net pen salmon farming may continue off British Columbia’s coast outside the Discovery Islands area, while Ottawa undertakes consultation on the plan to transition away from the practice.

A statement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it will share a draft framework for the transition in the coming weeks and consultation will run until early 2023 with the final plan to transition 79 open-net pen farms expected next spring.

The department says a separate consultation process is underway with First Nations and licence holders for fish farms around the Discovery Islands, located along a key migration route for wild salmon between Vancouver Island and B.C.’s mainland.

In the meantime, it says licences for Atlantic salmon facilities in that area are not being renewed and a final decision is expected next January.

Aquaculture operators around the Discovery Islands had already begun scaling back after the previous fisheries minister, Bernadette Jordan, announced in late 2020 that 19 salmon farms would be phased out by the end of this month.

However, a Federal Court judge set aside that decision two months ago, forcing the government to rework its transition plan.

Salmon farm companies Mowi Canada West, Cermaq Canada and Grieg Seafood had applied for a judicial review of the order that prevented them from restocking their fish, arguing it lacked reasons and didn’t “show an appreciation of the facts.”

In her April decision, Federal Court Judge Elizabeth Heneghan found the earlier order breached the right to procedural fairness owed to the fish farms.

Heneghan agreed with the applicants, finding that in the absence of reasons, the decision wasn’t transparent and could not be justified.

The department says in the news release that Pacific salmon are facing historic threats and part of its mandate to protect the fish is to transition away from open-net salmon aquaculture, which studies have shown can spread disease to wild salmon as they migrate past.

The mandate letter for Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray tasks her with transitioning fish farming out of B.C. waters by 2025.

“Wild Pacific salmon are an iconic keystone species in British Columbia that are facing historic threats,” Murray says in the statement released Wednesday.

“Our government is taking action to protect and return wild salmon to abundance and ensure Canada is a global leader in sustainable aquaculture.”

Ottawa’s transition plan for the aquaculture industry will include “new technology, while reducing or eliminating interactions with wild Pacific salmon,” Murray says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2022.

 

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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