B.C. Greens, NDP working constructively despite challenges, accord updates say
B.C. Green Party MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky Jeremy Valeriote speaks in Victoria on Oct. 23, 2024. (Chad Hipolito / The Canadian Press)
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Globe and Mail
27 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
UN treaty to protect high seas gains global support, but falls short of ratification
A landmark international treaty to protect biodiversity in international waters saw a surge in the number of countries pledging their support at the third United Nations Ocean Conference on Monday, but fell short of what is required to ratify the treaty and make it legally binding. Countries finalized the High Seas Treaty, known formally as the agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), at an intergovernmental conference at the United Nations in March of 2023. Ratifying the treaty will create the legal framework needed to protect waters and assess environmental effects outside of national jurisdictions – currently a major gap in ocean conservation. But the treaty requires 60 ratifications before coming into force. With 31 countries having pledged their support before the conference, and 18 having ratified the agreement Monday in Nice, France, that's 11 ratifications short. Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, said countries are expected to make up for that shortfall in short order, and that Monday's ratifications bring the treaty closer to the threshold needed to make it legally binding. 'In a matter of weeks, we expect it to exceed 60 ratifications,' Ms. Hubbard said. Canada is among the 85 countries that have signed but not yet ratified the treaty. To do so, Niall O'Dea, senior assistant deputy minister at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said the agreement must first make it through Parliament. 'In accordance with our Parliamentary process to ratify international treaties, the Agreement must be tabled in Parliament for 21 sitting days. As we are nearing the close of our Parliamentary session this summer, we will be aiming to table the treaty at the earliest opportunity when the next session begins,' Mr. O'Dea said in a statement. That makes ratification a question of when, not if, for Canada – a point Mr. O'Dea said is demonstrated by the country's track record. Albania, the Bahamas, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Fiji, Malta, Mauritania, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam now join the 31 countries plus the European Union that had already deposited their ratification prior to the conference. Their support comes as part of the 'race to ratification' the High Seas Alliance has called on governments to pledge in time for the global ocean summit in Nice. From loss to life: How a Canadian ocean scientist keeps her hope alive Co-hosted by Costa Rica and France, UNOC brings together 120 countries to address what organizers have called a 'global emergency' facing the world's seas – from plastic pollution to industrial fishing and overfishing to deep-sea mining and noise pollution, all of which threaten the global ocean. Only 1.5 per cent of the high seas – the international waters beyond countries' maritime borders, which cover nearly half the planet – is safeguarded with marine protected areas. The High Seas Treaty will help close that gap, Ms. Hubbard said, and help countries to deliver on the Global Biodiversity Framework's '30x30' target to protect at least 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030. Ms. Hubbard hopes more countries may move to ratify within the week and said she'll continue to put pressure on them to do so. 'This isn't some imaginary timeline. The crisis is real. We need action, and unless we're really pushing for it, it doesn't happen.'
CBC
29 minutes ago
- CBC
City councillors to recommend more services and enforcement at Yellowknife encampment
Yellowknife city councillors say the city will use its limited toolbox to balance social services with public safety when it comes to an encampment of unhoused residents in the city's downtown. At a governance and priorities meeting Monday, councillors discussed a resolution expected to pass at Monday night's council meeting related to an encampment of unhoused residents in an alley near the downtown liquor store, which was set up several weeks ago. The resolution acknowledges that all residents deserve to feel safe in the community and commits to supporting the territorial government, which has broader powers when it comes to housing, health and social services. Mayor Ben Hendricksen brought forward the resolution, which he says reflects what the city is responsible for, has the funding for, and expects from the territorial government. "A bit of a stake in the ground as council of where our heads are at around encampments, serving people who are under-housed and unhoused and working collaboratively with the [Government of the Northwest Territories]," he said. The resolution, if passed, would direct the city's staff to make recommendations on amending existing Yellowknife bylaws or creating new ones to address any "unacceptable behaviour" at the encampment. It recommends that the territory ensure there is access to basic needs, such as porta-potties, potable water and other necessities. It commits to supporting the encampment residents' health and safety by providing solid waste and sewage collection, but it said that would have to be at the request of the N.W.T. government and on its dime. The resolution also recommends RCMP increases its foot and bike presence downtown, and commits the city's municipal enforcement division to be visible and for bylaw officers to focus on "ensuring a safe environment for all." The N.W.T. government acknowledged the encampment in a news release last month, and said it was working with shelters to monitor capacity and needs. It said it was focusing on "delivering wraparound supports, increasing transitional housing options, and working with community partners to build long-term, person-centered solutions." Coun. Rob Warburton said council often speaks to the importance of investing in mental health services, shelters, housing and other services that address the root causes of addiction, homelessness and poverty. He said he appreciates how the resolution balances that with enforcing public safety. "Strong enforcement doesn't mean criminalizing poverty or punishing vulnerable people," he said. "It means setting boundaries to protect everybody, especially the vulnerable. [It] means ensuring that our parks are safe for families, business owners can operate without getting vandalized every day, and people struggling with actual addiction, mental illness, actually get the help they need because it's safe to do so. "It's not a contraction to say that we need enforcement. It's a necessity." It's not the first time Yellowknife's unhoused have set up encampments in the city. In 2024, dozens of people set up in lots across the capital. The City of Yellowknife took on sanitation services and garbage removal, at the territory's cost, similar to what's being proposed in Monday's resolution. City manager Stephen Van Dine said that situation has given staff a template to work from. He reminded councillors to always consider the city's resources and what is the municipality's responsibility.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Eby says it's not him blocking Smith's oil pipeline, it's lack of money and proponent
B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during an announcement in Vancouver, on Monday, May 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck British Columbia Premier David Eby says it's not him standing in the way of Alberta counterpart Danielle Smith's longed-for oil pipeline from Alberta to B.C.'s north coast — it's that there's no proponent, no money and 'no project right now.' It's Eby's latest rebuff to the idea, coming after Smith said on Sunday she could convince him to allow such a pipeline. Eby says that if Smith succeeds in finding a proponent and funding, and assembles a project, then B.C. 'will certainly cross that bridge.' But he says there are already 'countless projects' that B.C. could work on with Alberta to create prosperity in Western Canada. Eby was speaking at a news conference on Monday from Seoul, South Korea, the final stop on a 10-day trade tour through Asia that has also included Japan and Malaysia. Asked about B.C.'s green light last week for a Prince Rupert gas pipeline, Eby said the province was not 'in the business of turning away investments' — but wouldn't speculate whether that applied to an oil pipeline from Alberta. Eby added that he understands Smith is 'keen' on such a project, just as Ontario Premier Doug Ford is 'keen on tunnel underneath the 401.' This report by Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press, was first published June 9, 2025.
