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CBC
15 minutes ago
- CBC
Vancouver Park Board staff seeks approval to advance Stanley Park tree removal
Social Sharing Vancouver Park Board staff are seeking commissioners' approval to proceed with the next phase of a tree removal project in Stanley Park due to an extensive looper moth infestation. Work has been underway to cut down thousands of trees in Vancouver's biggest park since the summer of 2023, due to what the park board said were fire and public safety risks posed by dead and dying trees that were affected by a yearslong Western hemlock looper moth infestation. The infestation led to around a third of all the trees in Stanley Park being affected, staff said at the time, and its latest report shows just over 11,000 trees have been cut down to deal with the infestation, which was first reported in 2020. While the tree removal plan has faced sharp criticism — and some residents filed a lawsuit that ultimately failed to stop it — staff say they have a plan that will see the least number of trees removed in the final phase of the mitigation work. WATCH | Up to a third of park's trees were affected by moths, official says: Around a third of Stanley Park's trees killed by deadly moth outbreak: park board 1 year ago A western hemlock looper moth outbreak has killed as many as 30 per cent of Stanley Park's 600,000 to 700,000 trees, according to the Vancouver Park Board's manager of urban forestry. "This aims to balance key public safety risks resulting from the hemlock looper outbreak while leaving a moderate extent of internal forest areas to undergo natural forest stand regeneration," the staff motion says of its preferred approach. "These areas may require ongoing monitoring for changes over time, including but not limited to future treatment of hazardous trees and/or replanting." Staff said that the final phase of tree removal work would focus on around 42 per cent of the park's area, totalling around 111 hectares primarily within the park's interior. Those areas include trees around the Lees Trail, Lovers Walk, Tatlow Walk and trails surrounding Beaver Lake. "From a public safety perspective, these trails are considered the primary target to mitigate risk from declining trees for this final phase," the staff report reads. Park board commissioners will debate the report and the final phase of the tree mitigation work at a meeting Monday evening. Work along seawall complete The motion says that higher-traffic areas — like the seawall and Stanley Park Drive — have already seen mitigation work conducted since 2023 in a phased approach. For the last phase of work, staff said that it prefers an option that would see a 40-metre buffer zone around trails, where problem trees would be removed and mitigation work conducted. According to park board staff, that would have the lowest costs compared to two other options available, which would have increased the size of the buffer zone and could have increased the amount of trees being cut down. Just under $18 million has been spent on the tree removal and looper moth mitigation work since 2023. Staff did not provide an exact budget figure for the last phase of work, though they estimated the contract figure would exceed $3 million in value. If commissioners approve of the staff plan, planning for tree removal and mitigation work would begin later this year and conclude in the first quarter of 2027.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Bringing back mowed-down sage
A Métis scholar at the University of Alberta's Augustana campus is working to bring back a sage field that was mowed down accidentally.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Pop-up booths are making it easier to apply for Indian status cards in southwestern Ontario
A First Nations organization is hosting pop-up booths at events around southwestern Ontario to make it easier and more accessible for Indigenous peoples to apply for new and updated status cards. The Southern First Nations Secretariat (SFNS), which is based in Bothwell, Ont., helps people fill out their status card application, take their identification photo and send it for processing – sometimes at school campuses, public parks and pow wows. "A lot of people think that it's a very complicated process, but it's not. It takes less than 10 minutes to fill out the application," said trusted source coordinator Ravynne Noah-Rich. SFNS primarily helps people apply for Secured Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS), sometimes called a "white card," which is an official piece of documentation that proves a person is registered under the Indian Act. It's issued by Indigenous Services Canada. The organization has also recently been approved to help people register under the Indian Act through their booths, though they do not have the authority to determine who is qualified. Noah-Rich is the only trusted source coordinator in southwestern Ontario, meaning that she and SFNS have been designated reliable and able to assess people's identity information by Indigenous Services Canada. "I think it's easier to see somebody who actually lives around here, is more local, knows the program and is not a government person," she said. "It's more personable and we get to talk face to face." Owning a SCIS card is not only proof of status, Noah-Rich said, but can also be used to cross the border or receive certain benefits and tax exemptions. Western University grad student Rebecca Crane took advantage of the opportunity and got her first SCIS card on campus Friday. "I think it's important to have some type of recognition for who I am, and this was a great opportunity to come do that," said Crane. The SCIS card is an upgraded version of the Certificate of Indian Status laminated card, Noah-Rich said, but is thicker like a driver's license and has more security features. However, many people are hesitant to get it, she said. "A lot of people have the misconception that this is another form of government tracking and all this stuff because the reserves sometimes don't offer it," Noah-Rich said, adding that she was also skeptical when the card first came out. "It's not. It's the exact same authority of Indigenous Services Canada, it's just an updated version." Some other misconceptions that people have about the card include that they will lose their rights or that their laminated cards will be taken away, Noah-Rich said, but she is trying to ensure that people know those rumours are not true. SFNS sets up clinics all across southwestern Ontario including Windsor, Sarnia, Cambridge and even Toronto, typically one to two times a week. So far, clinics typically draw between 10 to 50 people, Noah-Rich said, from young people who have never had the card to elders looking to renew. "It's definitely helpful to meet people where they're at, and as an Indigenous person, it's always easier to do things in-person where you can connect with somebody," said Caroline Miller, who was renewing her SCIS card at Western University. "It makes the process easier." There are more clinics happening this summer including at Nokee Kwe on July 23, Fanshawe College on July 31, Atlohsa on August 8, and the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation's annual pow wow on August 16 and 17.
