Alternative News

Articles from non-mainstream as opposed to corporate for profit sources.

Enbridge is back

Details: Published on Friday, 22 July 2022 11:45; Written by editor

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PAOV,

It sounds like a bad dream, but it’s true. Calgary-based Enbridge is back in northern B.C., meeting with Indigenous leaders, trying to build support for a massive fracked gas pipeline.

Enbridge’s Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission line is one of three more pipelines now planned through the Skeena river watershed in addition to Coastal GasLink.

TC Energy has been so successful using B.C. politicians, police and prosecutors to punch through Wet’suwet’en territory, other...

Help us defend your privacy rights

Details: Published on Friday, 22 July 2022 11:01; Written by editor

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Dear Friend,

Are you fed up with the governments, corporations, and private entities being prioritized over people and our fundamental rights? We are too.

The RCMP has illegally spied on people in Canada. Your electronic devices may be vulnerable to searches at the border. Behind closed doors, backroom deals to undermine your privacy are being made between the government and big business.

The problem is clear. Often our privacy is not respected, and our rights are unclear. People don’t know all the ways their privacy can be infringed upon, and what proactive steps they can take to prevent harm. How are we supposed to protect ourselves when our rights are not made clear to us to begin with?

That is why we are asking for your support today. Would you make a donation today to help us defend what is right?

At the BCCLA, we know that privacy rights are human rights. That is why we are holding...

Will you donate $5 to help uncover the Secret Services role in January 6?

Details: Published on Friday, 22 July 2022 07:46; Written by editor

New reporting from The Intercept has found that the Secret Service erased text messages sent before and during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The missing messages could shed light on the agency’s attempt to remove Vice President Mike Pence from the Capitol — which would have prevented him from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Now, the sudden disappearance of text messages is raising new questions about what the Secret Service did that day and what, if anything, they have to hide.

Previous investigations by The Intercept have uncovered troubling connections between white supremacist organizations and U.S. law enforcement, and any evidence that the Secret Service had been compromised would shake...

AXA is feeling the heat!

Details: Published on Friday, 22 July 2022 06:04; Written by editor

The mobilisation against AXA keeps getting stronger and stronger!

In April, our partners protested outside AXA's AGM and held a short play imagining AXA announcing their divestment from Israeli apartheid! Watch the video here.

Shareholders are becoming more and more sensitive to the issue: inside the AGM, a shareholder asked AXA when “it would end its assistance to Israeli apartheid”.

AXA really didn’t like that. They tried to escape by answering some random blah blah on how AXA will “avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts”. Still, AXA doesn’t divest from Israeli apartheid.

In May 2021 the report “Don’t Buy Into Occupation” ranked AXA 30th out of 100 companies involved in European companies financing illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Bank Leumi and Israeli Discount Bank, which AXA still invests in, are both in the UN database of companies in Israeli illegal settlements in Palestinian occupied territory.

By investing in Israeli settlements, AXA contributes to Palestinian human rights violations.

The international campaign won’t stop until AXA ends its support of Israel’s constant violation of Palestinian human rights.

Thanks for all that you do,
Alys, Leyla, and the team at SumOfUs

More information:

Don't Buy...

Bordering on a problem

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 July 2022 15:03; Written by editor

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Saving 1000-year-old BC trees

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 July 2022 14:41; Written by editor

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PAOV — An ancient forest near Duncan Lake in the Kootenays is home to trees over 1,000 years old. At least one of them is estimated to be over 2,000 years old. Logging and road building is planned nearby, putting the entire area and its resident wildlife at risk. The BC government promised to create new provincial parks and is being urged to make Duncan Lake a priority. If you agree its old-growth trees deserve permanent protection, sign the petition now.

Provincial Park Status for Duncan River Ancient Cedars

25,708 have signed Duncan River’s petition. Let’s get to 35,000!

We just launched something new

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 July 2022 09:52; Written by editor

Paov,

It's been nearly a month since we organized the Day of Action to End Climate Delay. Hundreds of you joined us on June 29 to commemorate the lives lost in the 2021 Heat Dome, the largest mass casualty weather event in our history, and demand our politicians stop backing fossil fuel expansion in the midst of a climate emergency.

Since then, record-breaking heat waves have killed more than 1,900 people in Europe1. Here in Canada, another wildfire is burning out of control near the town of Lytton, which nearly burned to the ground last year and is still rebuilding2.

Paov, we know no one has been left untouched by the climate crisis. But so often, our stories and shared experiences are lost behind the headlines. That’s why we just launched a new website where you can hear first-hand accounts of living through climate disasters and share your own.

Sharing personal stories is one of the most powerful tools for building community and building power so we can come together and win our fight for change. If you or your community have experienced extreme fires, floods, storms or other impacts of the climate crisis we want to hear...

Manchin and His Wife Directed Millions to Wildlife Area Near Vacation Condo

Details: Published on Thursday, 21 July 2022 06:25; Written by editor

Horse euthanized at Stampede

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 July 2022 16:22; Written by editor

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PAOV — Last Thursday, a horse had to be euthanized at the Calgary Stampede after being injured in a chuckwagon race. This follows the deaths of six horses in 2019 in the same event. Petition starter Allison is calling for an end to chuckwagon racing at the Stampede. Join Allison’s 83,000 supporters in calling for an end to putting horses at risk for the sake of entertainment by signing the petition now.

Stop the Deaths of Chuckwagon Horses at the Calgary Stampede

84,210 have signed Allison Nicolas’s petition. Let’s get to 150,000!

Privacy rights are human rights

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 July 2022 14:34; Written by editor

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Dear Friend,

Do you feel powerless when you see yet another corporation using your personal data for profit? Reading through pages of terms and conditions, do you feel confused and frustrated, not knowing what hidden clauses you may have signed up for?

We see these scenarios way too often. In the news, we see that our security and privacy may be compromised for the sake of making profit. It seems like with a click of a button, we can give away our right to privacy unknowingly.

That is why the BCCLA is stepping up on your behalf. We are going to court to protect your privacy and hold those accountable for violations of your rights. We are advocating for policy changes that strengthen your digital privacy rights at the border and in your everyday life. We are inviting you to learn more about your rights and how to protect them.

The BCCLA is here with you every step of...

Stop the CFIAs ban on bringing dogs

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 July 2022 08:24; Written by editor

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PAOV – this petition is taking off on Change.org, and we think you might be interested in adding your name. Sign now to help:

Stop the CFIA’s ban on bringing dogs for adoption into Canada

Shana Albo started this petition to Marie-Claude Bibeau, and it now has 3,032 signatures

Sign now with a click

On September 28, 2022, the...

London is burning

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 July 2022 08:01; Written by editor

The UK just experienced the hottest day ever in its history. Fires erupted...and London is still burning.

Despite our code red climate crisis, major polluters are ramping UP oil and gas production, and banks are INCREASING investment in fossil fuels.

We have to stop them. Our survival depends on it. But the good news is SumOfUs was made for this fight.

Last year, we pushed one of the top ten funders of fossil fuel projects worldwide, TD Bank, to commit to net-zero carbon emissions. First we brought a major shareholder resolution to Canada’s largest bank’s annual general meeting to stop funding fossil fuel expansion projects. Then we asked tens of thousands of you to keep up public outcry while we built a coalition of investors and employees to pressure the bank from the inside until shareholders couldn’t ignore our call.

And it worked! TD Bank made huge changes internally, Read more: London is burning

Afghan refugees

Details: Published on Tuesday, 19 July 2022 16:01; Written by editor

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PAOV — The federal government is ending the Afghan immigration program that began shortly after Kandahar fell a year ago. Scarcely 40% of the promised 40,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada, and many Afghan interpreters who worked with the Canadian military are still stuck in Afghanistan. Many believe that their lives, and the lives of their families, are still in imminent danger. If you believe the federal government should continue their program to help the remaining Afghan interpreters and their families, show your support by signing the petition now.

Rescue Afghan interpreters who served with Canadian soldiers from the Taliban

The federal government just extended B.C. salmon farm

Details: Published on Tuesday, 19 July 2022 12:00; Written by editor

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Minister Joyce Murray announced a two-year extension for dozens of salmon farm licences that were set to expire at the end of June.

https://thenarwhal.ca/salmon-farm-licences-extended/
By Ainslie Cruickshank
June 22, 2022 (Updated Jun 23, 2022)

Wild juvenile pink salmon from Nootka Sound, B.C., covered in and scarred by parasitic sea lice in 2020.Photo: Tavish Campbell

This adult Fraser River sockeye, heavily infected with sea lice, was caught in Johnstone Strait in August 2018. Photo: Tavish Campbell

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Minister Joyce Murray says her goal over the coming year is to develop a plan for salmon farming that both protects wild salmon and provides opportunities for a sustainable...

14 terabytes of hacked Russian data

Details: Published on Tuesday, 19 July 2022 11:16; Written by editor

The Intercept is indexing a massive trove of data hacked from the Russian government following the invasion of Ukraine — a gold mine that could contain countless revelations about the inner workings of President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

These files include 14 terabytes of data from Russian federal government agencies, state-owned media, law firms, and the world’s largest pipeline company. The minute we got our hands on it, we knew that we had something truly remarkable.

However, we also had no plan to fund an undertaking of this scope, and digging through these files to reveal the countless stories they contain will be a giant and costly undertaking.

So today we’re turning to you, our readers, to help...

Exemption ≠ Decriminalization

Details: Published on Tuesday, 19 July 2022 10:18; Written by editor

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Dear Friend,

The illicit drug poisoning crisis continues to exact a heavy toll. In British Columbia, the Coroners Service recorded more deaths from drug poisoning in 2021 than in any other year.

What is the government doing about the toxic drug supply? Read my latest analysis on the bills going through parliament, steps in the right direction, and missed opportunities on our blog.

On June 15, 2022, the House passed government Bill C-5, which removes mandatory minimum penalties for drug offences. This bill does not fully decriminalize simple possession or go far enough to shift Canada away from the damaging criminal law approach to drug use that has systemically and disproportionately impacted Indigenous, Black, and marginalized people.

Simply put, the federal government’s continued reliance on a criminal justice approach to drug use in Bill C-5 is incompatible with the public health approach envisioned by Canada’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett’s mandate letter. This contradiction demonstrates a lack of coordination between federal ministries...

Will you donate $5 to expose the Supreme Courts corruption and extremism?

Details: Published on Monday, 18 July 2022 13:54; Written by editor

It took 50 years for conservatives to build the right-wing legal revolution that has been unleashed by the Supreme Court.

During that half-century, the Supreme Court was pushed to the right by a vast network of think tanks, lobbying groups, legal organizations, and media outlets — all supported with lavish donations from corporations and conservative billionaires.

Now, for those who are terrified by the radical right-wing direction of this court, the question is whether we have the will to fight as long and hard as they did to reclaim the court and repair the damage to our democracy.

We know that it’s only a matter of time before most media outlets shift...

PAOV, you could pick the next premier

Details: Published on Monday, 18 July 2022 10:49; Written by editor

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PAOV,

A handful of people will vote this fall to choose the next premier of B.C. That person will have two years to govern before the next election.

Will they use the power of government to prop up the status quo? Or defend what’s left of our ecosystems and communities? That depends who wins the upcoming BC NDP leadership race, and who they answer to.

The party currently has about 11,000 members. The new leader will need 50 per cent...

MBS Taunts Biden for Caring More About Khashoggi Than Shireen Abu Akleh

Details: Published on Sunday, 17 July 2022 12:20; Written by editor

Dogwood News This Week: doing the dirty work

Details: Published on Saturday, 16 July 2022 06:03; Written by editor

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Your place for news and action For more than 160 years, the Crown has fought a war against the sovereign, independent nations that govern the lands where we live.

When RCMP snipers jump out of helicopters on Wet’suwet’en territory, they wear the crown of the British monarch as part of the badge velcroed to their green fatigues.

When unarmed land defenders are seized at gunpoint and marched into court in leg irons, the judge hands down their sentence under...