National

All oil and gas permits in B.C. waters are relinquished, say feds Victoria

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Feb, 2024 10:53 AM

The federal government says the final offshore oil and gas permits for Canada's west coast region have been relinquished.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is speaking in Victoria today and expected to announce the relinquishment of the last permits in British Columbia waters.

Ottawa says the relinquishment of all oil and gas permits in Pacific waters will fulfil a condition in the federal government's commitment to an Indigenous-led conservation initiative that received a pledge of $800 million in support from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2022.

No details on the number of newly relinquished permits or their holders have been released.

In April 2023, Chevron Canada said it was voluntarily relinquishing 19 offshore oil and gas permits within protected wildlife areas on the west coast.

The permitting area relinquished by Chevron was estimated at 5,700 square kilometres and overlapped parts of federal marine protection areas off B.C.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians expected to come to Canada in the next few months

Settlement agencies are preparing for the arrival of tens of thousands of Ukrainians before the end-of-March deadline for those fleeing the Russian invasion to enter Canada on emergency visas. The federal government has issued 936,293 temporary emergency visas since March 2022 for Ukrainians who want to work or study in Canada while they wait out the war. A total of 210,178 people had actually made the journey to Canada as of Nov. 28.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians expected to come to Canada in the next few months

Surrey man wanted on outstanding arrest warrants in custody

Surrey RCMP say a man who was wanted on outstanding arrest warrants is in custody. Police said last week they were looking for the 24-year-old, who was allegedly seen in September driving dangerously through Surrey's streets at peak traffic hours.

Surrey man wanted on outstanding arrest warrants in custody

Metro Vancouver bus union warns of service shutdown without deal with employer

The union representing transit supervisors in British Columbia's Lower Mainland says it will be “withdrawing all services” on Monday if an agreement with Coast Mountain Bus Company isn't made. CUPE Local 4500, representing more than 180 bus workers, says it has been waiting more than four weeks for Coast Mountain to respond to its latest proposal.

Metro Vancouver bus union warns of service shutdown without deal with employer

Man dies after being hit by a snowplow

Police in Abbotsford say a 31-year-old man is dead after being hit by a snowplow this morning. Officers say the man lost control of his vehicle on Highway 1 and went into the ditch.

Man dies after being hit by a snowplow

Four children with strep A have died in B.C. in the past month, disease centre says

Four children under the age of 10 who had streptococcal infections have died since mid-December, in what the BC Centre for Disease Control says is part of a surge in such infections. A bulletin released by the centre, the Provincial Health Services Authority and BC Children's Hospital says data from 2023 show a three-fold increase in invasive group A streptococcal infections in people under 20.

Four children with strep A have died in B.C. in the past month, disease centre says

B.C. Coroners Service reports 36 outdoor deaths to start year, 5 on cold Jan. 12

British Columbia's Coroners Service is reporting the outdoor deaths of 36 people during the early days of January when the province was in the grip of a record-breaking cold snap. Coroners Service data for the days from Jan. 1 to 16 show the highest number of people dying on Jan. 12, a day when numerous low temperature records were broken across B.C.