Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

Minister stands by B.C. salmon farm closures

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Mar, 2023 04:39 PM
  • Minister stands by B.C. salmon farm closures

VICTORIA - The federal government is standing by its decision not to renew licences for 15 open-net Atlantic salmon farms in British Columbia's Discovery Islands, despite recent court challenges.

A statement from the office of Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray says her decision last month against renewing the licences for the farms off Vancouver Island near Campbell River was difficult but necessary.

The statement says recent science suggests uncertainty about risks posed to wild salmon by the area's farms and the federal government is taking a precautionary approach to help ensure the well-being of threatened species.

Mowi Canada West, one of several companies operating farms in the Discovery Islands, is seeking a judicial review of Murray's decision.

Mowi's application filed this week in Federal Court in Vancouver seeks an order quashing or setting aside the decision and a declaration that Murray's determination was "unreasonable, invalid and unlawful."

It says the company has been operating in the Campbell River area for 30 years and is highly involved in the coastal communities and has business agreements with 10 First Nations and 10 Indigenous-owned companies.

The application says the company's workforce has been reduced from 645 employees to 312 and the "decision only deepens the harms to Mowi's business, Indigenous self-governance and the economy of coastal B.C."

The farms off B.C.'s coast have been a major flashpoint, with environmental groups and some Indigenous nations saying the farms are linked to disease that transfers to wild salmon, while the industry, local politicians and other First Nations say they are safe and the closures threaten thousands of jobs.

A Campbell River-area First Nation issued an open letter to its membership this week explaining its decision to also challenge Murray's decision in Federal Court.

"To be clear, this challenge is not about our support or opposition to fish farming," Chief Councillor Chickite said. "Our challenge makes it clear that we have not defined our position on salmon farming in our waters. This is about our right as titleholders to make decisions about how our territory is used."

The Fisheries Ministry statement says it will not comment further now that the matter is before the courts.

MORE National ARTICLES

84 year old woman in hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a flatbed truck

84 year old woman in hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a flatbed truck
The victim was crossing Cambie Street at West 41st Avenue at 9 a.m. on February 14 when she was struck by a flatbed transport truck that was making a right turn to head south on Cambie. She sustained serious injuries, and remains in hospital.

84 year old woman in hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a flatbed truck

Human remains located in Cloverdale

Human remains located in Cloverdale
On Wednesday close to 12:45pm, Police responded to a report of what appeared to be human remains found in a wooded area on an empty lot in the 19000-block of Fraser Highway. Police are working to identify the deceased individual.

Human remains located in Cloverdale

Canada faces fresh pressure on military spending

Canada faces fresh pressure on military spending
Member states, including Canada, first agreed in 2014 to "aim" toward spending two per cent of their GDP on defence over the next decade following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Canada faces fresh pressure on military spending

B.C. expands old-growth logging deferrals

B.C. expands old-growth logging deferrals
Premier David Eby says the latest deferral shows logging of the ancient trees is now at the lowest level on record. He says the government is introducing a $25 million, eight-point forest planning table that aims to improve old-growth management by incorporating local knowledge and community priorities.

B.C. expands old-growth logging deferrals

Man convicted in brutal murder gets day parole

Man convicted in brutal murder gets day parole
Kenneth David MacKay was found guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of 21-year-old Crystal Paskemin in 2000. He received a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Man convicted in brutal murder gets day parole

Snow geese killed on Richmond, B.C., roads

Snow geese killed on Richmond, B.C., roads
Police say 20 snow geese were found dead on a street on Monday and they appeared to have been driven over by a vehicle. On Wednesday, three more geese were killed after being struck by a different vehicle.    

Snow geese killed on Richmond, B.C., roads