EcoWest News, September 29, 2026

Welcome to EcoWest News, a weekly round-up of news and resources that you can put to use in addressing environmental issues and protecting the wild in your community.

Biodiversity

Three southwest BC glaciers will disappear completely within decades. We can prevent the loss of bigger glaciers by reducing carbon emissions. [Chek News]

Clean Energy

Canada’s cleantech sector generated approximately $43.3 billion in GDP and $10.8 billion in exports in 2024. In addition, the cleantech sector employs 20% more Canadians than the fossil fuel sector. [The Energy Mix]

40 of the 167 proposals presented at the Canada Investment Summit aim to either cut or remove emissions, and tens of those are in clean energy. [The Energy Mix]

Oil & Gas

Alberta has over 7,300 orphan wells; Manitoba has 31. The oil industry is smaller in Manitoba and there are regulatory time restrictions on inactive wells, but low staffing levels limit regulatory oversight. [The Narwhal]

The BC government has approved expansion of an urban LNG facility, raising concerns about health and air quality. The loaded LNG tankers will have to navigate a busy shipping corridor that could become even busier if other pipeline and shipping projects come to fruition. [The Narwhal]

Measuring Alberta’s methane emissions requires a full complement of measurement and monitoring tools as satellite on its own isn’t reliable. [Pembina Institute]

Scientific Expertise & Accountability

Bill C-39 has experts worried that the federal government could “weaken accountability” and diminish scientific expertise and Indigenous consultation. Areas of concern include broad-brushstroke regional assessments, streamlined impact assessments, earlier project starts, climate as only one consideration among many, consolidation of Indigenous consultations, and changes to transportation, navigable waters, and fisheries laws. [The Narwhal, Chris Ryder]

Water

A berm made of thousands of stacked tires along the shore of BC’s Little Shuswap Lake is falling apart and eroding. Concerns have been raised about water quality and fish, but the provincial government isn’t taking action. [The Tyee]

Nature-based coastal adaptation measures are needed to ensure coastal wetlands have room to grow inland as rising sea levels threaten coastal shorebird habitat of vital importance to migrating birds. [Eureka Alert]

Wildlife Corridors

Tunnels under Okanagan roads are helping Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes to reach their winter dens. [video, Global News]

BC’s Thompson-Nicola Conservation Collaborative, in partnership with an Indigenous-led working group, is seeking to identify and conserve key wildlife movement corridors within the Thompson Watershed. [Thompson-Nicola Conservation Collaborative]

Making a Difference

11 seniors were arrested and charged with trespass for peacefully blocking a main entrance to Parliament Hill for three hours. The activists are urging Ottawa to invest in renewable energy sources rather than fossil-fuel infrastructure such as pipelines. [The Energy Mix]

Bird-friendly decals and painted dots on the windows on the north side of Saskatoon city hall will reduce bird-window collisions. [CBC]

A 227 MW site across 400 hectares in Sicily combines agricultural plots with solar panels raised 3m above the ground. The developer has also planted 38,000 trees and constructed 14 wells. The site promises over 4 tonnes of honey production in addition to conventional crops. Amazon has contracted to buy two thirds of the power output from this scheme. [Carbon Commentary]

DIY

Blocks of 350–367-year-old cedar and hemlock forest in BC’s interior rainforest have been auctioned off. There is still time to save them if we speak out. [Wildsight]

Connecting ocean to forest on Vancouver Island – the Comox Valley/Nanaimo land trusts are fundraising to protect 50 hectares of pristine shoreline in Deep Bay and make it accessible to the public. [The Discourse]

Nature’s Wonders

From fabulous frigatebirds to bald eagles and a moonstruck owl – Bird Photographer of the Year 2026 award winners. [Bird Photographer of the Year]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/14307155440

EcoFriendly West informs and encourages initiatives that support Western Canada’s natural environment through its online publication and the Nature Companion website/app. Like us on Facebook, follow us on BlueSky, X, and Mastodon, or subscribe by email.