Zoë Yunker

As Gazans Starve, Families in Canada Struggle to Get Loved Ones Out | The Tyee ‘We are watching ethnic cleansing live on television. Powers that could make a difference are not acting.’

A year and a half after an airstrike injured a three-year-old boy in Gaza, his aunt continues to try to get him to Canada. Nariman Ajjur says her nephew is now showing “clear signs of malnutrition” as well as the psychological effects of living in a war zone. thetyee.ca/News/2025/08...

Post-Collapse, a Closer Look at the Red Chris Mine Expansion | The Tyee The company’s plans are on BC’s fast-track list. Experts say the proposed ‘block caving’ method brings new risks.

At the Red Chris mine, the workers are safe. But risks remain.

For @thetyee.ca I investigated the mine's fast-tracked proposal to go underground, and the unexpected pollution problems it still hasn't solved.

Post-Collapse, a Closer Look at the Red Chris Mine Expansion | The Tyee The company’s plans are on BC’s fast-track list. Experts say the proposed ‘block caving’ method brings new risks.

As the Red Chris mine embarks on a new, riskier form of mining, it might not be the last time owners or workers are caught unprepared. @zoeyunker.bsky.social explains.

Right now: BC is announcing another call for power, aiming for 5,000 GW. No limits on project size this time.

Vancouver will miss its climate targets. Natural gas is partly to blame Vancouver is on track to blow through its climate targets with the use of natural gas to heat buildings driving the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, the city has revealed in its annual climate pr...

Vancouver is on track to blow past its climate targets, thanks mostly to natural gas.

The Nightmare Mess Left by One Closed Pulp Mill | The Tyee Documents expose the huge cleanup BC faces for Port Alice and 11 more shut mills. Will new projects also slip off the hook?

"Port Alice isn’t the first time the province of B.C has paid the pulp mill industry’s cleanup bill. And it won’t be the last." By @zoeyunker.bsky.social thetyee.ca/News/2025/07...

The Nightmare Mess Left by One Closed Pulp Mill | The Tyee Documents expose the huge cleanup BC faces for Port Alice and 11 more shut mills. Will new projects also slip off the hook?

Today in @thetyee.ca, @zoeyunker.bsky.social with a great, terrifying piece on how the costly, dangerous clean-up of Port Alice's pulp mill portends poorly for BC's current industrial development push: thetyee.ca/News/2025/07...

Carney's controversial major projects bill becomes law Passage of Bill C-5 an "assault on science and democracy" say critics.

Canada's fast-track law, Bill C-5, is now law after it passed the Senate today with no amendments.

‘Ass Backwards’: Canada’s New Legal Posture Post-Bill C-5 | The Tyee The Senate-bound law would allow Ottawa to stamp major projects approved before their risks are assessed.

With Bill C-5, Canada has the power to erase its laws for chosen projects.

What could this Swiss-cheese legal landscape mean now and in the future?

My latest for @thetyee.ca

Conservatives vote with Carney government to rush Bill C-5 The federal Conservatives voted with the Liberals on a special order to push a massive piece of legislation on major project approvals through the House of Commons before the week’s end.

Super helpful coverage on Bill C-5 from @natashabulowski.bsky.social:

Rally happening now in downtown Victoria to fight council decision to cut down Centennial Square’s giant sequoia tree.

#yyj

With Bill 15, the NDP Is Following the BC Liberals' Approach | The Tyee When the Campbell government passed a similar fast-track law, New Democrats were outraged.

The fun thing about politics is that, in time, the tables almost inevitably turn

As @zoeyunker.bsky.social writes for The Tyee, once upon a time it was an NDP opposition calling out a BC Liberal law to fast-track projects

Now it's the NDP pushing fast-tracking legislation #bcpoli

With Bill 15, the NDP Is Following the BC Liberals' Approach | The Tyee When the Campbell government passed a similar fast-track law, New Democrats were outraged.

Why is the BC NDP's Bill 15 so controversial? @zoeyunker.bsky.social explains the similarity between this "fast-track" legislation and the BC Liberals' similar approach in days of yore (i.e., the early 2000s) #bcpoli thetyee.ca/News/2025/05...

With Bill 15, the NDP Is Following the BC Liberal’s Approach | The Tyee When the Campbell government passed a similar fast-track law, New Democrats were outraged.

In 2003, the BC Liberals passed a law that let it fast-track “significant projects” and bypass the normal approval process.

The NDP of 2003 had strong feelings about the legislation. But it had much in common with today’s #Bill15, introduced by the NDP itself. @zoeyunker.bsky.social reports.

With Bill 15, the NDP Is Following the BC Liberal’s Approach | The Tyee When the Campbell government passed a similar fast-track law, New Democrats were outraged.

The NDP's pending fast-track law, Bill 15, is adapted from one passed by the BC Liberals in 2003

The NDP had a different take back then:

“It is the equivalent of a banana republic,” said then-leader, Joy MacPhail.

“The premier will have unrivalled, near-absolute power."

@thetyee.ca

Will Cutting Red Tape Make BC Great Again? | The Tyee The province is facing opposition to legislation that would streamline approval for infrastructure projects.

BC is pushing through a law to scrap major parts of its environmental assessment for any project it chooses.

That could include new mines.

In the US and beyond, deregulation is having a moment. Has it arrived in BC?

Such a treat working with @amandafollett.bsky.social on this for @thetyee.ca

Will Cutting Red Tape Make BC Great Again? | The Tyee The province is facing opposition to legislation that would streamline approval for infrastructure projects.

What is Bill 15, the speeding-up-major projects legislation introduced by the BC NDP - and what are the concerns? #bcpoli Fantastic explainer by @amandafollett.bsky.social and @zoeyunker.bsky.social thetyee.ca/News/2025/05...

BC’s Latest Clean Power Project Call Wins Support | The Tyee But the province still lacks an integrated plan for its energy future, say experts.

BC is about to buy a Site C's worth of clean energy, and it's also browsing for firm power like geothermal, hydro or gas to balance it out.

It's a big step. But does it lead to an energy transition?

Was lucky to collaborate with @macleodandrew.bsky.social on this for @thetyee.ca

Thank you for reading and sharing!

“the only actual solution is moving out of that level of individual response and into the only thing that’s ever really worked, which is organizing ourselves in collectivities”

What Should We Be Doing Right Now? | The Tyee Philosopher Alexis Shotwell on tackling ‘wicked problems,’ sorting chaos, embracing ‘ongoingness’ and more. A Tyee Q&A.

In a recent moment of overwhelm, I reached out to philosopher @alexisshotwell.bsky.social to learn about her forthcoming book on finding meaning in a world full of big, wicked problems.

Our conversation for @thetyee.ca was exactly what I needed to hear, and maybe it will help you too.

BC Admits It Won’t Come Close to 2025 and 2030 Climate Goals | The Tyee The province’s new climate report walks back last year’s positive forecasts.

In its last report, BC said its #climate policies were on track to meet its emissions targets.

This week it walked that claim way back. They're nowhere close.

My latest for @thetyee.ca

How Aaron Gunn Riles Foes in a Coastal Riding | The Tyee As the Conservative pokes and ducks Indigenous and progressive voters, emotions boil. A Tyee special report.

👏 to @akkabah.bsky.social for this up-close window into an emblematic BC riding.

"..the upcoming vote in North Island-Powell River can be seen as a referendum on how to meet the future."

How Poilievre’s Energy Policies Could Cost Canada Money | The Tyee The industrial carbon tax incentivizes companies to lower emissions. Losing it could hinder trade.

Poilievre has promised to “axe the tax for everyone, for everywhere, for everything” — but that could actually cost Canada money in the long run. @zoeyunker.bsky.social for @thetyee.ca

thetyee.ca/News/2025/04...

How Poilievre’s Energy Policies Could Cost Canada Money | The Tyee The industrial carbon tax incentivizes companies to lower emissions. Losing it could hinder trade.

Poilievre wants to scrap Canada's industrial carbon tax.

Besides the obvious climate issues, it's a move that will hurt Canada's future trading prospects.

My latest for @thetyee.ca explains why.

How Poilievre’s Energy Policies Could Cost Canada Money | The Tyee The industrial carbon tax incentivizes companies to lower emissions. Losing it could hinder trade.

Scraping the industrial carbon tax would hurt the marketability of Canadian energy exports over the long term, @zoeyunker.bsky.social writes for @thetyee.ca. thetyee.ca/News/2025/04...

Three Things Reporters Would Ask Poilievre. If They Could | The Tyee The Conservatives are keeping a stranglehold on media questions. Here are a few that aren’t getting to the party leader.

👏 to @amandafollett.bsky.social for bringing us questions reporters would have asked on the Conservative campaign trail if they had the chance.

Docs show how much BC Hydro power LNG and mining projects want | The Narwhal Government documents show the province is facing an unprecedented increase in demand for electricity from industrial customers. The question is: who will pay the costs?

Fascinating story from @sobittersosweet.bsky.social today 👏

Ten proposed mining and LNG projects want more power than what's being used by all of BC's large industrial customers combined.

thenarwhal.ca/bc-lng-minin...

Feeling Broke? Blame Big Oil | The Tyee Canada’s affordability crisis and fossil fuel company profits are linked, says report.

Surging oil prices were the single largest driver of post-COVID lockdown inflation, @zoeyunker.bsky.social reports for @thetyee.ca.
thetyee.ca/News/2025/03...

Feeling Broke? Blame Big Oil | The Tyee Canada’s affordability crisis and fossil fuel company profits are linked, says report.

Surging oil prices—leading to record oil company profits—were the single largest driver of post-COVID lockdown inflation raising prices on everything from gas to groceries, @zoeyunker.bsky.social reports for @thetyee.ca: thetyee.ca/News/2025/03...