Peter Wood

BC backtracks on its big commitment to hold polluters accountable for cleanup- the rationale’s weak (“After careful consideration, this work has been paused. At this time, the ministry is not in a position to move forward with this project”). Since when is the polluters pay principle controversial?!

Leaked report claims B.C. timber harvest is vastly overestimated An undisclosed report obtained by BIV estimates the province is likely approving twice as much logging than can be sustainably harvested

I was interviewed for this well-written piece. A leaked report shows that logging levels in northern BC are double what they should be. This could have serious repercussions for BC Forest policy. #forestry #bcpoli
www.biv.com/news/leaked-...

Opinion: Ottawa is scrapping Canada’s greenwashing rules. This is a mistake Canada should not back away from holding firms to account for what they say about the environment

In the absence of anti-greenwashing laws, we've seen that companies gladly make unsupported/misleading claims. Government has an important role to play in ensuring the integrity of these claims- if 🇨🇦 scraps this, we will fall behind EU and other jurisdictions.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

MIF students support Indigenous-led restoration of the Ashnola Watershed | UBC Forestry Students from UBC Forestry's MIF program help a forest restoration project in the South Okanagan after devastating wildfires in 2023.

Last month, I took some of my students (UBC Master of International Forestry) to the BC interior to participate in an Indigenous-led effort to restore an area of forest that had been badly burned. It was wild! Check out the story here:
forestry.ubc.ca/news/mif-stu...

....which aims to amend Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms to enshrine environmental rights. Young had been in Vancouver the previous November to perform for the launch of the Blue Dot movement." @vancouversun.bsky.social

“I’d like to thank you for coming and laying down your dollars,” said Young, who donated $100,000 of the proceeds from the concert to David Suzuki’s Blue Dot Foundation...Young and Suzuki discussed the Suzuki Foundation’s Blue Dot movement...

Neil Young in Vancouver: A look back at some highlights of his many local performances From Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to solo shows, Neil Young has almost six decades of local history in Vancouver. Find out more.

Excited for the Neil Young concert on Sat! Young supported the "BlueDot" campaign for environmental rights, which I managed for a few years. In 2020, this became a broader coalition effort, & in 2024 succeeded in securing the legal right to a healthy environment in 🇨🇦- thanks Neil!
shorturl.at/932XG

‘Insignificant risk’ EUDR proposal threatens fight against deforestation, critics say A last-minute proposal to revise the European Union’s sweeping antideforestation law has conservationists worried about yet another delay to the law’s implementation and weaker oversight of supply…

A last-minute proposal to revise the European Union’s sweeping antideforestation law has conservationists worried about yet another delay to the law’s implementation and weaker oversight of supply chains.

Protection for B.C.’s Inland Temperate Rainforest Help protect one of the rarest rainforests on Earth—and the species that depend on it.

If you have 5 mins to spare today, use them to help protect BC’s threatened Inland Temperate Rainforest — one of the rarest rainforests left on Earth, and home to endangered deep-snow caribou. Take action to secure permanent protection for the ITR.
secure.wildsight.ca/ITR?source=B...

Neither ‘Biofuel’ Nor Nuclear Will Solve Our Energy Problems | The Tyee From Borneo to Japan to BC, the effects are clear. And the solution is something entirely different.

"Pulp mills used to get most of the wood they needed from the wood chips, sawdust and shavings produced at sawmills. But as sawmill after sawmill in B.C. has closed as primary forests dwindle, pulp mills have been forced to rely more and more on whole logs to keep going" thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...

Similar to BC's response to the pine beetle- in the absence of strong rules and enforcement that ensure a path towards restoring ecosystem health, commercial logging can make things worse. We have to accept that this is often not going to be profitable. This looks like a timely report.

Stand.earth - For the people and places you love For more than twenty years, we’ve been utilizing cutting-edge research, building equitable power with frontline communities, and leveraging mass movements to make a real impact on the health and wellb...

Check out this excellent story-map showing the impact of logging on the southern mountain caribou (by @wildsight.bsky.social, @wildernews.bsky.social, and @stand.earth). Can't believe that new cutblocks are being approved in endangered species' critical habitat. storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/82ae...

How electoral reform could shatter party fortresses A change to Canada’s electoral system would have delivered a very different House of Commons this year, according to an analysis for The Canadian Press.

If you were forced to vote strategically in the last election, consider supporting electoral reform. It ain't sexy, but things that strengthen democracy rarely are.
www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...

‘Elbows up’ in Canada means sustainable resource development Accelerated resource development in Canada should not burden future generations with environmental destruction.

Standing up to the US does not justify weakening environmental protections. It's an opportunity to strengthen them, and ensure that they are aligned with Canadian values 🇨🇦 An important article in @theconversation.com today theconversation.com/elbows-up-in... #elbowsup

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Thoughts on Canada's Unprecedented Election "Trump is the first American president to lose a Canadian election."

Here are my initial thoughts on the 2025 election - what it means for Canada in the short term and what it means for the movement of social democracy in the long.
substack.com/home/post/p-...

B.C. failing to protect 81% critical habitat for at-risk species: docs | The Narwhal B.C. allows industrial logging in critical habitat for at-risk species – part of the reason it's a long way from meeting federal standards

B.C. is failing to protect 81% of critical habitat for at-risk species, government documents show. #bcpoli #biodiversity VIA @ainsliecruickshank.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/bc-endangere...

Wade Grant won! Musqueam nation - hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaker (a Salish dialect, the Native language most of Metro Vancouver). The first Coast Salish person in parliament, AFAIK.

Forestry Giant Not Owed Compensation, BC Supreme Court Rules | The Tyee Teal-Jones had argued it faced ‘constructive taking’ on Haida Gwaii.

Supreme Court decision establishes that a logging company is not entitled to compensation for a switch to ecosystem-based management on Haida Gwaii. Teal-Jones argued that the restrictions = expropriation and should be compensated $75 million. The judge did not agree. www.thetyee.ca/News/2025/04...

The #WPPh2025 Photo of the Year is ‘Mahmoud Ajjour, Aged Nine’ by Samar Abu Elouf, for @nytimes.com. The jury was moved by this portrait of a Palestinian boy which speaks to the devastating long-term costs of war on civilians. worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo-contest/2025/Samar-Abu-Elouf/1

New independent study finds that protecting old-growth #forests in just two regions in BC would result in over $43billion worth of economic benefits for society. A strong argument for all govts to make #OldGrowth, biodiversity and nature commitments a reality #bcpoli sierraclub.bc.ca/protecting-o...

A decisive victory for progressive candidates in Vancouver's by-election - congrats to @onecityvan.bsky.social @seanorr.bsky.social @lucymaloney.bsky.social . A protest vote against the ruling party in a by-election is not unusual, but this is a strong message from Vancouver voters.

Company men | CCPA Following two blistering years of all-time high compensation, Canada’s 100 highest-paid CEOs pocketed $13.2 million, on average, in 2023—the third biggest haul since we’ve been tracking CEO pay. On av...

It's the first workday of the year. At 10:54 this morning, Canada's top CEOs have already made $62,661— the average worker's annual salary. By year's end, they'll make 210 times what the worker makes.

Lots of new data in this new @policyalternatives.bsky.social report on CEO pay in Canada.

Halalt First Nation Sues Forest Firm, Governments for Flooding | The Tyee The class action alleges ‘careless and reckless’ practices created conditions for disaster.

This could have major implications for forestry in BC: First Nation in Cowichan Valley launches a class-action lawsuit against Mosaic and three levels of government for damages related to flooding
thetyee.ca/News/2024/12...

South Korea slashes forest biomass energy subsidies in major policy reform In a major policy shift, South Korea announced Dec. 18 that it will end renewable energy subsidies for new biomass projects, as well as for state-owned coal and biomass cofired power plants starting i...

In a surprise move, South Korea has announced that it will end subsidies for all new biomass projects and for existing state-owned plants cofiring biomass with coal, effective January 2025, a significant and sudden policy shift.

Will Japan follow South Korea’s example?

Read more:

Conservationists Welcome BC NDP and Green Governance Agreement – BC Forestry Review Could Provide Key Opportunity to Strengthen Old-Growth Forest Protection Policies — Endangered Ecosystems Alliance The Endangered Ecosystems Alliance (EEA) and Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) are welcoming the new 2024 Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord between the NDP and Green parties in BC. The coopera...

"The “War in the Woods” primarily hinges on the remaining 1.4 million hectares of undeferred most at-risk old-growth stands." A helpful summary of the NDP-Green agreement on old growth and what's at stake: www.endangeredecosystemsalliance.org/news/2024/12...

Student initiative gets UN to seek legal opinion on climate justice and small island states at risk due to rising sea levels: "it would be more than just a powerful symbol since it could serve as the basis for other legal actions, including domestic lawsuits."
www.msn.com/en-ca/money/...

Globe editorial: How (not) to save Quebec’s threatened boreal caribou The province needs to take action on years of promises rather than protest about Ottawa’s jurisdictional intrusion

Unsustainable resource extraction is wiping out caribou and ultimately small communities as well. Excellent editorial in the Globe: www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...

Thanks for this. I'm very grateful for my mentors, both academic and non 🙏🏼

On BC’s North Coast, First Nations Are Building a New Economy | The Tyee How the Great Bear Sea initiative is using conservation finance to create jobs and preserve nature.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but in the coastal rainforests of British Columbia, salmon do.