Tootfinder

Ireland officially coal free thanks to renewables, not LNG.
*cough* #bcpoli
https://mstdn.social/@kibcol1049/114749936492998044

Today in “silly billboards in my community”. The first is by the very “truthful” (/s) people at LNGfacts.ca. Of course, the word "LNGfacts" does not appear anywhere in the dictionary because it's made up nonsense. Just like the "fact" that LNG “makes Canada stronger”... like we're going to win the war in Ukraine with our LNG or fend off #TheAmericanFascist. (Note: LNG is a tool of fascists not the other way around)
This billboard used to say “BC LNG WILL REDUCE GLOBAL EMISSIONS”... with a link to ‘bclnghelps.ca' but that was so clearly a lie that they were forced by the courts to remove it and delete their website, but I made a website instead in their honour called: bclngburns.ca
Back to today's billbboard though... Here's a fact from February 2025: “European LNG imports fell by 19% in 2024 as gas consumption reached an 11-year low, thanks, in part, to renewable energy additions.” (#BCPoli #BCLNG #ClimateAction #ClimateEmergency #ExtinctionRebellion #LNG #NaturalGas #Europe #EU #Ukraine #Russia

Related: The doctor @… interviewed has a podcast and Youtube channel called "Interesting MD”. He interviewed Minister Josie Osborne a few weeks ago about the doctor shortage and what BC is doing to help fix it.
#BCPoli #CdnPoli #CanPoli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qEcE9lK17w

Isn't it weird how when a Federal Crown Corporation - Marine Atlantic - buys a new ship... there is nary a mention that it was built in China (#BCPoli #BCFerries

One of the main reasons I got into municipal politics in 2014 was because it seemed all city business in #portAlberni city council was happening “in-camera" (which means a meeting, not in public).
I'm glad the integrity commissioner has ruled against Ken Sim and his ABC Party councillors. It's not complicated. The Vancouver Charter is not different from the Community Charter used by every other municipality in BC. You can't have quorum and discuss business outside a public meeting. Period.
""If Council Members meet with quorum outside of an open meeting, discuss City business, and do so in a way that moves that business along the spectrum of decision making in a material way, there is a problem — they are depriving the public of participation in the policy development and decision-making processes that serve to build public trust and
confidence in local government," Southern wrote.
"Democracy is undermined.””
#BCPoli #BCMuni #CanPoli #Integrity #PublicMeetings #Democracy
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ken-sim-integrity-commissioner-1.7617152

Buried the actual lede of the story... so here it is:
""Seeing these salmon runs exceeding estimated pre-season numbers by four and five times is truly a reflection of the hard work we have done to remove fish farms on the approach to the Fraser River," Werk pointed out. "
As a former deckhand on a family commercial salmon troller in 1990s, before the explosion of fish farms on the coast, I think there are more factors than just the closing of open net fish farms that has supported the return of this year's huge run of sockeye. It could be ocean temperatures in the North Pacific rebounding (down), it could be conditions on the Fraser River and the spawning streams... many things.
But do i think fish farms were decimating the health of fish migrating to and from the Fraser River and contributing to low return runs?
You're damn right I do.
#bcPoli #FishFarms #Salmon #Sockeye

Just sent a truly epic email to the Freedom of Information office at the BC Ministry requesting that they release a bunch of information that they refused/redacted in my 2000 page Island Railway related information disclosure.
It was 1160 words with 11 attachments. 😂
Feeling my citizen-power rn
Though i don't envy the FOI analyst opening that up just before lunch on a Friday in June. 😇
(blog post about the FOI request: (#BCPoli #BCGov #IslandRail #FOIPPA #FOI

The last contracts barely went over the inflation rate over the term and didn't even make up the difference of inflation that had been lost over the previous 20 YEARS.
ie. It didn't even touch the cost of living since the pandemic.
And now the BC Government thinks it's going to go back to lower-than-inflation raises with 0.5% and 1%?
Not gonna fly. More people than ever are living paycheque to paycheque.
#BCPoli #Unions #Affordability #BCGEU #CUPE #Teachers #University #FPSE #BCTF
https://www.quesnelobserver.com/news/bc-offers-public-sector-unions-35-per-cent-over-2-years-8090664?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Danielle Smith, Alberta Premier, goes full “why aren’t you grateful”.
Why can’t any of these horrible people ever show humility.
I guess they wouldn’t be horrible then….
“Alberta Premier Danielle Smith demanded Friday the fire-stricken town of Jasper apologize and retract a report criticizing her government for its role in last summer's devastating blaze.”
Maybe Jasper should become part of BC.
#bcpoli #abpoli #climateemergency #wildfire #jasper https://apple.news/Adfo5AU6BRJGI0H1vYFmsWA

OH YES THEY DID! Unionize Amazon! #BCPoli #Labour #Unions #Unionization
https://mstdn.ca/@thetyee/114836683702163397

According to news reports the first LNG tanker to receive a commercial LNG shipment from the LNG Canada faciility in Kitimat will be the “Gaslog Glasgow”
It's currently well offshore of Haida Gwaii on its way to the BC Central Coast.
A sad sad day for the climate.
#EndFossilFuels #RenewablesNotGas #RenewableEnergy #ClimateEmergency #ClimateChange #BCPoli #Canada #CdnPoli #CanPoli
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:4101114/zoom:7
News item: https://www.albernivalleynews.com/news/lng-canada-produces-first-commercial-ready-liquefied-natural-gas-8089444

What every citizen of BC should know about the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is that at the end, it has a section that essentially argues that *any* and *all* government information *must* be disclosed if it is in the public interest.
“Division 4 -- Public Interest Paramount”
It has just one Section:
*Information must be disclosed if in the public interest*
25 (1)Whether or not a request for access is made, the head of a public body must, without delay, disclose to the public, to an affected group of people or to an applicant, information
(a)about a risk of significant harm to the environment or to the health or safety of the public or a group of people, or
(b)the disclosure of which is, for any other reason, clearly in the public interest.
(2)Subsection (1) applies despite any other provision of this Act.
———
#BCPoli #BCGov #IslandRail #FOIPPA #FOI

On the new BC Ferries being built in China.
Do we all remember the last time the BC NDP went down the road of “building a shipbuilding industry to build ferries”?
It has its own Wiki, of course.
"In addition to major delays and cost overruns, the ferries never fully met their original specifications, and only operated briefly in a reduced capacity, before being auctioned off at a substantial loss by the subsequently elected BC Liberal Party government.”
No, I'm not thrilled that China, an authoritarian state, is going to be building these ferries. But no BC or Canadian firms bid on the contract. And right now, the expertise in ship building is in China and Europe (the Island and Salish class vessels were built in Europe).
I don't blame the NDP for not repeating the same mistake 30 years later.
And the ferries will still be refit and maintained for their full service life within BC.
#BCPoli #BCNDP #FastFerry #Shipbuilding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_ferry_scandal

The small Island Class vessels (2019-2021) were built in Romania by Dutch firm Damen Shipbuilding: #BCPoli #BCNDP #FastFerry #Shipbuilding

And if you're wondering what happened to those three Fast Cats.
In January 2024 someone tried to get someone to buy them by putting them up on Facebook Marketplace (yep!) for $15 Million for all three. (98% off original price lol). They were, and likely still are, sitting tied up in Alexandria, Egypt. They were last owned by the Egyptian Government.
At least one of them was essentially unchanged inside since the 1990s. (a Nanaimo Bar for $1.5!)
#BCPoli #BCNDP #FastFerry #Shipbuilding

IMO: It just goes to show how needed this was and how many people were putting off or simply not getting dental work done because of the cost.
Dental Care should be included in our Public Healthcare system. No separate system.. just part of healthcare.
Period.
#CanPoli #Healthcare #BCPoli #CdnPoli #Dentalcare
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dental-care-expansion-growing-pains-1.7583230

Spread the word Canada and #Fediverse citizens everywhere! One of Trump's power grabs is through social media and big tech. The best way to take that power away is to take away power from the likes of Meta, Google and Apple who have far too much control and far too little social responsibility.
The Fediverse is the antidote to some of this. Talk to your MLA, MP, Representative, local politicians, and media. Get them talking about the alternative to platforms run by multinational corporations and foreign entities
#Mastodon #BCPoli #BC
https://socialbc.ca/@chris/114835376077242544

Spousal conflit of interest issues aside for a moment... I may actually vomit if Danielle Smith's Alberta government introduces a “15-year master plan for introducing passenger trains across the province.“ when I have been advocating for this in BC for decades to absolute crickets (if not active denial) from all political parties in power.
#BCpoli #CanPoli #CdnPoli #Rail #Transportation #Sustainability
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-premier-s-husband-invited-to-passenger-rail-meetings-as-province-mulls-expansion-plan-1.7583358

Here is the BC Federation of Labour's 10 year plan released before the election last year which includes a provincial rail strategy.
#BCpoli #CanPoli #CdnPoli #Rail #Transportation #Sustainability

2 years later, my Freedom of Information Request shows a snapshot of Government ignoring Vancouver Islanders for 20 years.
On June 28, 2023 I submitted a Request for Information to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure of British Columbia for documents related to the Island Railway on Vancouver Island. It took two years to receive the response.
#VancouverIsland #BC #BCPoli #transportation #FOiA #Canada #CdnPoli
https://chrisalemany.ca/b/2tp

omg the amount of duplication in this FOI is craaazy..
I bet 50% of the 1600 pages is duplicates, at least.
#FOI #BCPoli #CanPoli #CdnPoli

OOOHH!!!! 🚨
Just got an email from the BC Government! My FOI request that I submitted almost exactly two years ago in 2023 has finally completed!
Looks like there is ALOT of redacted/partial disclosures
I'm going to keep a lid on what this is all about other than to say, it's about trains and climate change! lol (which is convenient, given my earlier post this morning)
Time for some light reading!
(edit: Holy.... it's 1600 pages!!!)
#FOI #BCPoli #CanPoli #CdnPoli

Wildfire Rankings:
#BCWildfire #BCWildfire #endfossilfuels #BCPoli #CanPoli #ClimateChange

no ____ sherlock: “Evidence of drought”
In 2015 we had a long drought and that was the first year *ever* #BCWildfire saw Rank 5 fires in the Coastal Fire Centre of BC. It was a fire near Squamish. I was in a municipal meeting with BC Wildfire folks at UBCM.
Climate Change is happening, has happened, and will continue until we stop forcing it. Our natural landscapes have no way to adapt.
END FOSSIL FUELS
#BCWildfire #endfossilfuels #BCPoli #CanPoli #ClimateChange
https://www.albernivalleynews.com/local-news/evidence-of-drought-wesley-ridge-wildfire-burns-through-dry-conditions-8175809

#EndFossilFuels #ClimateAction
Fact: Taking a BC Ferry from Metro Vancouver to Vancouver Island is a High CO2 experience, though if it's a full ferry, it's not terrible (~5kgCO2/passenger)
By 2031, BC Ferries will have replaced 18 ferries (big and small!) in 15 years, and nearly all will be 100% electric-ready.
They just announced they're doing the big ships next.
"Built with diesel-battery hybrid propulsion systems and designed with the capability to operate on full electric power in future, the NMVs are expected to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve fuel efficiency, and lower underwater radiated noise to better protect marine life. With greater capacity than the vessels they replace, the NMVs will offer more space for vehicles and passengers and upgraded amenities, supporting a more reliable and comfortable travel experience.”
The age of fossil fuels is ending. Any politician or lobbyist who says otherwise is either not paying attention, or bought.
#BCPoli #CanPoli #CdnPoli #ClimateEmergency #SalishSea #BCFerries
https://www.bcferries.com/news-releases/bc-ferries-selects-shipyard-to-construct-four-new-major-vessels

I found this in the back as I was cleaning up in case we need to evacuate.
Am I being too subtle?
cc: @…
#EndFossilFuels #bclng #underwoodfire #portalberni #canpoli #bcpoli #cdnpoli #climatedisaster #bcwildfire #ourWorldOnFire

And just to emphasize the point, we don’t use our car lightly.
We have gone on numerous road trips including from the Pacific to the Atlantic cross Canada in 2022. We have a hitch on the Kona that I use to pull a trailer for everthing from camping, to road trips, to hauling a yard of soil or rock.
We have certainly had some maintenance costs for the Kona. Some regular (brakes, after 150,000), checkups, 12V battery twice, etc. and some self inflicted (alignment and back shocks due to trailering). Visits to the dealer are your standard $500 to $2000 affair once a year. We have a second set of rims for the winter tires. We have bought 2 new sets of tires, one winter, one all season. The all seasons will be replaced after this summer.
The main battery was replaced under recall in February 2022 (before our road trip) at about 50,000km so we have a slightly newer battery than the car but not significantly, and we have not noticed any degradation in charge life.
On this day in 2022 we were visiting Wanuskewin, Saskatchewan just outside Saskatoon on our way back. We stopped to charge in Saskatoon, North Battleford, Lloydminster and Vegreville on the way to the West Edmonton Mall that day :)
#EV #ElectricCar #cost #electricity #bchydro #bcpoli #endfossilfuels

EV Charging Cost by the Numbers.
I charge my car at home almost nightly wirh a Level 2 Flo 30A/240V charger.
I noticed today that they have added an "estimated rate" for my address based on my utility (BC Hydro) charge so that it can estimate the cost of the charging.
Their estimate is $0.11400/kWh. I drive alot. 160km a day when I am commuting to work and then 50-100km in the evening 4-5 days a week Dashing. Thanks to dashing I have a solid record of odometer readings.
We have both tiered and time of day pricing so it's complicated to do this manually. I do most of my charging during the lowest rate overnight. I have the Flo charger set to only charge at full 30A power between 11PM and 7AM to match the overnight rate, then 15A in "off peak" (standard rate) and to turn off completely during on-peak 4PM to 9PM times.
I think their estimate is quite accurate considering the overnight rate is usually $0.14 - $0.05/kWh. Ill include my latest electrical bill. (we are billed monthly)
Here are the numbers.
A "full tank" of battery is 65kWh
Monthly: eg. March (full time commuting plus dashing) 4668km
30 charging sessions
853.4kWh
$97 ($2.07/100km)
Last 12 months: 56,107km
8793kWh
$1,002 ($1.78/100km)
There are a few free charges at work in there (15 in the year?) but any saving is eaten up by $6/day parking cost.
As a comparison if I drove our 2014 Prius C hybrid 56,000km at its general fuel mileage of 5L/100km and an average price of $1.60/L that would be $2,800. So I am saving by more than half, and probably more than that, compared to one of the best mileage hybrids out there.
It makes less and less sense to buy a gas car.
(We have 222,607km on the 2019 Hyundai Kona and about 250,000 on the Prius)
#EV #ElectricCar #cost #electricity #bchydro #bcpoli #endfossilfuels