Island Insider

Canada's National Observer is a proud participant of the Local Journalism Initiative, which supports the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada.

Rochelle Baker will be covering Quadra and Cortes Islands in British Columbia.

551 Articles

Mowi, Cermaq head to court to quash Ottawa’s plan to phase out Discovery Islands fish farms

Two international aquaculture companies want the Federal Court to set aside federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan’s decision — in whole or in part — to phase out salmon farming operations in the region by the end of June 2022.

Rochelle Baker

January 20th 2021

Sea charts and satellites: Mapping critical kelp beds along the Pacific coast

An ambitious project to map and monitor sea kelp forests along the entire B.C. coast is afoot, and scientists are using seemly disparate tools — both ancient and modern — to do it.

Rochelle Baker

January 19th 2021

Octopus Islands Marine Park extends its reach

BC Parks has acquired a 20-hectare, privately owned island in Okisollo Channel for $1.5 million that will expand the Octopus Island Marine Park on Quadra Island.

Rochelle Baker

January 15th 2021

West Coast First Nations strike agreement to protect sacred cultural cedars

More than a century of industrial old-growth logging has mowed down these forest giants that can live for thousands of years, putting the shared spiritual and cultural well-being of First Nations at risk.

Rochelle Baker

January 14th 2021

Coastal MP wants transition plan for fish farm closures 'sooner rather than later'

A West Coast MP is urging Ottawa to craft a transition plan with those affected by the potential employment and economic impacts of a recent decision to phase out fish farms in the Discovery Islands.

Rochelle Baker

January 12th 2021

B.C. citizen science project maps the scale and importance of forage fish

Few people know much about forage fish or why they are so important, but they are a fundamental cornerstone for the marine food web.

Rochelle Baker

January 11th 2021

The burning question: How green is your wood stove?

It's a misconception that wood stoves are a sustainable and carbon-neutral means to heat residential homes, says Michael Mehta, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C.

Rochelle Baker

January 8th 2021

The burning question: What pollution and health threats are lurking in wood stoves?

Heating with wood stoves is responsible for 27 per cent of the small particle emissions considered dangerous to human health in B.C., and 25 per cent of the air particulates nationally.

Rochelle Baker

January 7th 2021

Moderna vaccine brings relief to remote First Nation that battled COVID-19 cluster

Island Health and the First Nations Health Authority informed Klahoose First Nation, which has 90 members, that it would likely receive Moderna vaccines by the first week of January.

Rochelle Baker

January 4th 2021

Sacred Journey: An artistic look at the Pacific Northwest’s canoe culture

KC Hall, known for his synthesis of graffiti, manga and Northwest Coast art, is finishing up a central piece for the Sacred Journey travelling exhibition, slated to launch in Campbell River this spring.

Rochelle Baker

December 31st 2020

Fisheries minister facing flak over Discovery Islands fish farm decision

A coalition of Vancouver Island mayors and industry stakeholders say Ottawa's decision to phase out Discovery Islands fish farms puts 1,500 jobs at risk.

Rochelle Baker

December 30th 2020

New conservancy plan aims to create research greenbelt

Open Bay Society, a non-profit wilderness conservancy and research centre based on Quadra, is negotiating with Mosaic Forest Management to buy timber harvesting rights for 7,000 acres of forest.

Rochelle Baker

December 23rd 2020

Environmental ripple effect of Bute Inlet landslide starting to unfold, scientists say

Climate change set the stage for the landslide that occurred on the morning of Nov. 28, said Brent Ward, a geologist at Simon Fraser University.

Rochelle Baker

December 22nd 2020

Wild salmon advocates celebrate Discovery Island fish farms decision

Fish farm opponents on the West Coast are jubilant after Ottawa’s announcement Thursday that operations in the Discovery Islands are being phased out over the next 18 months.

Rochelle Baker

December 21st 2020

Federal fisheries minister announces phaseout of Discovery Islands fish farms

Bernadette Jordan announced Thursday that contentious fish farms in the Discovery Islands on the West Coast will be phased out over the next 18 months.

Rochelle Baker

December 17th 2020