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Welcome to the WE-CAN Climate News Roundup
Your Primary Source for CLIMATE NEWS
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Stay Connected. Be Inspired. Get Involved.
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Stay Connected. Be Inspired. Get Involved.
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Top Story
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Top Story: What Could a Youth Climate Lawsuit Mean for Canada’s Future?
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Depending on how the Federal Court rules, La Rose v. His Majesty the King has the potential to force politicians to recognize that our weak climate policies are contributing to the wildfires, heatwaves and flooding we are experiencing and putting our health and safety at risk in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Read more here.
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Action Now!
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Say NO to the Breakwater Proposal at Jordan River
From Patagonia Vancouver: Pacheedhat Anderson Timber Holdings submitted an application to build a breakwater and log-dumping area in a bay just east of the Jordan River Campground. This proposed 614-meter-long breakwater would be detrimental to the biodiversity of the region, and greatly jeopardize a beloved surf break. The public has until November 21 to comment on this proposal. Leave a comment here to oppose the development.
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The Federal Budget is Coming November 5th. It Must Fund Climate Solutions.
From David Suzuki Foundation: Budgeting is about choices, and Budget 2026 will be consequential: will the government choose to double down on expensive, polluting fossil fuels, or invest in the future-facing solutions our communities need? Send a letter here.
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Petition PM Carney for a Build Canada Stronger Climate Program
From Vancouver Unitarians Environment Team: We focus a lot on what we are against – pipelines, tar sands mines, LNG terminals, etc. What we are for is emphasized in the Parliamentary e-petition to PM Carney to create and implement a Build Canada Stronger Climate Program. Sponsored by Elizabeth May. Click here to sign.
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Putting the Outdoor Economy on the Map
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From Protect Our Winters Canada: Canada’s outdoor recreation sector is a major economic force, but because the government hasn't traditionally tracked it as its own official economic sector, it gets overlooked for federal funding and infrastructure support. Add your name to the call for action in Budget 2026 here.
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WE-CAN Friends and Allies
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Friday, November 20, 12 - 1 pm: Unceded, with the Author George Abbott
From WE-CAN: Our guest speaker, George Abbott, is a BC Treaty Commissioner and a former Liberal MLA and cabinet minister. His book Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now is a compelling history of the BC government’s difficult and frequently abusive relationship with Indigenous peoples. For all of us who live in BC, it is a history that matters. We invite you to join us on Zoom as George shares his learning and his experience. Register here
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Join WE-CAN on Zoom Friday, November 27, at 6:30 for a Virtual Screening of People of the Ice
From WE-CAN: This feature documentary explores the threats of global warming to the Arctic environment that has nurtured the Inuit for 4,000 years. The Inuit have lived in harmony on this frozen landscape for generations. Today, global warming threatens their habitat. As the ice disappears, so does the Inuit culture it is intimately connected to. Ever-changing temperatures have even made predicting the Arctic climate difficult. Will these extraordinarily resilient people be able to adjust to such dramatic change? Register here.
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Scrap Bill C-39: Protect Canada’s Environmental Laws
From West Coast Environmental Law: Canada's federal government has introduced a troubling new bill aimed at fast-tracking major projects. Bill C-39 would give Cabinet sweeping powers to exempt major projects from environmental laws, lower environmental standards and create “Wild West zones” where projects could be approved with little or no independent review or public input. Tell the federal government to scrap Bill C-39 here.
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Where Do the New Mayors and Councillors Stand?
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From WE-CAN: Now that the municipal elections are over, in 35 municipalities you can see how your elected mayors, councillors, regional directors or Island Trustees answered the Vote4Tomorrow questions. Go to vote4tomorrow.ca to see if your community is one of the 35 featured; then go to CivicInfoBC to find your elected mayor and councillors. Then go back to vote4tomorrow.ca, click on your community leader, and see how they answered questions related to climate justice, ecosystems, transportation, land use, and more.
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Climate Solutions
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Beyond the Federal Rebate: How to Communicate About Home Energy Upgrades
From Re.Climate: New federal rebates could help more Canadians afford heat pumps. Re.Climate’s research shows why trusted voices and clear guidance are also needed to help homeowners shift to cleaner energy.
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The Green Budget Coalition
From Nature Canada: The mission of the Green Budget Coalition is to present an analysis of the most pressing issues regarding environmental sustainability in Canada and to make a consolidated annual set of recommendations to the federal government regarding strategic fiscal and budgetary opportunities. Read more here.
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Largest Wildlife Overpass in North America Located in Colorado with 91% Reduction in Collisions: "Big Success"
From CBS News: Nine months after North America's largest wildlife overpass opened in Douglas County, the officials behind it say it's been a big success. Read more here.
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California Shows How Home Batteries Will Radically Remake the Grid
From The Energy Mix: Until recently, homeowners had no choice but to be a passive participant in the electrical grid, paying exorbitantly for the juice that flows into their home. But they can play a much more active role—ready or not—and get paid to send power from a home battery or electric vehicle to the energy system. Even renters may be able to buy solar panels that plug into a wall outlet, turning a balcony into a tiny power plant. Read more here.
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We Can’t Prepare for Wildfires if We Don’t Talk About Climate Change
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From Re.Climate: Wildfire reporting often focuses on immediate threats while overlooking how climate change is driving greater risks. Here’s how climate communicators can help Canadians understand those risks, prepare for future impacts and build community resilience. Read more here.
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Why Solarpunk is Already Happening in Africa
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From Climate Drift: What’s happening across Sub-Saharan Africa right now is the most ambitious infrastructure project in human history, except it’s not being built by governments or utilities or World Bank consortiums. It’s being built by startups selling solar panels to farmers on payment plans. And it’s working. Read more here.
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Join the Movement. Fuel the Change. The climate crisis won’t wait — and neither can we. At the West Coast Climate Action Network, we connect with and support nearly 300 climate organizations across BC. Together, we amplify impact, share resources, and drive urgent change.
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But we can’t do it without you!
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By becoming a monthly donor, you provide steady and reliable support that sustains the climate movement throughout the year. Your contributions fund vital coordination, advocacy, events, and tools — empowering people and organizations across BC to fight for a livable future. Monthly giving also makes it easier for you to stay connected to the cause, while helping us plan and grow with confidence
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Whether it’s $5 or $50 a month, your donation directly strengthens climate action in BC — and every dollar adds up.
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Be the spark. Join our growing community of monthly donors today.
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Thank you for standing with us in this decisive decade.
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Climate Politics and Action
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‘I Was Very, Very Scared’: Canada’s First-Ever Youth-Led Climate Trial Gets Underway
From the Energy Mix: A historic trial is underway in Vancouver as 15 young Canadians sue the federal government, arguing that its failure to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions violates their constitutional rights. Read more here.
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How COPE Won Big. And What Comes Next
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From the Tyee: Party insiders discuss priorities, working with the Greens and dealing with BC’s new Conservative government. Read more here.
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Canadian Federal Financial Support for Energy in 2024–25
From International Institute for Sustainable Development: In fiscal year 2024–25, Canada's federal government provided CAD 31.9 billion in subsidies and other financial support for energy production and consumption. Fossil energy received 75% of this support, followed by 22% for clean energy, and 3% for nuclear and mixed energy. Read more here.
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The 2026 BC Election in Three Tales
From the Canvasser: A region-by-region look at where 2024 NDP voters went, and why it matters for what comes next. Read more here.
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Greenpeace Activists Create ‘Boulder Barrier’ in North Sea to Deter Industrial Fishing
From The Guardian: Action taken to prevent bottom trawling in the marine protected area and conserve porpoise populations. Read more here.
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This South American Nation Pledged to Protect 90% of its Forests
From The Planetary Press: One South American nation plans to protect nearly all of its forests. In the weeks leading up to last year’s COP30 in Brazil, the Surinamese Government announced it would permanently protect 90 percent of its tropical forests. Read more here.
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CLIMATE POPULARISM - A Report
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From Climate Majority Project: Breaking the grip of right-wing populism through a new politics of crisis resilience. Read more here.
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Climate Science and Impacts
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Thwaites Is a Runaway Climate Disaster
From The Energy Mix: A single glacier sitting at the bottom of the world may be all that is holding back catastrophic amounts of sea-level rise. As it melts away faster than ever, scientists are racing to get a better understanding of when it might fail. Read more here.
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Deaths Associated with Wildfire Smoke up About 275% in Canada, New Report Says
From CBC: Scientists find that health impacts of climate change have escalated in the last decade. Read more here.
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Batteries Cost Less Than Gas Plants, Cut Peak Demand Spending for Utilities World-Wide: WoodMac
From the Energy Mix: Four-hour battery storage is now cheaper than the open-cycle gas turbines typically used during peak demand in energy systems across 43 markets worldwide, says a new report by Scotland-based data and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie. Read more here.
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Existing Fossil Projects Put 1.5°C Far Out of Reach as Oil Change Calls for Faster Phaseout
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From The Energy Mix: Fossil fuel projects already under way will emit seven times more climate pollution than the atmosphere can absorb with even a one-in-two chance of holding average global warming to 1.5°C, according to an analysis released in the lead-up to the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye next month. Read more here.
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Resistance and Movement
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‘I am Mother, leader, Warrior of the Amazon’: Nemonte Nenquimo on Why the West Needs to be Rescued
From the Guardian: The Waorani leader says millennia of living in harmony with their surroundings give Indigenous groups unique insights into the consumerist West. Read more here.
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Climate Videos, Books, Podcasts, Courses, Art
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From Urban Cycling Institute: View Jan Kamensky’s reimagined Piccadilly Circus here.
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Climate Image of the Week
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You Can Take Action! Events, Protests and Rallies
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*PLEASE NOTE* If your climate organization is a WE-CAN member, click “Post your Event” under ‘Calendar’, and it will be added following approval.
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The calendar is a great networking tool, helping you connect and share events with the broader climate movement. Check it out and start posting your events today!
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All times are Pacific Standard Time
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Hold the Canada Pension Plan accountable on Climate — Public Meetings Nationwide
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Shift is organizing meetings across the country to answer questions about climate-related financial risks, CPPIB’s massive fossil fuel investments, and Indigenous rights. Find your local meeting here.
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November 3, 1:00 pm on Zoom – The Yes Agenda and Barriers Report Launch
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While much of the national conversation centres on pipelines and LNG, the Yes Agenda starts with what is already being built. It tracks the wind, solar, storage and transmission projects moving forward across the country, and what separates the ones that succeed from the ones that stall. Join us for our public webinar covering both phases of the Yes Agenda. Register and read more here.
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November 3, 5:00pm on Zoom — United to Stop Bill C-39 Webinar
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From 350org: The conversation will be moderated by Caroline Brouillette, Executive Director, Climate Action Network - Réseau action climat (CANRAC), and we will hear from expert speakers Julia Levin, Eve Saint, and Patrick Gloutney about the implications of Bill C-39. Register here.
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November 3, 7:00-8:30 pm at Brighouse Public Library – Community Conversations: The Scientific Case for Climate Courage
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In this talk, Simon Donner will discuss the latest climate data, the solutions to climate change, and how we find the courage to take action. Simon Donner is a Professor and interdisciplinary climate scientist at the University of British Columbia and Director of the university's Climate Solutions Research Collective. He was a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent assessment and also Co-Chair of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body, which advises the federal government on pathways to eliminating climate-warming emissions, until he resigned late last year. His work tackles questions at the intersection of climate science, marine science, and public policy. Register here.
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November 5, 10:00 am on Zoom — Provincial Climate Risk Briefing with Seniors for Climate
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Join the BC-PCRB to hear from and meet current Elder Changemakers (YOU) and discover how you can turn your passions into reality. Click here for more information and/or to register others, go to BC-Hub@seniorsforclimate.org and put "register me" in the subject line.
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November 5, 5:30-9:00 pm at Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront, Vancouver — BC Sustainable Energy Association Annual Event, “Women in Sustainable Energy”
Join BCSEA for an inspiring evening celebrating women, leadership, mentorship, and the future of sustainable energy in BC. Register here.
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November 7, 11:30 am-1:00 pm in Ladner— A Seat at the Table: Community Conversations on Thermal Coal
From Stand.Earth: Join community conversations about thermal coal trains and what we can do about them. Food & drinks provided! Register here.
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November 10, 11:00 am on Zoom – The Carbon Wave: A Conversation with Leah Stokes
Join Climate Access for a conversation with Leah Stokes about her new book, The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Race to Protect Our Planet. Together, we’ll explore what these experiences can teach climate communicators about sustaining engagement and helping people see their role in creating change. Register here.
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November 10, 4:00-7:00 pm at UVic — Driving Change: Sustainable Transportation Community Roundtable
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Transportation is one of the largest sources of emissions in our region — and one of our biggest opportunities for change. Join the BC Sustainable Energy Association Victoria Chapter for an evening of vibrant discussion as subject-matter experts tackle the barriers and the solutions to a cleaner transportation future for Victoria. Register and read more here.
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November 12, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm – Recharged and Ready: The Case for Used EVs
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You’re invited to a Clean Energy Canada webinar on our upcoming report, Recharged and Ready, where we dive into used EV cost savings, public opinion, and market trends, while countering some common concerns about used EVs. Register here.
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November 17, 10:00-11:30 am on Zoom – BC Event Waste Reduction Roundtable
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Last spring, the City of Victoria hosted a Zero Waste Events session that packed the room. The message from attendees was clear: event organizers want to learn from each other and the best practices from our industry. So CWMA is hosting this Roundtable for the people who plan and run BC’s fairs, festivals, races and community celebrations, and for the regional districts and local governments supporting their waste reduction work. Register here.
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November 17, 5:30-7:00 pm in White Rock — A Seat at the Table: Community Conversations on Thermal Coal
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From Stand.Earth: Join community conversations about thermal coal trains, and what we can do about them. Food & drinks provided! Register here.
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December 1, 7:00-9:00 pm at UVic – A Common Chord: Science, Stories & Songs for Climate Action
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An unforgettable evening with 2x JUNO award-winning musician Dan Mangan and a powerhouse lineup of people advancing climate research and action. Register here.
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Grants, Job Vacancies and More!
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PICS Climate Internship Programme: Apply by November 20
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The PICS Climate Internship Program helps organizations in BC reach their climate goals while giving university students a chance to hone their skills and acquire relevant work experience. Through an annual competitive process, the program offers up to $15,000 to eligible organizations to hire a student from UBC, SFU, UNBC, or UVic to assist with a climate action project in your organization/community. Details here
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Climate/Environmental Jobs Posted on Linked-In
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Environment Funders
Their list of members is here - a useful source of thinking when it comes to fundraising
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WE-CAN’s Fundraising Toolkit for Climate Action Groups is here
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Stay Connected. Be Inspired. Get Involved.
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From all of us in the West Coast Climate Action Network
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We honour the title and rights of the Indigenous peoples on whose ancestral lands we live and work.
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