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Zoë Yunker

@zoeyunker.bsky.social

720 followers 350 following 56 posts

Environmental journalist covering forests, climate and the energy transition.

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Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 14d

Thank you @akkabah.bsky.social for editing!

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 14d

Neither the province nor LNG Canada has been forthcoming about this information. Much of it is buried in a document that is not publicly available.

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 14d

LNG Canada's fast-tracked Phase 2 breaches Canada's air standards for nitrogen dioxide in Kitimat.

That could mean growing acid rain and ground-level ozone.

"It rusts the body," said U of T prof Jeffrey Brook.

Exclusive: LNG Expansion Brings New Health Risks to Kitimat | The Tyee

The project’s fast-tracked second phase would push a key pollutant far above current limits, documents reveal.

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 20d

Sobering estimates from @climateinstitute.bsky.social today:

Canada has stalled its progress on climate, putting its 2030 emissions target farther out of reach.

Modest reductions in electricity and buildings were drowned out by rising emissions from oil and gas.

Canada’s emissions flatlined in 2024, early estimate shows

Canada's success in decoupling economic growth from emissions is faltering. While national emissions in 2024 were down 8.5 per ...

440megatonnes.ca

Reposted by Zoë Yunker

Amanda Follett Hosgood @amandafollett.bsky.social · 23d

NEW: BC has announced approval for the Ksi Lisims LNG facility.

It comes a week after medical professionals called on the province to halt LNG expansion until it has completed a comprehensive health review.

My reporting, with @zoeyunker.bsky.social, from last week:
thetyee.ca/News/2025/09...

Halt LNG Expansion Until Health Risks Studied, Say Doctors | The Tyee

First Nations leaders and health professionals say people are getting sick, and BC needs to hit pause.

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 27d

BC excluded the health impacts of fracking in a review years ago. Its panel members raised concerns anyway.

As LNG in BC gets ready to boom, First Nations leaders and doctors are calling for a study before it's too late.

A collab with @amandafollett.bsky.social!

thetyee.ca/News/2025/09...

Halt LNG Expansion Until Health Risks Studied, Say Doctors | The Tyee

First Nations leaders and health professionals say people are getting sick, and BC needs to hit pause.

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 27d

Fascinating report on Fortis claims re: renewable natural gas and the strange credit system they use to justify it.

"FortisBC admitted it doesn't always receive certificates which act as a safeguard against double-counting."

www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/11/n...

The investigation that could scuttle FortisBC's climate plan

BC’s gas utility is facing regulatory scrutiny over its accounting practices for the environmental credits it uses to claim some of its natural gas sales are carbon-neutral, "renewable” and reduce emi...

www.nationalobserver.com

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19

Ah, thanks Paloma!

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19

Thanks Michelle!

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19

Thank you to @akkabah.bsky.social for editing!

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19

The decision doesn’t destroy private ownership. It requires government to negotiate with the nation.

“We just have the opportunity to work and build a relationship with the people around us in Richmond and the surrounding areas," Chief Tholmen, John Elliott, of Stz’uminus First Nation.

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19

Richard Moody (Port Moody’s namesake) was supposed to make the village into a reserve for the nation. He sold it to himself instead, concealing his identity in the process.

(During the trial, the province argued that Moody paid “full price” for his purchase.)

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19

What’s now a mostly industrial strip of land south of Vancouver was once a busy summer village with 108 longhouses belonging to the Quwʼutsun Nation.

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19

Some things I learned while writing this story on Canada’s new “pillar” of Aboriginal Law, Cowichan Tribes v. Canada, for @thetyee.ca:

🧵

thetyee.ca/News/2025/08...

Inside Richmond’s Precedent-Setting Cowichan Tribes v. Canada Case | The Tyee

The BC Supreme Court decision affirms Aboriginal title on private lands. What’s next?

Reposted by Zoë Yunker

Amanda Follett Hosgood @amandafollett.bsky.social · Aug 19

“All of the Cowichan Title Lands were sold to settlers with no regard for the Cowichan’s interest.”

@zoeyunker.bsky.social with a comprehensive report on the decision, described as a “pillar” of Aboriginal law, which received an immediate smack down from BC.
@thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/08...

Inside Richmond’s Precedent-Setting Cowichan Tribes v. Canada Case | The Tyee

The BC Supreme Court decision affirms Aboriginal title on private lands. What’s next?

Reposted by Zoë Yunker

Jen St. Denis @jenstden.bsky.social · Aug 5

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...

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.’

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 1

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.

Reposted by Zoë Yunker

The Tyee @thetyee.ca · Aug 1

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.

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.

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Jul 28

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

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Jul 22

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

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...

www.nationalobserver.com

Reposted by Zoë Yunker

Jen St. Denis @jenstden.bsky.social · Jul 14

"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?

Reposted by Zoë Yunker

andrea bennett (they/them) @akkabah.bsky.social · Jul 14

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...

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?

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Jun 27

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

Carney's controversial major projects bill becomes law

Passage of Bill C-5 an "assault on science and democracy" say critics.

www.nationalobserver.com

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Jun 24

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

‘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.

Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Jun 17

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

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.

www.nationalobserver.com