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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker
@zoeyunker.bsky.social
720 followers 350 following 60 posts
Environmental journalist covering forests, climate and the energy transition.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Zoë Yunker
sobittersosweet.bsky.social
Shannon Waters @sobittersosweet.bsky.social · 12h
Very timely reporting from Zoe on the legacy and future of forestry in BC!

With the US imposing 45% tariffs on BC softwood, the province is calling on Ottawa to protect the forestry industry and the people who work in it #bcpoli
zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 15h
For over a century, major companies liquidated forests from First Nations’ territories without consent. Now they're leaving.

In their wake, First Nations are working to reshape the industry that long excluded them, but it won't be easy.

My latest for @thenarwhal.ca
What does First Nations ownership mean for B.C. forestry? | The Narwhal
More First Nations are buying B.C. forestry tenures. With old growth dwindling, can they nudge the industry to a more sustainable future?
thenarwhal.ca
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 15h
Oh! Thanks for the catch, Tyler!
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 15h
Big thanks to Lindsay Sample and @michellecyca.com for brilliant editing, @palomahazel.bsky.social for fact-checking and Taylor Roades for the incredible photos!
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 15h
For over a century, major companies liquidated forests from First Nations’ territories without consent. Now they're leaving.

In their wake, First Nations are working to reshape the industry that long excluded them, but it won't be easy.

My latest for @thenarwhal.ca
What does First Nations ownership mean for B.C. forestry? | The Narwhal
More First Nations are buying B.C. forestry tenures. With old growth dwindling, can they nudge the industry to a more sustainable future?
thenarwhal.ca
3 23 63
zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 16h
Thanks Paloma! So grateful for your keen eye on it!
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 21d
Thank you @akkabah.bsky.social for editing!
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 21d
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.
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 21d
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.
thetyee.ca
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 27d
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
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Reposted by Zoë Yunker
amandafollett.bsky.social
Amanda Follett Hosgood @amandafollett.bsky.social · Sep 15
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.
thetyee.ca
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Sep 11
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.
thetyee.ca
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Sep 11
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
zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19
Ah, thanks Paloma!
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Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19
Thanks Michelle!
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · Aug 19
Thank you to @akkabah.bsky.social for editing!
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
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.
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
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.)
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
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.
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
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?
thetyee.ca
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Reposted by Zoë Yunker
amandafollett.bsky.social
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?
thetyee.ca
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Reposted by Zoë Yunker
jenstden.bsky.social
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.’
thetyee.ca
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
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.
thetyee.ca
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Reposted by Zoë Yunker
thetyee.ca
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.
thetyee.ca
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zoeyunker.bsky.social
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.
zoeyunker.bsky.social
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
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