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.

556 Articles

No evidence Cortes Island director used public office to influence district staff, lawyer argues

The Strathcona Regional District is considering whether to continue to pursue the allegations in B.C. Supreme Court and potentially disqualify Noba Anderson from office.

Rochelle Baker

February 3rd 2021

Coastal First Nations ahead of the curve in cultivating seaweed industry

Shared goals of providing economic diversification, employment opportunities and skills training for coastal First Nations communities make for a good partnership between one coastal First Nation and a commercial kelp business in B.C.

Rochelle Baker

February 2nd 2021

Federal scientific expedition surveys impacts of massive Bute Inlet slide

Natural Resources Canada researcher Gwyn Lintern recently spent six days aboard the Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfrid Laurier as part of the first federal marine investigation of the inlet following the slide on Nov. 28.

Rochelle Baker

January 29th 2021

Can Canadian seaweed tame gassy cows and climate change?

Scientists are eager to find ways to reduce methane emissions through possible changes to cows' diets, and seaweed has great potential, said Spencer Serin, a researcher affiliated with North Island College and Cascadia Seaweed on Vancouver Island.

Rochelle Baker

January 27th 2021

Should Canada be hungry to farm seaweed?

Many science, industry and investment stakeholders support seaweed aquaculture as a potential means to grow a sustainable super food that benefits the economy and environment.

Rochelle Baker

January 26th 2021

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