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Slowly and surely, the cod that once flourished on the Atlantic shores of Newfoundland are returning. 

For the past 20 years, the waters have been noticeably free of this species. Atlantic cod were driven from the region by overfishing and cooling water temperatures, which they are not suited for.

As a result, fisheries were shuttered and the industry took a hard tumble on the east coast.

As the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference wrapped up this month, the newly elected Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna endorsed the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Action to combat climate change is of the utmost importance to the many people who rely on British Columbia’s salmon runs for food and business. The coasts of BC are seeing record warm ocean temperatures, this summer peaking at three degrees higher than normal.

It may surprise you to learn that the protection of fish habitats in pipeline corridors now only need permits from the National Energy Board (NEB), a federal regulatory tribunal with close ties to some of the largest multinational energy companies in the world.

Last month, Canadians elected a majority Liberal government. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made big changes to the Environment portfolio, electing Catherine McKenna as the new Minister for Environment and Climate Change. With the decision, we’re hopeful that nearly a decade of environmental apathy has come to an end.

In 1882, the Government of Canada passed the Navigable Waters Protection Act, stating that no-one could block, alter or destroy any water deep enough to float a canoe without federal approval. In 2012, the Conservative government dismantled that law, now allowing large corporations building pipelines or other industrial projects to bypass this step. 

In 2013, the Conservatives made sweeping changes to the Fisheries Act, allowing for the dumping of harmful substances into waterways. This massive change threatens all Canadian freshwater fish species. The decision came despite widespread criticism and opposition from Canadian scientists.