B.C., feds and local First Nations establish blueprint for marine protection off Vancouver Island
Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island is shown. (Getty Images)
After more than a decade of work, the blueprints for a network of marine protected areas covering 30,000-square-kilometers off of Vancouver Island have been announced.
The plans to protect the Northern Shelf Bioregion (NSB) were announced by 15 First Nations, the Government of Canada, and the Government of British Columbia on Sunday at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Vancouver.
The new protection plans are expected to be fully in place by 2025.
The protection means all commercial, recreational and "Food, Social and Ceremonial" fisheries will be closed within the area, preventing the impacts of human activity from damaging the aquatic ecosystem and ensuring full protection of the marine environment.
The NSB stretches from Campbell River on Vancouver Island to the Canada-Alaska border and is the habitat for more than 240 marine species, including unique ecosystem of fragile and slow-growing corals and sponges.
"The endorsement of the Marine Protected Area Network Action Plan for the Northern Shelf Bioregion demonstrates what we can accomplish together to conserve biodiversity when we rely on science, conservation and Indigenous and local knowledge," said Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
"This is an important step towards meeting our goal of protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030," continued the minster.
Funding for the plan is closely related to the $800 million Indigenous-led conservation initiative announced by the federal government at COP15, and will also be supported by long-term funding.
"Our Nations have a solid track record proving that Indigenous-led conservation works for nature and for people," said Dallas Smith, president of the Nanwakolas Council.
"As we tackle the urgent challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, this is the model the world needs now," he said.
The federal government and First Nation leaders are expected to make another announcement regarding the protection of a large marine area off the Pacific West Coast on Tuesday at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How many COVID-19 vaccine doses should you have by now?
Here is a summary of the current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines from NACI, for both children and adults who are at increased risk of serious illness and those who are not.
Victims identified as police reveal Nashville school shooter had drawn maps, done surveillance
The suspect in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
From silicon to brain cells: How biology may hold the future of computers
As artificial intelligence software and advanced computers revolutionize modern technology, some researchers see a future where computer programmers leap from silicon to organic molecules.
Freeland's budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians, here's what else to expect Tuesday
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Gender-affirming care bans expanding, access being cut: U.S. laws now targeting transgender adults
In some U.S. states, proponents of gender-affirming care bans have argued for the last few years that minors are too young to make these medical decisions — but in 2023, legislative attempts to limit the health-care options for transgender youth have expanded to a new age group: adults.
Getting an extra consultation before surgery might not give you a better outcome: Canadian study
A new study that looked at more than 300,000 patients found that a medical consultation prior to a routine surgery wasn’t connected to a better surgical outcome, suggesting these consultations might not be necessary.
Quebec girl, 9, dies after snow fort collapses behind residence
A nine-year-old girl has died after a snow fort collapsed in a forest behind a rural Quebec home.
Gwyneth Paltrow accuser calls Utah ski crash 'serious smack'
The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 skiing collision at one of the most upscale resorts in North America took the stand Monday, saying he was rammed into from behind and sent 'absolutely flying.' The trial in Utah hinges on who crashed into who.
'It's horrific': Calgary house explosion injures 10 people
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
Vancouver
-
Who gets the pet when a couple separates? B.C. looking at amendments to Family Law Act
New guidance is being proposed to help judges in B.C. decide what happens to a family pet when a couple separates.
-
Man arrested after crashing stolen pick-up truck in Delta, police say
A man found passed out behind the wheel of a stolen pickup truck in Delta attempted to flee after being awoken Monday, according to authorities.
-
Some chickens 'perished' after crash involving truck carrying cages on Highway 1: contractor
A stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in Langley, B.C. was closed for hours Monday after a transport truck carrying chickens went into a ditch.
Edmonton
-
Slain Edmonton officers Jordan and Ryan remembered at procession, regimental funeral
Family and friends of two police officers who were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute gathered in downtown Edmonton Monday to say goodbye to their loved ones.
-
Edmontonians, Canadian police officers line streets to say farewell to fallen EPS officers
Community members and police services from across the country gathered on Monday to mourn two Edmonton Police Service officers killed in the line of duty earlier this month.
-
In Pictures: Remembering Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan
On March 27, a regimental funeral was held for Edmonton Police Service Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan who were killed in the line of duty on March 16, 2023.
Toronto
-
Do you know who this is? Police looking to ID 'unknown' woman found in Toronto area
Police are looking for the public’s assistance in identifying an 'unknown,' non-verbal woman after she was found Monday by a concerned citizen in the Greater Toronto Area.
-
CTV News Toronto veteran Austin Delaney to retire after 34 years
After 34 years of telling Toronto's stories, CTV News Toronto veteran Austin Delaney is retiring.
-
'Terrible tragedy': Politicians speak out following fatal stabbing of teen at Toronto subway station
Politicians and advocacy groups are speaking out following the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old boy a Toronto subway station on Saturday.
Calgary
-
'It's horrific': Calgary house explosion injures 10 people
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
-
Chestermere mayor calls inspection report 'distortion of facts'
The findings of a provincial probe into the City of Chestermere's governance are being described as "fictional" by Mayor Jeff Colvin.
-
Slain Edmonton officers Jordan and Ryan remembered at procession, regimental funeral
Family and friends of two police officers who were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute gathered in downtown Edmonton Monday to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Montreal
-
Police find 6th and 7th bodies inside site of Old Montreal fire
Police say they have found the sixth and seventh bodies inside a building in Old Montreal that burned down 11 days ago and do not expect find any more victims. With the death toll now expected to remain at seven, police said they can begin to focus their efforts on finding the cause of the deadly March 16 fire.
-
Grocery rebate doesn't go far enough to fight inflation: food policy expert
In grocery store aisles across Quebec, food inflation is no longer an impression but a fact. "I know it's more. I can see from everything that we buy is costing a lot more." a woman tells CTV News at Esposito in NDG.
-
Quebec proposes extending nurses' bonuses to June
Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel is proposing the bonuses paid to nurses — which are set to expire next Thursday — be extended at least through June.
Atlantic
-
'All I want to know is where he is': Moncton-area woman pleads for help in finding missing brother
After nine days with no answers, a Moncton-area woman is asking for the public’s help in finding her missing brother, Brian Lewis.
-
Freeland's budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians, here's what else to expect Tuesday
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
-
'People are going to be shocked': NSLC hikes prices on beer, wine and spirits
Regular shoppers at Nova Scotia liquor stores faced significant price hikes Monday on beer, wine and spirits.
Winnipeg
-
W5 investigation reveals asbestos cement pipes beneath Winnipeggers' feet
A recent W5 investigation has found there are 721 kilometres of asbestos cement pipes in Winnipeg, and 25 per cent of the water main networks is also made of the material.
-
$8.2M of unpaid Winnipeg parking tickets sent to collection agency
The City of Winnipeg says $8.2 million worth of unpaid parking fines is now eligible for collection. Notices have been sent in the mail by a collection agency, Gatestone & Co Inc., to collect the unpaid tickets.
-
'They are skin and bones': 4 puppies found abandoned in box by Manitoba highway
A Manitoba dog rescue is looking for answers after four freezing, malnourished puppies were found abandoned in a box on the side of a highway.
Kitchener
-
Tax return delays possible if CRA workers strike
Thousands of Canada Revenue Agency workers are threatening strike action and it could cause a delay for Canadians trying to file their 2022 taxes.
-
Threatening graffiti found in Cambridge high school washroom: Police
Waterloo regional police are investigating after they say threats were found written inside a washroom at a Cambridge high school.
-
Guelph, Ont. researchers links nitrate to heart health
Preventing heart failure and managing diabetes are the potential benefits of a new discovery by University of Guelph researchers.
Regina
-
Several kilograms of meth, fentanyl and cocaine seized by RCMP trafficking team in southern Sask.
A month's long investigation by Saskatchewan RCMP has led to one arrest and the seizure of several kilograms of narcotics in the village of Hodgeville.
-
Sask. judge grants bail for Quewezance sisters who say they were wrongfully imprisoned nearly 30 years ago
A pair of Saskatchewan sisters have been granted bail after spending almost 30 years in prison for what they describe as a wrongful conviction.
-
Fatal crash near Langenburg claims Regina man's life
A four-vehicle crash near Langenburg claimed the life of a Regina man on Friday.
Barrie
-
'Pre-approvals out the door': Proposed mortgage rules could make home-buying more challenging
Consultations for the first phase of the B-20 mortgage underwriting rules review will wrap up on April 14.
-
Defence lawyer suggests victim of deadly 2020 Hwy 12 crash had alcohol in his system
Sigfrid Stahn sat in the courtroom on Monday as his defence lawyer tried to sway the jury to the possibility the victim, Guenter Naumann, 77, had alcohol in his system at the time of the head-on collision on Highway 12 in Waubaushene nearly three years ago.
-
Catalytic converter thefts spike in Barrie
Theft of catalytic converters continues to be a major issue in Ontario, including Barrie.
Saskatoon
-
Sask. woman gets thousands in credit card charges after hackers lock her out of Facebook page
An Outlook woman has been locked out of her online business’ Facebook page for months and she says she’s starting to lose hope.
-
Sask. goaltender suspended from junior hockey following arrest
A 20-year-old goaltender for the Humboldt Broncos was suspended indefinitely from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) following his arrest over the weekend.
-
RCMP say stolen cows were seized from a property near Saskatoon
Officers seized more than $25,000 worth of stolen cattle from a property near Saskatoon, according to RCMP.
Northern Ontario
-
Evidence against Sudbury murder suspect ‘overwhelming,’ Crown tells jury
The Crown prosecutor in Sudbury made his pitch to the jury Monday afternoon in the Robert Steven Wright murder trial, arguing evidence against him is “overwhelming.”
-
Here is why the defence says Wright should be found not guilty of 1998 Sudbury murder
Closing arguments are being heard at the Sudbury courthouse Monday in the trial for the man accused of killing Renee Sweeney in 1998 with the defence saying there is plenty of reasonable doubt to support an acquittal.
-
Victims identified as police reveal Nashville school shooter had drawn maps, done surveillance
The suspect in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.