B.C. workers rally against federal decision to close fish farms
There was outrage on the streets of Campbell River on Thursday as more than 100 fish farm workers gathered to raise concerns about the closure of open net pen fish farms in the area.
"We wanted to make sure we were heard by Rachel Blaney at her office, our local member of parliament, so we chose to finish there and have a few people speak," said Mike Dobbs, area production manager for Mowi Canada.
The workers are upset at a recent decision by federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray to close down fish farms around Vancouver Island.
(BC Salmon Farmers Association)"I've already experienced closures of the Broughton area at the request of the First Nations of that area, and significant closures of the Campbell River area," said Dobbs.
Murray made the decision not to renew fish farm licences in the Discovery Islands region to protect wild salmon populations.
"The potential extra stress on [the salmon], of going through this area of our coast, just was not acceptable," said Murray.
What's not acceptable, the fish farm industry says, is the loss of more than $1 billion in economic activity, and around 5,000 jobs.
"There's already been a significant loss of jobs," said Kaitlin Guitard, a Mowi Canada fish health lab manager.
"We lost about 40 per cent of our farms already, so that right there is a couple of hundred of jobs in the industry alone."
Industry workers also point to countless more spinoff jobs for suppliers and transportation that will be affected by the closures.
"We're going to keep fighting the good fight because we are good salmon farmers and we are great at what we do, and we love our oceans," said Guitard.
Aquatic science biologist Shawn Stenhouse releases an Atlantic salmon back into its tank during a Fisheries Department health audit at the Okisollo fish farm near Campbell River, B.C. Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS /Jonathan Hayward)Salmon farms have long divided people living along the coast, including within First Nations.
"The elders are very disgusted about what's going on here, it's a dirty, foreign industry," said George Quocksister Jr., hereditary chief of the Laichwiltach Nation.
"I can say dirty because everybody's seen the videos," he said.
Dobbs says there's room to continue operating while respecting the wishes of First Nations.
"We have First Nations on the coast that have made the decision that they do not want farms in their territory, and that is certainly something that will be respected by the industry," he said.
Thursday's rally-goers say they want the Canada's fisheries minister to listen to the science surrounding fish farms and reverse her decision.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
'Enormous sum of money': Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
U.K. plan to phase out smoking for good passes first hurdle
The British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
A wobble reveals the most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy
Astronomers have spotted the most massive known stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy after detecting an unusual wobble in space.