54 Degrees North - Podcast series about issues around Northwest BC

In this episode, we’re joined by geographers Rosemary Collard and Jessica Dempsey to discuss their groundbreaking audit of mining projects in British Columbia. Are environmental regulations really the bottleneck the mining industry claims they are? What happens when the promised economic benefits of mining—like jobs, tax revenue, and production—fall drastically short? Rosemary and Jessica walk us through their research, revealing surprising insights about delays, care-and-maintenance loopholes, and the underperformance of mines.

You can find Rosemary and Jessica's audit here: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0083

Rosemary and Jessica are co-directors of the 'Extinction Paradox' research project. You can learn about that here: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0083

Other links:

• Rachel Singleton-Polster, Regulatory barriers to mine reclamation for caribou
• Nick Gottlieb, Mining companies are abusing a little-known loophole to avoid cleanup

This episode of Beneath the Surface features a discussion about the proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) mine in northern British Columbia. If completed, the KSM mine would become one of the world’s largest gold-copper mines, threatening critical river systems and the communities that depend on them.

Joining us is Rachel Gutman, a lawyer with Ecojustice, who is part of the legal team challenging the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office’s decision to classify the KSM mine as “substantially started.” This designation allows the mine to move forward under an environmental assessment conducted over a decade ago, despite significant changes in environmental laws, science, and our understanding of climate risks.

Rachel breaks down what “substantially started” means, why this case matters, and what a legal victory could mean for environmental protection and Indigenous rights in British Columbia.

Learn more about:

• Ecojustice
• SkeenaWild
• Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission

As part of our salmon connections and resilience series, we go further north to Taku River Tlingit territory to learn about the work and research being done to protect salmon and adapt to changing conditions from climate impacts.

Thanks for the interviews and insights from Mark Connor and Chris Sergeant.

Music thanks to the late Telkwa Ted Turner, and to Facundo Gastiazoro for the art.

This episode was recorded on unceded Witsuwit’en territory between July and October 2022. 54 Degrees North is produced by Nikki Skuce (@nikkiskuce) from the Northern Confluence Initiative (a project of MakeWay), with some editing assistance by Namita Prakash thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs program. Contact us at [email protected] or check us out on Instagram @northern_confluence.

The Skeena River is the second largest salmon producing watershed in Canada and a critical part of it is the unique and highly productive estuary. The area deserves protection from future threats and is essential to the survival and resilience of salmon and cultures in this region. In this episode of 54 Degrees North, we learn more about this critical habitat as part of a series exploring salmon connections and resilience.

Interviews and insights from Yahaan (Don Wesley) and Dr. Jonathon Moore.

Music thanks to the regionally talented Los Gringos Salvajes, and art work thanks to Facundo Gastiazoro.

Thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs program for helping make this possible. 

This episode was recorded on unceded Witsuwit’en territory in the summer months of 2022. 54 Degrees North is produced by Nikki Skuce (@nikkiskuce) from the Northern Confluence Initiative (a project of MakeWay), and edited with the help of Namita Prakash. Contact us at [email protected] or check us out on Instagram @northern_confluence 

As part of the salmon connections and resilience series for 54 Degrees North, we reached out to a number of people who have defended salmon in some way against the myriad of threats they face. We hear about their connectedness to this critical species that is so intertwined with cultures and communities of the Skeena region and throughout the Pacific Northwest. 

Interviews and insights from Yahaan, Chief Namoks, Nuskmata, Jonathon Moore and Chris Sergeant who share their salmon love stories and connections.

Music thanks to the regionally talented Telkwa Ted Turner, whose music lives on, and to Facundo Gastiazoro for the artwork.

This episode was recorded on unceded Witsuwit’en territory in the summer months of 2022. 54 Degrees North is produced by Nikki Skuce (@nikkiskuce) from the Northern Confluence Initiative (a project of MakeWay), and edited with the help of Namita Prakash. Thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs program for helping make this podcast possible. Contact us at [email protected] or check us out on Instagram @northern_confluence 

As part of our salmon connections and resilience series, we explore the potential impacts of mining on salmon watersheds. The episode features some of the authors who collaborated on a science and policy paper published in Science Advances in July 2022 that reviewed the ecological complexities of rivers and some of the risks mines can have on salmon watersheds. We also hear from those facing impacts from mining on the Fraser River.

Thanks for the interviews and insights from Chief Laceese, JP Lapointe, Jonathan Moore, Chris Sergeant, and Nuskmata.

Music thanks to the regionally talented Los Gringos Salvajes, and Facundo Gastiazoro for the art.

This episode was recorded on unceded Witsuwit’en territory in the summer months of 2022, along with clips from a 2021 webinar “Dilution is not the Solution to Pollution”. 54 Degrees North is produced by Nikki Skuce (@nikkiskuce) from the Northern Confluence Initiative (a project of MakeWay), and edited with the help of Namita Prakash.  Thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs program for helping make this podcast possible. Contact us at [email protected] or check us out on Instagram @northern_confluence. Take action to help reform BC’s mining laws at: https://reformbcmining.ca 

After a challenging year, we're exploring positive stories from the Skeena Region. In this episode of 54 degrees North, we explore the Healthy Watersheds Initiative projects taking place in this region. Learn more about the restoration economy and reconciliation in action.

Thanks to Tara Marsden, Sarah Railton and Jeff Anderson for the interviews. Thanks to Facundo Gastiazoro for the artwork and Los Gringos Salvajes for the music.

This episode was recorded on unceded Witsuwit’en territory during COVID-19 via Zoom in June and July 2021. 54 Degrees North was produced and edited by Nikki Skuce. Contact us at [email protected].

This is a follow-up episode of 54 degrees North with Jacob Beaton from Tea Creek Farms about how their training program and food sovereignty initiative managed to operate through a year in a pandemic. 

Thanks to regionally based Saltwater Hank for the music and Facundo Gastiazoro for the artwork. 

This episode was recorded on unceded Witsuwit’en territory during COVID-19 via Zoom in April 2021. 54 Degrees North was produced and edited by Nikki Skuce (@nikkiskuce). Contact us at [email protected].

In this episode of 54 degrees North, we hear tips and preferences for putting food away that avoids spoilage and extends local food security through the year.  

Interviews and insights from Shannon McPhail, Laurie Gallant, Gwininit (Yvonne Lattie), Jennifer Zyp, and Emily Bulmer.   

Music thanks to the regionally talented Saltwater Hank and artwork thanks to Facundo Gastiazoro. 

This episode was recorded on unceded Witsuwit’en territory during COVID-19 via Zoom in May and June 2020. 54 Degrees North is produced by Nikki Skuce (@nikkiskuce) and edited with the help of Pam Haasen (@hampaasen). Contact us at [email protected]. 

In this episode of 54 degrees North, we hear directly from food producers in the wider Bulkley Valley region about their farms and businesses, and their suggestions for overcoming barriers to be a more food secure region.

Interviews and insights from Jacob Beaton, Laurie Gallant, Mark Fisher, Crystal Nelligan and Shannon McPhail.   

Music thanks to the regionally talented Saltwater Hank and Los Gringos Salvajes. Artwork by Facundo Gastiazoro. 

This episode was recorded on unceded Witsuwit’en territory during COVID-19 via Zoom in May and June 2020. 54 Degrees North is produced by Nikki Skuce (@nikkiskuce) and edited with the help of Pam Haasen (@hampaasen). Contact us at [email protected].