May 12, 2026. EcoCentric

Concrete plan to fix BC forest crisis – New Forestry Act campaigner Jennifer Houghton

Poll shows British Columbians want more government action on the climate crisis  – Andrew Gage, West Coast Environmental Law

World summit on transition off fossil fuels  – Liz McDowell from Stand.Earth was there.

LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD MAY 12 INTERVIEWS OR FULL SHOW

Jennifer Houghton on The New Forestry Act initiative

WCEL’s Andrew Gage on BC polling showing support for climate action

Liz McDowell from Stand.earth reports on Transition Away from Fossils Summit in Columbia

The full May 12 2026 EcoCentric show. 57 minutes.

The BC forest industry is in crisis. The long-predicted ‘fall down’ or collapse of available trees is closing mills and jobs. Jennifer Houghton and a group of forest professionals from the Grand Forks area created a draft New Forestry Act for the province and are doing a second provincial tour to promote the plan for an ecologically sustainable forestry practice. Jennifer and the group have events coming up in Nelson and Trail in June.

British Columbians are well aware that the climate crisis is one factor in constantly rising prices for food and many things.  West Coast Environmental Law commissioned a poll this spring to check public opinion on climate and government action and spending to protect us from the crisis.  Lawyer Andrew Gage tells us what they found.

Last month the first ever gobal conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels was held in Santa Marta, Columbia. 57 countries representing one third of the world’s economy talked about how to get off gasoline. Liz McDowell, Senior Campaigns Director with Stand.earth, was there and gives us a first-hand report.

LINKS MENTIONNED

The New Forestry Act proposal at Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship https://boundaryforest.org/
West Kootenay Watershed Collaborative… details on the Nelson event: https://www.westkootenaywater.ca/events-1

West Coast Environmental Law https://www.wcel.org/media-release/poll-british-columbians-understand-climate-change-driving-prices-want-fossil-fuel

Stand.earth https://stand.earth/our-work/campaigns/

The Transition Away from Fossil Fuels Conference own website: https://transitionawayconference.com/

COMING EVENTS

Thursday, May 14 2026.7 pm
Mir Centre for Peace Lecture
Omar Al Kaddr: One day everyone will have always been against this
Brilliant Cultural Centre

The Mir Centre for brings in another international speaker, Omar El Akkad. He is an award-winning author and investigative journalist who was born in Egypt, grew up in Qatar, moved to Canada as a teenager and now lives in the US.

He believed in the promises of the West—freedom from authoritarianism, equality for all—but over time, reporting on the War on Terror, Ferguson, climate change, Black Lives Matter protests and watching the unmitigated slaughter in Gaza, El Akkad has come to the conclusion that promise is failing.

Tickets are available at Selkirk College website: selkirk.ca go to events.
https://www.selkirk.ca/events/mir-lecture-omar-el-akkad?date=may-14-2026

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Skattebo Reach Trail, Skattebo Reach Trail, Castlegar, BC
May 23, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Participants will rotate through guided sessions with each expert, gaining hands-on insight into meadow ecology, native plants, bees, butterflies, and moths.

Cost is by donation. Register here. https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/magic-in-the-meadows

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Saturday, May 23rd. 3 to 7 pm.
Kootenay Coop Radio Community Block Party
Lions Park on Kootenay St at Houston.

In partnership with the Nelson Lions Club, join Kootenay Co-op Radio hosts an annual free community celebration like no other.

Connect with the local non-profits, co-ops and charities that keep our community strong. Get moving with live music and dance performances, grab a bite at the food trucks, and keep the kids busy all afternoon with a full lineup of activities!
It’s free, it’s friendly, and it’s all for you.

The KCR Block Party: Saturday, May 23rd, at Lions Park. https://www.kootenaycoopradio.com/

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May 30 to June 5 2026
Go By Bike Week all across BC
Events in Nelson and Castlegar

Take a bike to work, ride to school, go for a joyride, it’s all fun for Go By Bike Week coming up at the end of the month.
You can register provincially and log your rides or join a local logging team to see how many kilometres you can log together.
Last year BC riders logged 790,252 rides covering 11,994,563 km. The saved on exhaust emissions of about 600 typical passenger cars from the road for one whole year.

There are provincial prizes too so register at https://gobybikebc.ca/

\West Kootenay Cycling Coalition is planning events for Go By Bike week. https://westkootenaycycling.ca/

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Wednesday, June 3 7 pm
Hume Hotel Nelson
Presentation on the New Forestry Act initiative.

Jennifer Houghton, Campaign Director of the New Forest Act initiative, will present a citizen-developed legislative proposal designed to replace B.C.’s current forestry framework.
Residents in the Central Kootenay Region are increasingly interested in how forest management decisions affect drinking water, wildfire risk, and long-term economic stability.
Events are structured as a public presentation followed by a question-and-answer period.
The full tour includes communities across the Interior and Vancouver Island throughout June.

More information and full tour details:  https://boundaryforest.org/new-forest-act-roadshow-2026-info/