10/7 Crow power, Shell rail ends, BC pipe con & pro, Canadian media

Phil Wood and Lokei (PHOTO: Phil Wood/CBC)

Terrace student credits pet crow for keeping him sober
Phil Wood first saw Lokei the crow just outside a trail near his dormitory on the Terrace, B.C. campus of Northwest Community College. The month-old crow was injured, so Wood got a friend to help wrap the tiny bird in a towel and bring it back to his dorm room…. Wood, 34, is currently a student in the construction trade and labour program at the school. When he first started, he said, he didn't know if he'd be able to complete the program. "I'm a recovering addict," he explained. "Finding Lokei gave me something to come home to ... being able to take away all the problems in my mind and kind of put all the good will into this bird, it allowed me to stay in my course." Roshini Nair reports. (CBC)

Editorial Note: Helen Engle writes regarding the illustration of the river otter shown in yesterday's posting: "The citation should be 'By Earl. J. Larrison, illustrations by Amy C. Fisher.'  Dr. Larrison was active in Seattle Audubon Society and [presided] over the wonderful field trips at the state’s Audubon campout on Wenas Creek every Memorial Day weekend for decades.  He was always a teacher and wrote many books and articles about our flora and fauna.  Now that it’s SAS 100th Anniversary it was fitting to remind us of Dr. Larrision."

Shell calls off rail unloading facility project l
Puget Sound Refinery announced Thursday it is no longer pursuing the rail unloading facility addressed in the document. Refinery officials say the decision to call off the project is for economic reasons, the only connection to the draft environmental impact statement, or EIS, being a good milestone at which to make the announcement. Refinery general manager Shirley Yap said when Shell started pursuing a rail facility, the price of Bakken crude oil was advantageous compared to other sources. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

B.C. urged to reject Kinder Morgan pipeline for failing key condition
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark is being challenged to reject Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion proposal because it can never meet one of her five conditions to support oil pipeline development. More than 30 environmental, social and aboriginal groups from across Canada have sent a letter to Clark that reminds her that one of B.C.’s conditions for pipeline support includes assurances of a world-leading oil-spill response. The groups say a study from the National Academy of Science concludes that oil containing diluted bitumen acts differently than other types of crude when spilled. The study warns diluted bitumen sinks in water and there is no known way to clean up heavy oils that settle to the bottom of oceans, lakes or rivers. The groups, which include Greenpeace and the Council of Canadians, say Clark must stick to her conditions and reject Kinder Morgan’s proposal, even though it is widely expected to receive federal approval by year’s end. (Canadian Press)

Forty B.C. aboriginal ‘groups’ back pipeline megaprojects
Forty B.C. aboriginal groups have quietly submitted supportive letters as Kinder Morgan and Enbridge tried to overcome controversy while seeking approval for their oilsands pipelines, according to a Postmedia analysis. The letters appear to challenge the recent claim by a coalition of North American native leaders saying there is “unprecedented unity” against the megaproject proposals. Financial statements indicate that a total of more than $9.3 million has already been distributed to some of these supporters in the past two years. That is a fraction of the expected payoff if one or both of the proposals get federal approval. Peter O'Neil reports. (Vancouver Sun)

'No news is bad news': Canadian media is collapsing, says journalist and author
The media landscape is shifting dramatically and Vancouver is one of many cities that are feeling the crunch due to declines in advertising and sales and the rise of digital platforms. Earlier this year, newspaper giant Postmedia cut 90 jobs across the country, merging the Vancouver Sun and the Province newsrooms. And just this week, the 24-Hour newspaper in Vancouver closed its doors, laying off its entire staff. "News poverty, as it's now called in Canada, has reached critical levels," said Ian Gill, former Vancouver Sun and CBC Television reporter. "And if you do not have people paying attention and making sense of complex issues, it's actually really bad for democracy." (CBC)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT FRI OCT 7 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON  

TODAY  SW WIND 20 TO 30 KT...BECOMING W 15 TO 25 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. SW SWELL 11 FT AT 9 SECONDS...  BECOMING W 9 FT AT 9 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS  IN THE MORNING...THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT  SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND  WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF  RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT  E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SE TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 4 FT  AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY.
SAT NIGHT  W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT  AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN  LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT  17 SECONDS.

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