British Columbia has ordered the oil and gas industry to temporarily stop diverting water to operations in one northeast district, and is now considering banning water use by other industries in other parts of the province, as it tries to conserve resources for its fight against the twin crises of drought and wildfires. At a news conference in Vancouver on Thursday, government officials explained that B.C.’s government is also working with municipalities, regional districts and First Nations to escalate restrictions on personal water usage.
Alberta relaxed far more environmental rules than any other government in Canada during pandemic, study finds
Alberta relaxed more environmental rules in response to the COVID-19 pandemic than any other government in Canada, says a study from the University of Calgary. "I didn't find any other jurisdiction that went as far as Alberta did," said Victoria Goodday, a researcher at the university's School of Public Policy. "The degree of rollbacks, they were most significant in Alberta." Goodday noticed that after the pandemic hit last spring, governments across Canada began loosening environmental restrictions.