B.C. First Nation ‘furious’ after federal government rejects order to protect owls

By Chuck Chiang THE CANADIAN PRESS VANCOUVER- A federal government decision to reverse course on issuing an emergency order for the northern spotted owl has angered the British Columbia First Nation that asked for the protection of the endangered species. Spuzzum First Nation Chief James Hobart said members of his community are “furious” after the federal government decision was outlined in a letter issued this week by the Canadian Wildlife Service, a branch of the Department of Environment. The letter said the federal government will not bring in an emergency order to prevent logging in two watersheds within Spuzzum Nation territory in B.C.’s lower Fraser River canyon. The logging was an activity that Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault had said posed “an imminent threat” to the survival of the species. Guilbeault…

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