The HemLoft is an egg-shaped treehouse that Joel Allen built over three years on an imposing hemlock tree he found on crown (government owned) land near Whistler, British Columbia. Until recently, Allen kept the beautiful, illegally-built structure secret, but now that it's been shared with the world, what will happen to it?
posted by ocherdraco on Apr 25, 2012 - 47 comments

About 13 km (8 miles) north of the US/Canada border is Spotted Lake (Google Maps/streetview), a endorheic basin, or terminal lake. In wetter times, the lake is full, but spots are visible. During the summer months, the water level drops, leaving spots of mineral-rich water. The waters have long been considered therapeutic, and one story cites a truce in a battle to allow both warring tribes to tend to their wounded in the lake. Though a sacred medicine lake of the Okanagan People, the lake and the land around it were privately owned for 40 years. Mineral-rich salts were harvested during World War I for munitions, and decades later, the land owners were looking to mine the mud to sell for use in therapeutic spas. In 2001, the land was finally purchased by the The Indian Affairs Department and the Okanagan Nation Alliance. kłlil'x^w is property of the Okanagan Nation once more. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief on Feb 15, 2012 - 8 comments

An inquiry has been set up in BC in response to the poor response by the police to missing women from the Robert Pickton case. (Previously 1, 2, 3, 4.) Many smaller groups, such a drop-in centre for sex workers in East Vancouver and First Nations groups have withdrawn amidst allegations that the inquiry is fundamentally biased towards protecting the police, and larger groups such as Amnesty International and the BC Civil Liberties Association have also withdrawn in support. [more inside]
posted by jeather on Oct 7, 2011 - 19 comments

Around the Coast Mountains The first part of my trip in 2010 was a kayak journey up the Inside Passage from Richmond, BC to Prince Rupert, BC... I only made it halfway in 2010, which was still quite a trip though! Next summer I plan to continue the kayak expedition and maybe start the bike ride back down the other side. MarkBC started his trip in Vancouver, British Columbia in June 2010, and ended his trip that August at Port Hardy, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, after traveling along the Inside Passage. He traveled by inflatable kayak, and took plenty of interesting photos of wildlife along the way. He camped on the beach most of the way. [more inside]
posted by KokuRyu on Feb 28, 2011 - 16 comments

Land's End: Photographer and writer Christopher Grabowski documents the fading industrial towns of the British Columbia coast. Interview, and some of his other Photo Essays at Geist Magazine.
posted by Rumple on Aug 18, 2009 - 11 comments

Elections BC (Source: CBC) is having a tough time keeping up with all the bloggers "publishing partisan messages during the current election campaign.". Under current law they are asking all bloggers to register as advertisers, while also going on record as being open to changing the law.
posted by futureproof on May 15, 2005 - 14 comments

Tell me, maties... Who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe? Who stole more treasure than he could carry from the Spanish pig-dogs? Aye, the most famous pirate of all, Sir Francis Drake! Some say he even invaded British Colombia with the world's first steam-powered ship...
posted by kaibutsu on Sep 19, 2003 - 6 comments

British Columbia joins Ontario as the second province in Canada to allow gay marriage. Not everyone is happy though.
posted by cyberbry on Jul 8, 2003 - 51 comments