Cascadia today: WA pushes back on BC pipeline + First Nations want salmon in Skagit + longtime Vancouver punk figure Doug Proulx dies

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As Canada fast tracks BC pipeline, WA pushes back

The Tyee has more on Canadian prime minister Mark Carney's announcement that a new oil pipeline between Albert and British Columbia will be "fast tracked" with minimal environmental review an Indigenous consultation. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs issued a letter highly critical of the plan, noting an increase in Salish Sea tanker traffic will endanger threatened salmon and orcas as well as “unacceptable risks from oil spills, environmental degradation and accelerating climate change." The Tyee also reports on a letter sent by the Washington department of ecology critical of the plan, which would double export of petroleum, and could significantly increase the risk of an oil spill in waters shared by BC and WA.

The pipeline is partly an effort by Carney to defuse a growing right-wing separatist movement in Alberta, which I wrote about this week.

So, Cascadia. We need to talk about Alberta.

So how does a progressive movement for Cascadia independence respond to the Alberta separatist movement, which has put a non-binding secession measure up for a vote on Oct 19?

Cascadia JournalAndrew Engelson

Seattle lost 18,000 jobs in 2025

KUOW looks at a new report that found that Seattle lost 18,000 jobs in 2025, as major employers such as Amazon and Starbucks shed workers. Washington's tax receipts have been flat, meaning the legislature will be scrambling to balance its budget next session. Meanwhile, Oregon's economy seems to be doing better after years of stagnation.

First OR governor's debate focuses on education, affordability

OPB reports on the first debate between Oregon governor Tina Kotek and her challenger, Christine Drazan. Drazan advocated for lower taxes, while Kotek continually noted that her opponent's party gave us Donald Trump. There were sharp exchanges about low achievement rates at Oregon schools, and Drazan's lack of support for regulating data centers. As much as I've been critical of the current governor, I recommend a vote for Kotek.

Spokane police didn't have probable cause in fatal shooting

RANGE Media has some great reporting on a 2024 fatal shooting by Spokane police officers, and found through public records that the two officers involved texted and joked about how they would justify the killing, noting there was no probable cause for arrest. The two officers fatally shot Joshua Mussleman, who was in a mental health crisis and firing a pellet rifle into the woods from his home.

In other cop news, some conservative Seattle city council members want even more money for SPD in the next city budget even after mayor Katie Wilson proposed a $68 million increase in police funding, the Urbanist reports. Meanwhile SPD mistakenly overpaid officers by $13 million and the city is looking to scoop it back, Publicola reports. Oh and turns out SPD has a whole bunch of additional surveillance cameras on private property that it never reported publicly.

BC First Nations welcome effort to return salmon to Skagit

The Narwhal has a great feature on a cross-border development that could return salmon to the upper Skagit river in British Columbia. First Nations in BC are cautiously optimistic about a new plan put forward Seattle City Light, which operates three dams on the Skagit river. It plans to spend $1 billion on fish passage above the dams so that salmon can return to the upper river for the first time in a century. Indigenous nations on both sides of the border have pushed for the plan, including the Upper Skagit Tribe in WA and the Okanagan National Alliance in BC.

“We were not allowed a voice or a choice when the first dam was built. We see redemption today by signing this agreement. We do have that voice from now on.” --Scott Schuyler, Upper Skagit Tribe

Longtime Vancouver punk legend Doug Proulx dies

The Georgia Straight reports that Doug "Donut" Proulx, a longtime presence in Vancouver's punk scene, has died. The drummer behind the band Death Sentence, who was of Lakota Métis descent, was a huge influence in Vancouver's punk scene in the 1980s. The album Not a Pretty Sight (which the Straight included in its list of top 50 albums out of Vancouver) took Vancouver punk in a more heavy, metal-inspired direction. RIP.

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend! --Andy