|
Climate Change Action Across the
Nation
The UN Climate Conference in Montreal is fast-approaching! This is the first international
climate change conference since ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. For
details and information about how you can help steer the course of
climate policy history, go to: www.kyoto-montreal.ca
Want to brush up on the
history, science and critical issues facing COP-11 in Montreal, November
28 - December , 2005? Read Sierra Club of Canada's A
Planetary Citizen’s Guide to the Global Climate Negotiations -or- How to
Use a MOP
Regional Events
Can't make it to Montreal?
Check out an event in your part of Canada!
November 14th - Regina, 7.30
pm, Royal Saskatchewan Museum, College and Albert
November 15th - Saskatoon, 7.30 pm, Saskatoon
Public Library, 311 23rd St. East
November 17th - Halifax (contact the Sierra Club of
Canada Atlantic Chapter 902-444-3113 for more information)
National Office
Celebrating the lives of two extraordinary
women!
November 21 2005 is the date
selected for a special SCC reception to celebrate the achievements of
Senator Mira Spivak and SCC Executive Director, Elizabeth May. SCC will
present Senator Spivak with its Lifetime Achievement Award - this
prestigious ward honours a person in public life who has contributed
significantly throughout his or her lifetime to environmental protection
and restoration. At the same event, we will celebrate the recent
nomination of Elizabeth May as an Officer of the Order of Canada. Tickets
will go on sale shortly. Please contact Ashley Page for more
information (info@sierraclub.ca)
MUCHMEMBERS 2005
The MUCHMEMBERS 2005 membership drive
has now come to a close and we would like to thank our
groups and members for their enthusiastic participation. Any new
memberships postmarked 31st October 2005 or earlier will be
counted. The contest results will be announced in mid November, and
will be detailed in the December 2005 Green Gazette.
Calendars Now Available
Sierra Club 2006 Wilderness Wall Calendars and
Engagement Calendars are now available through your chapter office. They
make a great Christmas gift while supporting your chapter. Please contact
your chapter for more information. The Sierra Club of Canada
National Office has a limited supply of Sierra Club 2006 Engagement
Calendars.
Order by calling 1-888-810-4204.
Sierra Club
of Canada Foundation's 2004 Annual Report Now Available Online
Take a look back at Sierra
Club of Canada’s projects and accomplishments for 2004 with the
foundation’s very first annual report, available in both print and
web-viewing versions, www.sierraclub.ca/foundation/about/index.html.
Also, you can find Sierra Club
of Canada Foundation audited financial statements for the last three
years available online. Print versions are also available at your
request!
Protecting Biodiversity
A database highlighting best
forestry practices in Canada was added to the National Forest Strategy (NFS)
web-based report card. The NFS is a national road map towards more
ecologically and socially sustainable forest management that includes
several commitments considered key by the Sierra Club of Canada, such as
strengthening the role of Aboriginal People in forest management,
maintaining carbon reservoirs, completing networks of protected areas and
using ecosystem-based forest management.
The best practices can be
viewed at: www.sierraforestwatch.ca
Say no to
more subsidies to Big Oil!
Imperial Oil is seeking $2 to
$3 billion in federal subsidies to construct the Mackenzie Gas Project,
which includes two pipelines (the longest of which is 1350 km long) and
three natural gas fields. Mackenzie gas is slated to fuel further
development of Alberta’s tar sands, which produces the most damaging type of
oil for the global atmosphere.
Imperial Oil is already
fabulously profitable, with over $700 million in profits in the third
quarter of 2005; the oil industry, including Imperial Oil, already
receives $1.4 billion in government subsidies every year.
Write, email or fax Deputy
Prime Minister Anne McLellan, with copies to Environment Minister
StÈphane Dion and NWT Premier Joe Handley and tell them to say no to more
subsidies for the Mackenzie Gas Project and yes to investments in energy
efficiency and wind and solar power.
Check out www.mackenziewild.ca for more
information.
People and the Planet 2006
SCC’s third People and the Planet conference will be
held from June 9 through June 11 2006 in Ottawa, at St. Paul’s
University. Watch this space for regular updates on the exciting speakers
and the stimulating conference program. Please contact Susan Paul for
more information (spaul@sierraclub.ca)
ELIZABETH MAY SPEAKS
November 10th to 12th - Responsibilities of
Citizenship & Public Service -- Crisis of Challenge
Organized by Trudeau Foundation & Institute for
Research on Public Policy) being held at Glendon College in Toronto.
Registration information at www.trudeau-irpp.org.
Elizabeth will be a discussant for Session 5: Shared Governance & the
Public Good on November 12th
"Climate Change, Kyoto, COP 11,
and Ottawa" - Elizabeth May
Tue, Nov 22 2005 7:15 PM
Location: Mountain Equipment Coop - 366 Richmond Rd
Ottawa
Contact: Graham Smart
Less than a week from the date
of this talk, the most important global negotiations on climate since the
1997 Kyoto conference will open its doors in Montreal. The 11th
Conference of the Parties will be combined with the First Meeting of the
Parties under the Kyoto Protocol. What does it all mean? Is progress
being made or are we hopelessly behind? What does science tell us about
increasing severe weather events and the melting Arctic? Come and find
out more.
Arctic Mission: Climate on the Edge
The National Film Board of
Canada, the McGill Alumni Association and the Lorne Trottier Public
Science Symposium present the series of films that will be introduced by
Elizabeth May.
The Arctic is on the front
line of climate change and it is sending us an urgent message: Global
warming is having a serious impact on the planet. As temperatures
increase, thousands of square kilometres of ice cap will soon disappear.
Scientists predict devastation if we don't change our ways. .
Arctic Mission is a collection
of five documentary films that explore the impact of global warming on
Canada's North.
November 28, 6-8 pm, Moyse Hall, Arts Building, McGill
University, 853 Sherbrooke St W
RSVP Sophia Johnson at 514-398-7684 or sophia.johnson@mcgill.ca This
event is open to the public and free of charge but seating is limited.
"Have Policies Led to Improved
Environmental Performance by Foreign Investors?"
Elizabeth May will be the
discussant for this topic at the Third North American Symposium on
Accessing the Environmental Effects of Trade, being held November 30th -
December 1st in Montreal. This Session is at 1:45pm on November 30th. For
more information on the event visit: www.cec.org/symposium.
ATLANTIC CANADA CHAPTER
Seismic Testing
for Oil and Gas Slated to Begin in Sydney Bight on Nov. 1st
The Atlantic Canada Chapter is
expected to take part in a Press Conference/Action to support the Women
for Environmental Sustainability (WES) fisheries group based in Souris,
PEI, in their concerns: "especially given that Sydney Bight is the
overwintering grounds for all adult herring in the entire Southern Gulf
as well as groundfish. To say nothing of the lobster, crab,
scallops, etc, etc who call it home.
Pesticide
Forum
On November 24, SCCACC will
host a conference in Wolfville, NS, to address common questions and
issues concerning pesticide bylaws in municipalities. The conference will
focus on municipalities and key speakers will address questions on legal
issues, enforcement, education, health issues and building community
support. Please visit http://www.sierraclub.ca/atlantic/pesticides/conference.htm
for more information or to register.
Campus Sustainability Audit Results
UPEI Env Studies released the
Campus Sustainability Audit Results this week. This is the SYC 'Greening
the Ivory Towers' Campus Sustainability Program. Part 2 will be carried
out by the Env Studies class in 2006.
GMOs in PEI
PEI's Provincial Legislative
Committee studying GMOs finished its hearings after hearing over 200
submissions, including a presentation by Tony Reddin, representing
SCCACC. Legislative Report is expected in November.
Atlantic Canada Energy Coalition
November 3rd in Charlottetown,
the coalition, which includes the Atlantic Chapter along with 3
provincial ENGOs, will host Michael Stoddard from Energy North East in
Portland Maine for a discussion of strategy and joint US/Canada action to
reduce fossil fuel consumption and prevent future climate catastrophes.
ONTARIO CHAPTER
Ottawa Local
Group Executive Committee Meetings
Monday, November 14 &
December 12 @ 7:00 pm
Location: 1 Nicholas Ave, Suite # 412 Ottawa
Contact: Daniel Van Vliet Email: danielvanvliet@rogers.com
EcoCertification
Cafe - Inside the Bottle
Tuesday, November 30,
2005 7-9 pm
Location: C'est What - 67 Front Street East
(downstairs) Toronto
Contact: Sandi Trillo, 416-485-9173
Email: info@ecocertontario.ca
Web: www.friendsofgaviotas.org/default.htm
Sierra Club’s EcoCertification
CafÈ meets monthly at a downtown cafÈ or pub to extend the conversations
that naturally begin at Sierra Club events. Books, articles and current
issues provide a focus for the conversations, but if you're not a reader,
just bring your thoughts!
In November the focus is
Sustainable Communities. For inspiration, we'll be reading the amazing
book "Gaviotas - A Village to Reinvent the World", by Alan
Weisman.
EcoCertification Program Team
Meeting
Tuesday, December 6
2005 7-9 pm
Location: Duke of Argyle, 86 John St, Toronto
Contact: Michelle, 416-960-9606
Email: michelleseem@gmail.com
Web: ontario.sierraclub.ca/ecocertification
This is a monthly meeting for
the EcoCertification Program Team, to plan upcoming sessions for the
EcoCertification Program (http://ontario.sierraclub.ca/ecocertification)
Agenda:
1. Review calendar of upcoming events -
discuss planned sessions, brainstorm for future sessions
2. Confirm logistical details of confirmed
sessions
3. Review advertising plan
4. Feedback/review of past sessions - how to
improve
If you're interested in
volunteering for the Sierra Club and/or the EcoCertification Program,
please feel free to come to this meeting to learn more.
Note: This meeting may be
replaced by a holiday party. Woohoo!
6th Annual
Bon Kanah of the Algonquin - Winter Outing
Thursday, January 26, 2006
- Long weekend trip
Location: Algonquin Park
Contact: Loretta Allen Phone: 416-960-9606
Email: loretta.allen@2workwell.com
Web:ontario.sierraclub.ca/outdoor_trips/
While Algonquin Park is
Canada's most popular canoe trip destination, few people have experienced
the stunning beauty of the park in winter. Frozen lakes, waist-deep snow,
wildlife tracks, the howl of a wolf and the crisp clear air are just a
few of the delights of a winter experience. The 'Bon Kanah' - or special
winter trails over land - offer fantastic opportunities for backcountry
snowshoeing and skiing.
For full details of the trip,
please see: http://ontario.sierraclub.ca/outdoor_trips/
PRAIRIE CHAPTER
Prosperous province called to "Invest in
Alberta"
Vast stores of Natural
Resources, high oil and gas prices and hard-working Albertans, have made
Alberta Canada's richest province.
The "Prosperity
Bonus" is an opportunity to take the money that citizens of Alberta
have gained from the exploitation of non-renewable resources and invest
in a clean energy future. "Invest in Alberta" aims to
support Alberta's transition towards a sustainable energy future for the
province by collecting pledges for a direct investment in the provinces
renewable energy sector. Our goal is make the provinces largest
single purchase of renewable energy by committing 1,000,000 of tax payer
money directly into a clean/green energy future. www.investinab.ca (coming soon)
Prairie Chapter partners with Transport Canada
(MOST), the Alberta Motor Association, and Commuter Connections to launch
SchoolPool.ca
SchoolPool.ca is an online
ridematching system and resource tool designed to assist in the creation
of carpools. Modeled after the success of Carpool.ca, SchoolPool.ca
will connect parents with other families in order to share commuting
needs. Not only will time be saved in the morning rush but
participants will be reducing greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing
trips to and from school, as well as reducing school based traffic
congestion (a solution that will ease both stress both from parents
driving to school as well as neighbours bothered by school congestion).
www.schoolpool.ca
(coming soon)
South Saskatchewan Group claims Governments
Greens Strategy Framework falls far short of setting clear direction for
province
The Prairie Chapter's South
Saskatchewan group responded to a government Greens Strategy
Framework. The report was full of inconsistencies and a summary of
our response as well as a detailed analysis can be found online at www.prairie.sierraclub.ca
Prairie Chapter responds to the MESS that has
been created by the release of MOSS (the provinces Mineable Oil Sands
Strategy)
The Alberta Government
released its plans for massive Tar Sands strategy last week which called
for unregulated and uncontrolled Tar Sands expansion over a 2500 square
kilometer stretch of the Boreal Forest. The Prairie Chapter along
with National office released its response immediately following.
Our response can be found online at www.prairie.sierraclub.ca
|
