Ontario Chapter

At Sierra Club Ontario, our work mainly focuses on protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem, growing and protecting the Greenbelt, and promoting Green Energy adoption in Ontario. Sierra Club Ontario also works on very local issues, in coordination with smaller communities in Ontario.

What's happening at the Ontario Chapter?

Sierra Club Activist Takes Stand Against Forest Destruction

anonymous — December 16, 2019

November 13, 2018, in her last annual report issued two days before the termination of her office the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, (ECO), Dianne Saxe, issued an eloquent plea to bolster protection for southern Ontario’s besieged forests. Forming Chapter Three of her Back to Basics, the report was expressively termed, “Southern Ontario’s Disappearing Forests.” Here Saxe wrote, “Conserving forests must become a top priority in land-use planning, and creating the conditions for healthy urban trees must become a top priority in urban planning.”

Sierra Club Ontario is seeking new Executive Committee members

Kristina Jackson's picture
Kristina Jackson — November 14, 2019

SCO is seeking members to serve on our volunteer Executive Committee, commencing January 2020. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 22, 2019.

Candidates should be passionate about environmental protection and supporting grassroots activists. Also must have a track record of commitment, reliability, and the ability to be a team player. Sierra Club is committed to equity and diversity in all of its appointments and activities. Self-nomination is welcome.

Prime Minister’s Tree Target Sets High Goal For Afforestation

John Bacher — October 31, 2019

Photo: Oka memorial (Quebec). Many of the Mohawks buried here are from families involved in the planting of the forest which took place between 1880 and 1920. Since for most of this period there were no tree nurseries geared to reforestation, the Mohawks had to gather pine seedlings from considerable distance to the north in canoes from forests where white pines still grew. Photo credit MaryLou Jorgensen-Bacher.

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Niagara's Unique Wetlands and Climate Change

John Bacher — October 10, 2019
Aerial view of smoke from Wainfleet Bog fire in 2016

Today Niagara Region serves as a carbon sink thanks to its extensive wetlands south of the Niagara Escarpment. While over 90% of Southern Ontario’s wetlands have been drained, the degradation has not hit southern Niagara, where only 10% have been lost. These wetlands, mostly forested except the 1,500 hectare Wainfleet Bog, contribute to the cooling of our traumatically overheating earth.

Two Ontario Native Communities On Front Lines To Avert Climate Change Disaster

John Bacher — October 4, 2019

The Objiway community of Eabametoong and Cree of Nestantaga in northern Ontario have found themselves on the front lines to avert catastrophe from climate change. They are anticipating a three-year struggle to oppose two new roads planned to accommodate mines in what has become known as Ontario’s Ring of Fire. The battle takes place via co-ordinated federal and provincial Environmental Assessments (EAs).

BioDiversity Day at Charles Webster Public School

anonymous — July 26, 2019

Responding to an impassioned invite from teacher George Lehto, SCO members Leslie, Francine, and Aleks visited Charles E. Webster Public School in Toronto where they met with students from the school’s eco-club. Webster P.S. is an ecoschool which means they focus on learning via connecting with conservation, environmentalism, and develop gardening, tree planting, on their property. 

Rouge National Urban Park: Opportunities for Enhancing Ecological Integrity

Alex Walker — July 26, 2019

Little Rouge River as seen from Vista Trail platformPhoto by Alex Walker

The Sierra Club Ontario has long supported the protection and re-naturalization efforts within the Rouge Watershed, specifically within the Rouge National Urban Park. The Friends of the Rouge Watershed (FRW) have been advocating for the continued protection of the Rouge, especially as it relates the Rouge National Urban Park (RNUP) Management Plan.

GTA West Corridor Poisoned Dagger Aimed at Lake Ontario

John Bacher — July 26, 2019

When the Minister of Transportation, Steven Del Duca, announced the termination of an environmental assessment for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) West Corridor in December of 2015, those who cherish the earth in Ontario gave a great sigh of relief. The proposed 50 kilometer-long expressway planned to slash through entirely environmental and agricultural zones, much of which is protected by the Greenbelt. The plan was a salt tipped dagger on Lake Ontario. 

Ontario Chapter hiring two summer interns

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Kristina Jackson — June 7, 2019

We have Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) grants to support two positions: a Research & Communications Intern and 'The Problem with Plastics' Intern.

Please review the job listings below, apply if you are interested, and share with others. We look forward to hearing from you!

Note: to qualify for CSJ positions you must a) be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment; and b) be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred.

Doug Ford’s Reforestation and Conservation Cuts Show He Has Historical Amnesia

John Bacher — May 13, 2019

www.johnbacherphd.ca
May 7, 2019


Reforestation and conservation cuts will only increase flooding and other environmental problems in an age when these problems are being amplified by climate change. We need to learn from past environmental mistakes if we wish to avoid repeating them.

 

New Ontario Government Energy Legislation Favours Big Business Over Consumers and the Environment

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Kristina Jackson — April 16, 2019

By David Poch, Green Energy Coalition

On March 21st Ontario Minister of Energy, Greg Rickford, released Bill 87, entitled Fixing the Hydro Mess. But rather than sustainably reducing consumer bills in Ontario it will enlarge the economic and environmental mess that past energy policies are visiting on the province. 

Diesel, people and the environment

Posted on April 4, 2019
Photo from Children's Clean Air Network

by Leslie Adams, SCO Executive Committee member

I hope that parents, school principal, and school board representatives in fact everyone!  read this. This year April 4, 2019, is Healthy Schools Day (HSD) in Canada, every year Annually HSD highlights an important challenge to children’s health and the environment.  Recognizing that awareness of an issue does not go far enough, HSD also outlines actions to take. The 2019 campaign focus is on the health impacts of diesel engine exhaust emissions and ways to reduce risk through exposure for the health of all. 

Ford Attacks Eco-Defenders Who Expose Secrecy and Deception

Posted on March 8, 2019
Written by Dr. John Bacher In a revealing move Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the shutdown of the newly created Local Planning Appeals Support Centre (LPASC). One of its important actions was to provide me with secret documents that had been suppressed improperly by the Niagara Falls Planning Department. These letters exposed how junk science paid for by a private developer was used to justify the destruction of provincially significant woodlands and wildlife habitat.

Radioactive Waste: Unacceptable Burdens on Future Generations

Posted on February 12, 2019
In 2015 the Harper Government gave five corporations based in the U.K., U.S. and Canada a 10-year contract to find fast and cheap ways to dispose of the federal government’s own radioactive waste. The corporations are proposing to build a massive above-ground radioactive waste mound at Chalk River, Ontario; and to convert federal nuclear reactors in Rolphton, Ontario and Pinawa, Manitoba into concrete tombs.