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Home Again from Energy East

Gretchen Fitzgerald — August 11, 2016

It's good to be home. Thanks to everyone who wrote to me to show support and send their good wishes as we entered Day 1 of the National Energy Board’s public sessions on the Energy East pipeline.

Thirteen years ago, I was hired as a consultant to provide expert advice on the impacts of the Digby Quarry. The local community had become alarmed about the quarry when they heard about plans to build a marine terminal at the site. Clearly, the quarry, which was originally 3.9 hectares –the size of quarry that eludes environmental assessment in Nova Scotia –was going to be much larger than they had thought. Turned out, a 120 hectare quarry was planned, located 50 metres from the shoreline.

Beyond Boom and Bust: Listening to the Atlantic on World Oceans Day

Gretchen Fitzgerald — June 8, 2016

The return of folks from western oil and gas fields as a result of the plunge in oil prices and devastating fires in Northern Alberta may seem to have nothing to do with Oceans Day. But to longtime residents of Atlantic Canada being buffeted by economic and ecological tides, it is a rhythm that is all-too-familiar.

ACTION ALERT: Time for Canada to Rejoin the UN Desertification Convention

Diane Beckett — June 7, 2016

The federal government is receiving a loud, public request this week that it rejoin the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Federal Asbestos Ban is Long Overdue

Diane Beckett — May 24, 2016

It’s already the country’s leading cause of work-related death, killing more than 2,000 Canadians per year and more than 107,000 people around the world. And because it can take up to 50 years to develop, new cases are expected to accumulate for decades to come.

Three Provinces and Climate Change: The Good, The Bad, and the Silent

Diane Beckett — May 20, 2016

The week was scarcely half over by the time three provincial governments or their advisors had weighed in on Canada’s emerging climate strategy. The stark differences in approach—from a visionary, ambitious program in Ontario, to outright climate denial in Saskatchewan—point to the challenges ahead in the effort to forge an effective, pan-Canadian response to climate change.

‘Humans Can’t Even Photosynthesize!’: The Natural World is Smarter Than We Think

Diane Beckett — May 17, 2016

The inanimate world is smarter than we think, says U.S. botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ph.D., in a recent edition of the On Being podcast: Before we get too impressed with the dominance of human structures over natural systems, she notes, let’s not forget that humans can’t even photosynthesize!

Our Friends in Alberta Need Our Support

Diane Beckett — May 6, 2016

Right now, tens of thousands of people from Fort McMurray and surrounding communities have fled the raging fires overtaking and threatening their neighbourhoods, their homes, their treasured keepsakes and memories, and their most basic sense of safety.

Leave Your Mark

Diane Beckett — April 22, 2016

You have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to leave your mark and push Canada towards a strong climate strategy – right now.

NAFTA on Steroids: With New Trade Deal, ‘If You’re Not at the Table, You’re on the Menu’

Diane Beckett — April 21, 2016

For a chilling view of Canada’s possible future, look no farther than the shamelessly brazen, $15-billion lawsuit that TransCanada Corporation launched against the United States government, after President Barack Obama had the temerity to refuse a permit for the company’s controversial Keystone XL pipeline.