Blog

The Ontario Greenbelt is a great success, but is its future secure?

anonymous — August 19, 2016
At almost 2 million acres, it’s the world’s largest permanently protected greenbelt. Dan McDermott, who is just stepping down as Chapter Director of Sierra Ontario after many years, weighs in on the Greenbelt’s successes and his concerns for its future as it reaches the ten-year review point.

Is Big Oil Finally Getting the Message?

anonymous — August 17, 2016
Author Upton Sinclair once said 'It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it', and that is certainly the case when the oil industry considers global warming.

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.

Can’t We Just Say No?

Gretchen Fitzgerald — July 26, 2016
Joint US / Canada Sierra Club Meeting 2005

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.

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.