Grassroots Action

What makes the Sierra Club Canada Foundation so effective is our network of experts, partners and volunteers. Our chapters are engaged in many projects at the local level. Want to get involved? Contact our national office or your local chapter. If you have a dedicated group of members who want to lead their own projects within a region, you could start a Group. According to our organization's policy: Groups may be formed by any three or more members who wish to be active in their local community or within a larger geographic area, in relation to a particular conservation issue or issues, with the intention that the group exist on an ongoing basis. Otherwise, more time-limited local issues are to be managed within the auspices of the Chapter, or if none exists, then in co- operation with program staff working at the national level.

The case against urban sprawl in Midhurst, Simcoe County

Yvonne Ho — June 23, 2017

"The Minesing Wetlands is a haven for wildlife in a denuded and biologically sterile environment, at risk of being washed over by shock waves of urban sprawl unleashed by a storm of developers’ greed."

The following article was written by Elder Danny Beaton of the Mohawk Turtle Clan and an internationally recognized protector of Mother Earth, a

Significant changes needed to tackle Lake Erie’s algal bloom problem

Yvonne Ho — June 22, 2017

Lake Erie's algal blooms are hurting the lake's ecosystem, Ontario’s economy, and the health of communities that depend on it.


The following article was written by Dr. Lino Grima, former professor of Water Resources Policy and Environmental Management at the University of Toronto, Chair of Sierra Club Ontario's Great Lakes Campaign and Co-Chair of Sierra Club's Binational Great Lakes Committee.

Dan McDermott's Legacy as Freshwater Hero

Yvonne Ho — June 16, 2017

The following blog was written by Kristina Jackson, Sierra Club Canada Foundation's National Operations Director, and long time friend and colleague of Dan McDermott.

The Freshwater Hero 2017 award is a canoe-shaped piece of wood, lovely, solid and smooth. The canoe shape indicates the close connection between humans and water. And in this case it symbolizes the respect of other enviros for Sierra Club's Dan McDermott.

Niagara's Escarpment-Decew Falls Forest, Largest Remaining Woodland in St. Catharines, at Risk of Losing "Natural Area" Designation and Protection

Yvonne Ho — May 7, 2017
Decew Falls, St Catharines

The Escarpment-Decew Falls Forest - which has been identified as an Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) in the Niagara Region, and is the largest remaining woodland in the City of St. Catharines - has been the subject of a 40-year battle between Brock University and the environmentalists who seek to protect it...

ACTION ALERT: Act Now to Protect our Greenbelt from Costly Urban Sprawl

Yvonne Ho — March 21, 2017


Going from Greenbelt to a ‘Swiss Cheese belt’...

On Monday March 20th, the development industry hosted a lobby day at Queen’s Park to drive home the message that land in and around the Greenbelt is essential to avert the growing housing crisis in Toronto and the GTA. However, we know this is not accurate. 

Remembering Dan McDermott - Former Chapter Director, Sierra Club Ontario

Yvonne Ho — January 20, 2017

Dan McDermott (May 6, 1947 - January 4, 2017)

 

Dan McDermott, Sierra Club Canada’s Ontario Chapter Director for 13 years, passed away peacefully on January 4th 2017. It is wonderful to see his influential life mentioned in these posts, which have featured in the news recently with reflections and thoughts on Dan’s life, what he dedicated it to, and his passing three weeks ago.

 

In Defence of the Gulf of St. Lawrence - Open Letter to Federal and Provincial Ministers

Gretchen Fitzgerald — January 12, 2017

To the federal and provincial governments who have the jurisdiction over this issue, we submit this letter - signed by over 1400 people in under 72 hours. It is time to stand up for the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the people who border it's waters, and the thousands of species who call it home. 

See Media Release

Make Muskrat Right - It's On all of Us Now

Gretchen Fitzgerald — October 28, 2016

Over the past few weeks,  protests about the potential for methyl mercury contamination downstream of the Muskrat Falls development in Labrador made national headlines. Sierra Club Canada Foundation has voiced strong opposition to the Muskrat Falls project for years, and tried to show the damage it will cause to wildlife and the Grande River, and the people who live downstream. We also tried to demonstrate that this type of mega-hydro development was not needed to meet our climate objectives, and there were plenty of less damaging, less expensive alternatives. All to no avail. Till now.