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.

Some Good News — Environmental Bill of Rights Back in Effect

Lucy Bain — June 26, 2020

The Government of Ontario has decided to restore the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1994 (EBR), effective June 15, 2020. This is a big win for the environment. Ontario had previously suspended the key conditions of the EBR in early April. The suspension worked to eliminate public awareness of ongoing projects and the right to weigh in on environmentally significant decisions using the Environmental Registry.

This would be detrimental to those working towards greener practices. 

Join Us and Watch Your Butterfly Effect In Action!

Melissa Munro — April 30, 2020

A few weeks ago, I saw my first butterfly of the season. After a winter of erratic weather, and in the midst of this current health crisis, the sight of this beautiful little creature – its brilliant orange set ablaze against forlorn spring grass, with its wings gently fluttering – was a gift to my eyes and my heart. (It was not a Monarch. I’m still researching – perhaps it was a painted lady (Vanessa cardui?)

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. 

What Happens Now With the EPCOR Solar Farm?

Posted on July 19, 2019
Charles Richmond speaking with the press at Edmonton City Hall

Written by Jaclyn Layton

With over 72 square kilometres of lush river valley, Edmonton presents a unique intersection of urban and green space. More expansive than Stanley Park of Vancouver (4 square kilometres), or even Central Park in New York City (3.4 square kilometres),  Edmonton’s greenery is an aspect of the city that is celebrated, and therefore should be preserved and protected. The natural wonder of the North Saskatchewan River Valley has been at risk over the past 18 months over a proposed solar farm that would degrade the Valley’s natural state.

OPEN LETTER on Bill C-69 and the Role of Offshore Petroleum Boards

Gretchen Fitzgerald — June 13, 2019

June 13, 2019

 

Dear Ministers McKenna, Sohi, and Wilkinson,

 

The new Impact Assessment Act, Bill C69, will make environmental assessments for offshore oil and gas activities in Atlantic Canada have even less credibility than they do now.

 

The draft amendments to the bill introduced in the House of Commons on June 12 will allow offshore petroleum boards to chair review panels that will assess offshore oil and gas projects.

 

Provincial Highway Threatens Rare Native Grassland Ecosystem

Posted on June 5, 2019

Written by Warrick Baijius, Endangered Grassland Alliance

Saskatoon, SK, is a vibrant and growing prairie city within an agricultural landscape. But in and around Saskatoon there are some enchanting and ever-changing natural sites, gems that provide a glimpse into pre-settlement landscapes. These areas include complex and diverse combinations of native plant and animal communities, housed and fed in a mosaic of diverse habitats influenced by erosion, grazing, and fire. Some of these areas have fescue and mixed grassland prairie —globally the most threatened ecosystem, and regionally an increasingly rare occurrence (at 5% of original extent for fescue, and 9% to 15% for mixed).

Wild Child Spring Programming Was a Huge Success! Big Thanks to All Our Participants!

Lindsay Boucher — May 13, 2019
Picture this:
There is a group of fifteen five year old kids exploring a nearby forest. They are wandering around, digging holes, walking on logs, listening for birds - even stopping to look at rabbit droppings! With a magnifying glass in hand, these nature detectives are on the hunt to discover all the hidden treasures nature has to offer.

This is a typical day for our participants at our Wild Child Nature Immersion Program. 

               

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.