Health & Wellbeing

Human health is intimately connected to the health of the planet. We need fresh water, clean oceans, and natural spaces that contain a rich array of animals, insects and plants. Promoting education about and recreation in our natural spaces has been a part of the Sierra Club philosophy since it was founded in 1892.

Ontario Chapter hiring two summer interns

Kristina Jackson's picture
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.

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. 

               

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. 

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.

Canadian Youth Unite for Lake Erie at AquaHacking Challenge 2017

Yvonne Ho — December 20, 2017

As the African proverb goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”. This was quoted by one of the judges to conclude the 2017 AquaHacking semi-finals competition. It epitomized a powerful theme for an evening that involved bringing people and organizations together that had been working to develop integrated water governance by promoting technological innovation in this sector. Moreover, to engage future leaders by bringing water problems to the forefront of public and private sector agendas and fostering commitment to solving them. 

"Canada's Oceans: Towards 2020" - Protecting Canada's Oceans through the Power of Science, Art, and Policy

Yvonne Ho — December 18, 2017

"Let's change our national motto - "From sea to sea" forgets that we have three oceans; the Arctic is largest part of our coastline. We're an ocean nation, if our youth grow up knowing that, it will change how we do things... 'From sea to sea to sea'!" - Geoff Green, Executive Director and Founder of Students on Ice

Sierra Club's Urban River Valley and Greenbelt Celebration Goes On at Mississauga's Environmental Appreciation Evening

Yvonne Ho — December 14, 2017

"...The more we all know about and love the ecosystem that embeds and surrounds us, the more we feel that we are a part of it, the more we will see ways to enjoy, protect, and enhance what we have..."

BREAKING NEWS: Government of Ontario looking to expand Greenbelt by one third to protect water resources

Yvonne Ho — December 12, 2017

The official announcement came on December 7th.  The province is proposing to grow the Greenbelt by up to another 345,000 hectares (see Figure 1), adding on to the 810,000 hectares already in permanent existence plus the extra 10,000 hectares of urban river valley lands and wetlands that were announced this spring. This is a truly impressive proposal.

Guest Post: One million cubic meters of Radioactive Waste to be deposited in "Near Surface Disposal Facility" next to Ottawa River

Yvonne Ho — November 20, 2017

"..The consortium proposes a  “Near Surface Disposal Facility” (NSDF), a mound of one million cubic meters of nuclear waste on a hillside draining into the already highly contaminated Perch Creek wetlands, less than 1 km from the Ottawa River.

Sierra Club Celebrates Ontario’s Greenbelt with cake, soup, and a hike in Niagara’s Carolinian old growth forest

Yvonne Ho — November 10, 2017

The Celebration

On the afternoon of October 28th, on St. Catharine’s' Lockhart Drive in a threatened Carolinian Old Growth Forest north of the Niagara Escarpment, the Sierra Club celebrated a major environmental victory. This was the extension of Ontario's Greenbelt to 21 major urban river corridors from Northumberald to Niagara. In Niagara, this involved the protection of Lake Gibson - a reservoir for most of the drinking water for Niagara's residents.

Government of Ontario's "Long-Term Energy Plan" fails to uphold Ontarians' environmental and energy future

Becky Bassick — October 27, 2017

The following article was written by Becky Bassick, Sierra Club Ontario's Green Energy & Great Lakes Campaign Volunteer.


“By wasting billions on nuclear rebuilds rather than investing in far more cost-effective energy efficiency and hydro imports, the government's plan misses out on the best opportunities to lower energy and environmental costs.”


Time to Celebrate: 21 New Rivers Added to Ontario's Greenbelt!

Yvonne Ho — October 5, 2017

PLEASE JOIN US IN CELEBRATING 21 NEW RIVERS ADDED TO ONTARIO'S GREENBELT...

                                                                                                                     THEN                                                                                                                                                       

...HIKE THE ENDANGERED LOCKHART DRIVE OLD GROWTH FOREST WITH US!

Good News!

Sierra Club Ontario joins 47 ENGOs to Comment on Great Lakes Draft Binational Strategy on Persistent Toxins: PCBs and HBDCs

Becky Bassick — September 27, 2017
"The PCB and HBCD drafts suffer from a lack of specifics. There are no definitive goals or timelines in either document. They use generic terms such as “reducing toxins,” but fail to elaborate on how to reduce them."