Media Releases

Treading Water on Climate Change

Posted on October 7, 2014
Sierra reacts to Environment Commissioner's report

MEDIA RELEASE 
October 7, 2014 

OTTAWA – The Environment Commissioner’s audit documents Canada’s lack of action on climate change, preventing pollution from the Tar Sands and lack of preparation for increasing shipping in the Arctic.

“Canada is treading water on climate change, Tar Sands pollution and arctic shipping,” said Sierra Club’s John Bennett. “We need legislation, regulation and enforcement.”

The Environment Commissioner found Environment Canada is doing a reasonable job tracking Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, but is making little headway on reducing emissions or living up to Canada’s international commitments.

Religious and Indigenous Leaders: Canada, United States need to modernize Columbia River Treaty

Posted on September 23, 2014
President Obama and Prime Minister Harper urged to right historic wrongs and advance water stewardship

MEDIA RELEASE
September 23, 2014

Today religious and indigenous leaders urged President Obama and Prime Minister Harper to start negotiations to modernize the Columbia River Treaty. Both nations need to work together to right historic wrongs and promote water stewardship in the face of climate change. The letter, signed by 14 religious leaders and 7 indigenous leaders representing nearly all Tribes and First Nations in the Columbia Basin, transmitted a Declaration on Ethics and modernizing the Columbia River Treaty as a foundation for international negotiations.

Response to federal announcement on vehicle emissions regulations

Posted on September 22, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, September 22, 2014

"Copycat regs that don't kick in for a decade is just more baffle gab from a do-nothing government," said John Bennett, National Program Director, Sierra Club Canada Foundation.

"Now, if Canada actually had regulations like what's coming in in the United States that would be great, and we'd say that," said Mr. Bennett. "But we don't actually have anything like that. We just have a fog machine of perpetual hollow announcements."

"If the federal government was serious about climate change they would be rolling out regulations for the oil and gas sector," concluded Mr. Bennett.

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#PeoplesClimateMarch

Posted on September 19, 2014
MEDIA ADVISORY, September 19, 2014

John Bennett, National Program Director, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, will be participating in the Peoples Climate March, Sunday, September 21st, in New York City.

Mr. Bennett stated he was going because: "I'm done waiting. 25 years of waiting is enough. We need action now!"

Mr. Bennett will be available to comment during and after the Peoples Climate March at: 613.291.6888

You can follow John on Twitter at: @John__Bennett

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For more information:

Canadians outraged by Natural Resources Minister

Posted on September 18, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, September 18, 2014

OTTAWA – Sierra Club Canada Foundation supporters were disturbed to discover Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford is so uninterested he has shut down his Parliamentary email (greg.rickford@parl.gc.ca).

Sierra Club Canada Foundation initiated an email campaign in response to learning Mr. Rickford's briefing binder instructed him to push for expanding Canada’s oil industry and ignored climate change. In 2005, Natural Resources Canada was responsible for administering numerous climate change programs designed to assist Canadians in living up to our Kyoto Protocol commitments.

Unicycling for Climate Change

Posted on September 10, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, September 11, 2014

OTTAWA – This Monday, September 15, 2014, Joseph Boutilier, a 24-year-old from Victoria B.C., will be completing his five-month long cross-country unicycle ride to raise awareness about climate change in Canada.

Boutilier’s one-wheel ride (the “Unity for the Climate Tour”) began on April 5, 2014. So far, his unicycle tour has taken him through five provinces and three U.S. states.

His 5,000 km journey – aimed at making climate change a priority issue in the 2015 election -- will conclude at noon on Monday when Boutilier reaches Parliament Hill.

Joseph planned for his journey to end on the day Parliament resumed with the aim of meeting as many Members of Parliament as possible to discuss climate change policy.

Sierra Club Celebrates Victory Against Fracking in Nova Scotia

Posted on September 3, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, September 3, 2014

Today, Nova Scotia’s Energy Minister Andrew Younger announced that his government will introduce legislation for a moratorium on fracking in the upcoming legislative session (see announcement here).

“This is a huge victory for citizens. The government has heard our call for real evidence of safety before proceeding with dangerous activities, like fracking,” said Gretchen Fitzgerald, Campaigns Director fro Sierra Club Canada Foundations’ Atlantic Canada Chapter.

Today we fight back!

Posted on September 3, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, September 3, 2014

MEDIA RELEASE
September 3, 2014

I have historic news. Today, we start to fight back.

This morning the Ontario Beekeepers launched a lawsuit against Bayer and Syngenta - the manufacturers of bee killing neonicotinoid pesticides.

These companies have raked in billions selling these pesticides in full knowledge of how lethal they are to bees.

So far we have looked to government and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency to enforce the law, but once I sat down with the head of the Agency and key staff in June it became clear to me that the PMRA is infused with inertia and has no sense of urgency.

Government of Nova Scotia Needs to Ban Fracking

Posted on August 28, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, August 28, 2014

Sierra Club Canada Foundation is calling for a provincial ban on fracking based on the outcomes of a public review on fracking, released today. Click here to download the review

“This report makes it clear that fracking cannot proceed safely, and that the people of Nova Scotia are deeply concerned about its impacts on their health and communities, “ according to Gretchen Fitzgerald, Campaigns Director of the Atlantic Chapter.

“We are calling on the province of Nova Scotia to act immediately to draft a moratorium on fracking,” states John Bennett, National Program Director, Sierra Club Canada Foundation. “Nova Scotians deserve the certainty that their communities will be safe.”

Sierra Club supports call for pesticide-free buffer zones

Posted on August 20, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, August 20, 2014

The national environmental group Sierra Club Canada today announced its support for pesticide-free buffer zones around key public areas on Prince Edward Island.

"This is a minimum standard for protection of public health," said Sierra Club PEI volunteer and national board member Tony Reddin. "The citizens' group Pesticide-Free PEI has asked the PEI government to create pesticide-free buffer zones of at least 25 meters around children's playgrounds, schools, preschools, bus stops, hospitals, and senior citizens' homes. We strongly support this request; and those regulations should be written to clearly apply to all pesticides, not just cosmetic urban applications."