Ontario Chapter

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At Sierra Club Ontario, our work mainly focuses on protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem, increasing awareness about air pollution, and promoting Green Energy adoption in Ontario. Sierra Club Ontario also works on very local issues, in coordination with smaller communities in Ontario.

What's happening at the Ontario Chapter?

Assault on Carolinian Forests in Bacher V. GR CAN Investments et al.

By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan. — June 30, 2022

In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.

From John Bacher: 

Recently when I was reviewing the decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Bacher V. GR CAN Investments, I received grim news of brutal events in the Amazonian rainforest. This showed the similarity of the assaults of the woodlands of the Carolinian life zone, Canada’s most biologically diverse biome, with another critical cradle of species diversity on our planet. 

Peel group supports sustainable communities at Bike the Creek

Posted on June 21, 2022

Members of our Peel Group were out at Bike the Creek this past weekend to support sustainability in the Peel region and talk about their work with the Sierra Club.

Bike the Creek is an annual Peel-based cycling event to promote a culture of active transportation in the community.

Peel members supported the event's Eco Station to make the event as waste-free as possible. Members also provided guidance to the public on recycling and composting best practices.

Major Conflicts Over Land Use Planning Threaten Lake Ontario

By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan. — June 8, 2022

In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.

From John Bacher:

The health of the great lake of Ontario, which is a Seneca translation of the words Beautiful Clear Lake, is one of the significant issues facing the province for which it is named. In the watershed of the Great Lakes live most of Ontario’s people. The health of the Great Lakes and its tributaries are threatened by the curses of urban sprawl and expressways. 

The Battle to Save Lake Simcoe Should Be on Voters’ Minds This Election

By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan. — May 10, 2022

In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.

From John Bacher:

Critical environmental indicators, which should send warning signals at the polls, are the fate of native cold-water fisheries. These are important warning signals of pollution since self-supporting cold-water fisheries will not survive in polluted environments. What should send alarm bells off on election day is the fate of Lake Simcoe’s Lake Trout.  

Key Issues for Environmental Justice in the Ontario 2022 Election

Posted on May 3, 2022

This is a key election for the environment and the future of Ontario. We can no longer afford to wait for the government to catch up on meaningful climate action. Sierra Club Canada Foundation is demanding stronger legislation that prioritizes people, the environment, and a liveable future. 

Below you will find the actions our members are calling for. You can reference this document for discussion when local candidates come to your door. Ask your local candidates what they plan to do to tackle the issues Ontarians are facing. 

Sierra Club Canada Foundation joins Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign

Posted on April 28, 2022

Sierra Club Canada Foundation's Ontario Chapter has joined a coalition of over 125 groups across Ontario in calling upon candidates in the upcoming provincial election to treat climate change as an emergency.

This election is critical for Ontario and for Canada. Now more than ever, we need strong action and leadership on climate change. 

The Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign encourages diverse groups from every sector to urgently work together towards our shared climate action goals.

Future Threats in Niagara If Urban Boundaries Expanded: Voice Your Opposition

By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan. — April 20, 2022

In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.

***Scroll down to reach out to local councilors

From John Bacher: 

It is an old but true saying that photographs express threats to the natural world more vividly than the most eloquent warning. Some of these images recently emerged, which captured the beauty of the portion of the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls, on the eve of its destruction for a subdivision.

Take a Deep Breath…

Sarah Morgan-White — April 1, 2022
Recently, a resident flagged that he had noticed an increase in dust in the air, which through a series of events led me to start volunteering with the Sierra Club Canada’s Breathe Easy project. Since then, I’ve had an opportunity to perform air quality measurements in Blackburn. The air quality monitor measures a number of air pollutants including particular matter (PM2.5), which is the focus of the Breathe Easy project.
The following are some of the take-aways I have so far from my experience volunteering with Breathe Easy and in measuring PM2.5 in my community.

Struggle Continues To Protect World's Purest Water In Simcoe Ontario

Dr John Bacher — April 1, 2022

In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.

The Federation of Tiny Township Shoreline Association (FoTTSA), a group of concerned citizens from Tiny Township, organized a protest to bring attention at Queen’s Park Legislation on United Nations World Water Day (March 22, 2022) about the quality of aquifers being threatened by aggregate mining in North Simcoe County. Around noon, the last speaker at their rally which had scientists, activisits, citizens, politicians and Native people speaking out for the protection of their aquifers, was Native elder Danny Beaton, a Turtle Clan Mohawk. 

Niagara Carolinian Bulldozer Massacre

By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan. — March 28, 2022

In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.

From John Bacher:

Over the past week and a half, there has been a Carolinian tree massacre by bulldozer underway in Niagara. A preliminary report, completed on August 11, 2021, by Nash Colville of Colville Consulting Inc. provides a rough description of the damage. 

Watch: Sierra Club Ontario member opposes plans to decimate key Niagara habitats

Posted on March 11, 2022

The Niagara region's new Official Plan threatens to promote urban sprawl, degrading key habitats for endangered species and impacting the region's thriving agricultural community. 

These plans have been made without any scientific due diligence to assess the impact of pushing development outside of urban areas. 

Dr. John Bacher recently spoke to the region's Planning and Economic Development Committee to stress three key points.

Two Court Battles Seek to Defend Southern Ontario’s Threatened Forests

By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan. — March 8, 2022

From John Bacher:

In her last report before her office was shut down by the provincial government of Premier Doug Ford, Ontario’s Environment Commissioner, Dr. Diane Saxe, drew attention to what she termed “Southern Ontario’s Disappearing Forests.” She urged that, “Conserving forests must become a top priority in land use planning.” Since “each incremental loss has a big impact on the services the forests provide to society and the wildlife they support.”