Ontario Chapter
DONATE
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.
Protecting The Hudson Bay Lowlands
Posted on November 19, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.
National Geographic Magazine Identifies Hudson Bay Lowlands as Critical Protection Priority.
The Lifecycle of Plastics
Lucy Bain — November 3, 2021We all know there is a problem with plastics. But just how deep does that problem go?
It is a well known fact that plastic pollution is ending up in the natural environment. We see it everywhere. With no way to fully break down, plastic waste remains, and will continue to remain for hundreds of years. From the depths of the ocean, to the North Pole, plastics and microplastics are being found in animals, water and in the food that we eat.
Attawapiskat Cree Fight De Beers’ Dump and Ring of Fire Mining
Posted on October 26, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.
*Content warning: This post has mention of Residential Schools and cultural trauma.
Ontario Land Tribunal Dismissal of Riverfront Rezoning Case Sparks Request to Appeal to the Divisional Court
Posted on October 9, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.
On September 17, 2021, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) dismissed a zoning appeal by the Ontario Sierra Club Executive Committee Member, John Bacher. The Sierra Club Canada Foundation had separately sought standing as a participant in the case. On October 4, 2021, lawyers at Eric K. Gillespie Professional Corporation filed a motion for leave to appeal with the Divisional Court, the first step in asking the court to review the OLT decision.
All Party Consent for Ring of Fire Mining Shows Tragic Decline in Ontario Political Culture
Posted on September 28, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.
Contemptuously, in the recent federal election there was an obscene amount of all party support to one of the most ecocidal threats to our planet. That threatened area is the Hudson Bay Lowlands, whose vast peat bogs perform a role more vital than ever before. It serves as a refrigerator for our planet which is under attack by anthropogenic climate change. These lowlands are the largest contiguous tract remaining of temperate wetlands on our sacred Mother Earth.
Breaking News: WHO Releases New Air Quality Guidelines
Jake Cole — September 27, 2021Our BreatheEasy project continues to measure air quality at different sites across the Ottawa region.
How is the air in Ottawa? Generally speaking, the air quality in our city is fairly good. However, we have also identified a number of air pollution "hot spots".
Highway 413 & What It Means For Ontario
Lucy Bain — September 15, 2021The proposed Highway 413 perfectly represents the Province of Ontario’s lack of priority for the environment and climate change. Highway 413 showcases a continued focus on transportation by car, over people and the environment, which will have major impacts on our future for years to come.
At a time of rapid global warming and climate change, the privatization of land for highways (which only adds more cars and traffic) is the opposite of what is needed from our leadership.
Thundering Waters
Posted on September 9, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.
Over two months ago a development company, GR Investment Group, attempted to dismiss my appeal of a Niagara Falls Zoning By-law, No. 2020-124, which has been made to the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT). (LPAT-Case Number PL2-2020-64).
Still, the decision of LPAT on this matter has yet to be made.
Ontario Forest Under Attack
Posted on August 24, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.
One of the most important environmental battles now going on in Ontario is a debate in the council chambers of Chatham-Kent to decide if the municipality is to have a tree cutting by-law. A temporary by-law has been imposed, but it is scheduled to be lifted on December 14, 2021.
Plastic Free July 2021 Wrap Up
Posted on August 5, 2021Another year of the Plastic Free July Challenge has come to an end. I first want to thank everyone across Canada and the Great Lakes who participated in the challenge, your support means the world to us. We had a great time hosting the challenge and hope that everyone who participated enjoyed it as much as we did.
Thirty-one days of refusing, reducing and reusing. Thirty-one days of activities and action against plastic pollution in Canada.
Bad air quality day
Posted on July 26, 2021You may be aware that there is an air quality advisory out right now from our provincial government. It tells us that the wildfires currently burning in Northern Ontario are causing air pollution levels to rise in many parts of the province. You can get these advisories by signing up via this link.
This latest alert tells us that the AQ levels are at the unhealthy level right now in many areas across Ontario including here in Ottawa. It also tells us to stay inside and not to exert ourselves physically too much.
Sierra Club Ontario Joins Environmental Groups Calling on Big Plastic to Drop its Lawsuit Against Federal Government this Plastic Free July
Posted on July 8, 2021NGOs take aim at Canada’s biggest plastic producers for their trashy tactics to stop meaningful action on plastic waste.
TORONTO, ON, July 8, 2021 – This Plastic-Free July, Canadian environmental groups are calling out the top three producers of plastic in Canada: NOVA Chemicals, Dow Chemical and Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil. These three companies are suing the federal government in an effort to stop the federal action plan to reduce plastic pollution. This trashy tactic is aimed at protecting Big Plastic’s bottom line.
Plastic Free July 2021
Posted on June 28, 2021This summer, take the Plastic Free July Challenge with us!
ALL MONTH: Refuse, reduce, re-use – take steps to reduce your plastic use all month long. Under COVID, we know not all actions to reduce plastic waste will be possible. but many still are: for instance, stores can let you re-use bags you pack yourself.
Report From the Greenbelt Coordinator
Posted on June 21, 2021The provincial government of Doug Ford has waged quite a negative attack on land use planning policies in Ontario. However, what is important is that due to the cornerstones of good policy, the Greenbelt and Wetland protection have remained intact. This has been a major victory for the environmental protection movement. This is a good contrast with the United States where policies to protect wetlands were gutted by the first George Bush Presidential administration.
Now hiring: Indigenous Environmental Researcher in NAN Territory
Posted on June 4, 2021We are offering the following short term position
Indigenous Environmental Researcher in Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Territory
Start Date: June 21, 2021
Remuneration: $ 18 hour plus cell phone/internet reimbursement of $60 month
Hours: 23 hours / week for 9 weeks
Location: Ontario, principally working from home, with preference for those in Thunder Bay - Lake Superior area to facilitate travel within NAN territory as needed.
Saving Our Sacred Caribou
Posted on June 1, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.
BreatheEasy presents: Lessons from London with Dr. Gary Fuller
Posted on May 7, 2021On Wednesday May 5th, Sierra Club Ontario & the BreatheEasy Project hosted Dr. Gary Fuller for a webinar on the topic of 'Lessons of Air Pollution From London, England'.
Condolences To Family of Environmental Hero Thomas Berger
Posted on May 7, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
Ontario Ring of Fire Equivalent To Tar Sands of Alberta
Posted on April 27, 2021By Dr John Bacher and Danny Beaton, Mohawk of the Turtle Clan.
In Memory of Alicja Rozanska.