Allowing oil and gas activity off western NL proves offshore board cannot say no to oil industry

Posted on May 6, 2014
Media Release, May 6, 2014

Pour la version française, cliquez ici. 

The Sierra Club Canada Foundation and Save Our Seas and Shores are condemning the Newfoundland offshore board’s decision to allow the oil and gas industry to gain a toehold in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board released the results of a Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Western Newfoundland May 5th.

Hope the climate change deniers have their survival packs ready!

Webmaster — May 6, 2014

This week is Emergency Preparedness Week -- the kind of non-event, event that might mean we’ll see a photo (or two) of a politician at some media event, but most won’t give it a second thought.

At best, it might evoke an image of Sheldon Cooper of Big Bang Theory with his survival backpack and fluorescent arrows painted on the floor. Some of us older folks might evoke the man on a street corner shouting: “Repent the end is near!”

Hope the climate change deniers have their survival packs ready!

This week is Emergency Preparedness Week -- the kind of non-event, event that might mean we’ll see a photo (or two) of a politician at some media event, but most won’t give it a second thought.

At best, it might evoke an image of Sheldon Cooper of Big Bang Theory with his survival backpack and fluorescent arrows painted on the floor. Some of us older folks might evoke the man on a street corner shouting: “Repent the end is near!”

Canada not ready for shale gas

Posted on May 1, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, May 1, 2014

OTTAWA -- The Canadian Council of Academies report: “Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada” concludes that much more needs to be known before allowing the rapid expansion of shale gas development across Canada. The government does not know enough to adequately protect Canadians from the potential environmental, health and socioeconomic impacts, the report found.

“We feel vindicated by this report. The Council looked at the issues and identified the same threats and lack of information we did,” said Sierra Club of Canada Foundation's John Bennett.

The report confirms that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) threatens ground water, surface water, increases local air pollution, leads to natural gas leaking in to the atmosphere, treads on Aboriginal rights and disrupts local communities.

Sierra Club Looking Forward to New Fracking Report

Posted on April 29, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE, April 29, 2014

Sierra Club Canada Foundation is looking forward to the release of a report on fracking, due out this week. The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) was commissioned by Environment Canada to determine what role – if any – the federal government has in regulating the industry.

“We know that fracking involves injecting a secret cocktail of chemicals into the ground and that industry's own data shows their wells leak," said Gretchen Fitzgerald, Director of the Atlantic Canada Chapter of Sierra Club. "We hope the CCA closely examined all available evidence while preparing this important report."

THE TIME HAS COME

Posted on April 24, 2014
Sierra Club Canada Foundation congratulates CBC for new conflict of interest rules

MEDIA RELEASE 
April 24, 2014

Sierra Club Canada Foundation congratulates the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for putting an end to the practice of allowing its staff and freelance hosts to accept public speaking requests from companies, political parties or other lobbying groups “trying to influence public policy”.

The bees need us

Unfortunately, there are no Hazzzmat suits to protect the millions of bees and other pollinating insects we depend on to produce 40% of our food.

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) conditionally licensed the bee-killing neonicotinoids a decade ago. Back then, PMRA said (and has since repeated several times) the pesticide companies would be "required" to provide studies on the toxicity of neonicotinoids to bees. A decade has passed and those studies have still NOT been done (see media release).

Sierra Club Canada Foundation needs your help to get these pesticides banned in Canada -- like the European Union did over a year ago.