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The Earth Day showing was particularly strong in Quebec where starting at 2 p.m on Earth Day (April 22, 2012) church bells rang across the province.

In Montreal an estimated 250,000 people gathered for a peaceful Earth Day march. The crowd gathered at Montreal's Place des Festivals before they inched their way along the kilometre-long stretch from Ste. Catherine St. toward Jeanne Mance Park, where they formed a massive human tree" to be photographed from above.

More than 50,000 people signed a Quebec Earth Day declaration calling for Canada to reverse its decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, and for Quebec to change its plans for northern development to make them more sustainable.

"Beyond the different reasons that may have drawn people was a shared concern for the future and what we're going to leave for our children and grandchildren," said Steven Guilbeault of Équiterre, commenting on the Montreal March.

It is not clear why Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz and his executive policy committee are promoting the water park, without a business plan or financial plan.

Shindico Reality management, agent for Canalta Development and Waterfun, is also business partners with Sam Katz in the Goldeyes, the baseball club across the street from the proposed water park. More green space, next to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights would have far more aesthetic and human value.

Mayor Katz is a member of Winnipeg Council’s standing committee on downtown development, heritage and riverbank management. The same committee is choosing to green light a water park development including $7 Million of public money. When will we hear about an environmental impact statement? A pattern of development without planning continues in Winnipeg. Remember Olywest? The condo development that would have bulldozed the Lower Fort Garry site?

Winnipeggers want to retain and grow green space at The Forks.

In an interview with the Guardian UK Mr. Hansen shares, "The situation we're creating for young people and future generations is that we're handing them a climate system which is potentially out of their control," he said. "We're in an emergency: you can see what's on the horizon over the next few decades with the effects it will have on ecosystems, sea level and species extinction."

Climate change he argues is ‘a great moral issue on par with slavery’. Professor Jim Hansen was one of the first to build a global climate change model and is credited as being one of the most influential people in the world raising awareness of climate change.

They (China) don't want to follow the path of the US where the country becomes addicted to fossil fuel and has to protect the supply lines around the world. They have taken the right first step. They are now the number one producer of solar cells, wind and nuclear power."

Manitoba received a grade of "fair" in the 2012 assessment. During the first DSF assessment in 2005 Manitoba received a grade of "best", but in 2006 that was reduced to "fair" before it was increased to "good" in 2008.

"The Manitoba government, for most of the past decade, made some impressive commitments on climate change. ... However, policies to tackle the greatest sources of emissions - from agriculture and road transportation - have been at best voluntary or weak and at worst non-existent. Emissions in those sectors, and in the province as a whole, continue to rise," states the report.

The 2012 report ranks Canada's provinces and territories as follows:

Very Good - Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia
Good - Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island with "good" rankings,
Fair - Manitoba, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories
Poor - Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut and the Yukon
Worst - Alberta and Saskatchewan

Manitoba will be releasing an environmental plan in summer 2012 that may shed some light on intended climate change actions.

Larger version

The strategy calls for reduction in federal environmental oversight of natural resource developments and other projects by consolidating assessments, eliminating reviews for small projects and handing more regulatory responsibility to the provinces.

The measures require amendments to several long-standing and important pieces of Canadian Environmental legislation, including Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), Fisheries Act, and others. The amendments, which have not yet been tabled before Canadian Parliament, will limit participation in future CEAA regulatory hearings to those people "directly affected" by projects, and limit CEEA reviews to: 24 months for panel reviews of major projects and 12 months for standard environmental assessments. The Government has indicated that these time limits will retroactively apply to projects already under review such as the Enbridge Northern Gateway bitumen pipeline project.

First Nations and environmental groups have heavily criticized the government's "Responsible Resource Development Strategy."

"Fundamental changes to the environmental assessment process and other environmental protection laws can only be undertaken with meaningful consultation with First Nations. We urge the federal governmental to work with First Nations to improve environmental protections rather then weaken them with the arbitrary assessment timelines and the loss of government organizations responsible for such reviews," wrote several First Nations leaders in an open letter to the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver.

"With the proposed changes to the federal environmental review process, Canadians will get weaker, less-informed decision-making, sloppy environmental protection by resource developers, and an increased likelihood of environmental impacts," said Simon Dyer, policy director at the Pembina Institute.

"Instead of fast-tracking projects and circumventing environmental concerns, the federal government should work with the province (Ontarios) to develop an approach to resource development that recognizes and respects the rights and interests of First Nations," said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose.

In 2008, the Manitoba government announced plans to ban logging in provincial parks. A few weeks after the new legislation was proclaimed, the government issued an environment license to Tolko Industries for the construction of the Dickstone South logging road across Grass River Provincial Park. The park is located north of the Pas in the northwest region.

Summer 2010, the Wilderness Committee filed an unusual legal action, a Queen's Bench 14.05 Rule Review. The Wilderness Committee asked a judge for a legal definition—is a logging road considered logging or not? If it is, then construction of a logging road across Grass River Provincial Park by Tolko Industries must be illegal.

In February 2012, the judge's decision was delivered, and states that while a logging road is considered logging, the construction of Tolko's logging road is not banned by Manitoba's legislation.

"The Premier promised us legislation that banned logging in parks. We believe this recent legal decision goes against the Premier's promise," said Eric Reder, Manitoba Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee. "We feel it is important to clarify our park protection legislation for Manitobans, and for all of our provincial parks."

Before budget legislation was released, leaked documents indicated the federal government would use the budget to gut protections for fish habitat, and weaken long-standing Candian environmental laws. The British Columbia (BC) Assembly of First Nations, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, more than 600 scientists, and countless Canadians wrote to Stephen Harper urging him to keep environmental laws in place.

Yet the budget indicates habitat provisions in the Fisheries Act will be removed.

Also, Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) reviews will be limited to: 24 months for panel reviews of major projects and 12 months for standard environmental assessments. This condensed timeline will also apply retroactively to the 11 projects currently undergoing review: including the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline.

"Environmental assessments need to be thorough, consultative and science-based." said John Bennett, Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada. "Creating hard-time limits and rushing the process compromises all these things."

Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) is in line for a 40% cut in funding. Cuts in spending were also made to Environment Canada (6%) and Parks Canada (4%).

The National Round Table on the Environment and Economy (NRTEE) has been eliminated for an annual savings of $5.2 million. The NRTEE, established in the 1990s under Brian Mulroney, is a key federal advisory panel on business and environmental issues that produces numerous reports about business, natural resources, government policy and climate change.

The federal government provided the Canada Revenue Agency with $8 million over two years to fund "education and compliance activities with respect to political activities by charities". Charities can currently devote up to 10% of their charitable resources to non-partisan political advocacy that is part of the charity's overall purpose. Charities will also have to provide more information on their activities, including the extent of foreign funding.

The budget also provides $50 million over two years to support the legal obligation to protect species at risk.

The report goes on to indicate BC, Ontario and Quebec are leading on tackling climate change in Canada with Alberta and Saskatchewan dragging their heels in a big way. "The report shows stronger leadership from the provinces is crucial given the lack of effort by the federal government on reducing global warming emissions," said Ian Bruce, a climate change and clean energy specialist with the foundation.

Canada Environment minister recently announced a greenhouse gas report that states greenhouse gases remained stable in 2010, even with the economy growing. “This report from Environment Canada shows that they are still nowhere near achieving the government’s own climate targets,” said Keith Stewart, climate campaigner with Greenpeace Canada.

The Suzuki Foundation calls for a national climate change plan to address the need for national policy and to support innovation in emission reduction, more efficient construction methods and concrete action on renewables.

Earth Hour started in 2007 when the WWF-Australia inspired 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses to turn off their lights for one hour to take a stand against climate change.

The event has grown ever since. In 2011, Earth Hour saw hundreds of millions of people across 135 countries switch off for an hour, with 43 per cent of Canadians – about 15 million people – turning off their lights.

Participants continue to grow worldwide. The NHL will be dimming the lights at 10 games this year. Musical composer Andrew Huang will be performing a special "Earth Hour Anthem" at Toronto's Earth Hour bash.

Manitoba will be turning off non-essential lights in urban and rural government-owned provincial buildings. Emergency lighting and security systems will remain on as usual. All provincial employees have been asked to turn off computer monitors and lights in workspaces before leaving at the end of the week and are invited to participate at home as well.

"Turning lights off for one hour alone won't resolve the climate change issue but it does demonstrate that individual action can make a difference," said Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh. "Consider reducing your carbon footprint even more by unplugging unused electrical appliances on an ongoing basis and walking or taking a bus to work."

"We thought it was important to plan several years out to have a road map, a blueprint to see how we allocated resources as well, so Manitobans know how the pieces fit together," said Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh.

The announcement was made in the Winnipeg Free Press. No Government of Manitoba press release was issued. Nothing is available on the Conservation and Water Stewardship departmental website.

"We hope that the minister means he will be releasing some kind of draft plan for Manitoba's environment this summer - and then have public meetings and review so that Manitobans will have their say. A plan written inside government needs Manitoban input. There are also regulatory matters that need attention. One example is the lack of any environmental assessment regulation in Manitoba."

Kristina Hunter, a environment and geography professor at the University if Manitoba's and vice-chairperson of the Manitoba Roundtable on Sustainable Development, said she would love to see the province get more aggressive on urban planning, to encourage the creation of denser, more walkable communities instead of sprawl. "That's a real void, in my estimation," said Hunter.

"The province's original legislation was proclaimed almost 50 years ago. While it has had updates since then, this new act would ensure the continued safety of our groundwater resources for the future," said Mackintosh.

• licensing and certification for professional well drillers including geothermal drillers;
• driller responsibility and liability insurance requirements to protect landowners including from uncontrolled flowing wells;
• better management and protection of groundwater including new reporting requirements;
• designation of sensitive areas, protection protocols for wells in flood-prone areas;
• a new process for aquifer management planning;
• stronger water well drilling, construction and new sealing standards;
• establishment of a groundwater and water well database; and
• stronger compliance and enforcement measures.

About 1,500 water wells are drilled in Manitoba each year. There are currently about 35,000 active water wells.

A discussion paper and more information is available on Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship's website.

Manitobans who are interested in providing input have until April 20 to make a submission.

The report used a combination of satellite photos and Coast Guard scanning from 1973 to 2010 to determine Great Lakes ice cover has dropped by an average of 71 per cent. Lake Ontario had the greatest loss of ice cover, while Lakes Erie and St. Clair had the least amount of ice cover loss.

Reduced ice can speed up winter evaporation and lead to lower water levels, which can then leave the shoreline exposed and more vulnerable to erosion. The loss of ice can also signal earlier algae blooms, which harm water quality and the marine habitat.

The study doesn't take the most recent winter into account, but the trend is continuing. Only about 5 per cent of the Great Lakes' surfaces froze this winter – well below the 40 per cent average.

Thunder Bay Ontario Port Authority CEO Tim Heney, said the lack of ice is remarkable. "It's the first time I ever remember the water being open right into Thunder Bay. I've never seen this before."

"What's happening on the Great Lakes is an immediate reminder that our climate is changing and the expectations that we've had in the past aren't going to hold true for the future," said Lakehead University geography professor Adam Cornwell.