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"Will governments have the cash to meet the health needs of our aging population without increasing debt to unsustainable levels?", asked Fraser addressing the 143rd annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) in Niagra Falls Ontario, August 2010.

"Frankly, I'm not sure the government of Canada has all the information it needs to answer this important question. The federal government looks ahead only about three to five years and it should be looking down the road at least 25 years." explained Fraser as she called on the federal government to do long-term fiscal projections to prepare for the challenges of an aging population, and health impacts of climate change.

Delegates to the CMA general council - which is commonly described as the parliament of Canadian medicine - echoed Fraser's concerns, passing resolutions urging the Canadian Government to add sustainability as the sixth principle of the Canada Health Act.

Tracey Bushnik, of Statistics Canada's Health Analysis Division, highlighted that for the first time Canadians had "baseline information against which we can study trends and track what is happening with respect to bisphenol A exposure."

BPA is widely used in plastic water jugs, soft drink cans, hockey helmets, mobile phone housings, computers, car bumpers, carbonless papers and other consumer products. People are exposed primarily through food packaging or handling of products containing BPA.

Over 130 studies during the past decade have linked even low levels of BPA to serious health problems, breast cancer, obesity and the early onset of puberty, among other disorders.

The Statistics Canada study was also the first national measurement of lead levels in three decades. Average lead concentration for people aged six to 79 measured between 2007 and 2009 was one-third the concentration measured in the 1978-79 Canada Health Survey.

"The levels of lead and bisphenol A in Canadians' bodies are a study in contrasts. The fact that kids today have a fraction the lead levels that their grandparents do is a clear sign that government regulations are working," explained Dr. Rick Smith, Executive Director of Environmental Defence.

"Nebraska elected officials should stand up for the people they represent and not allow them to be threatened and overrun by a foreign owned company that does not even have approval to go forward with the pipeline," said Ken Winston, Nebraska Sierra Club lobbyist. "The pipeline project hasn't yet been approved, but TransCanada is already telling Nebraska landowners they will condemn their land if they don't go along with them."

• Stand up to TransCanada on behalf of people they represent and tell them to cease threats to use eminent domain.
• The Nebraska Legislature needs to change laws related to eminent domain so foreign pipeline companies cannot use this procedure against Nebraska landowners wihtout safeguards to protect their rights.
• Federal representatives should recommend the State Department deny the permit, or suspend the project, based on TransCanada's treatment of Nebraska landowners.

Nebraskan groups and landowners are raising concern regarding potential impacts of the construction and operation of the Keystone XL Pipeline through their state. Their main concerns are leaks and spills impacting aquifers, which supply 85% of Nebraska with clean water.

The International Year of Forests 2011 offers an opportunity to raise public awareness of the challenges facing many of the world's forests and communities who depend on them. The Year will also provide a means to build momentum towards greater public participation in forest activities around the world.

Official launch of the Year will take place at United Nations Headquarters during the ninth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (February 2nd and 3rd 2011). The program will include panel discussions, media activities, film screenings, issuing the UN commemorative stamp series, and other public events.

The International Year of Forests 2011 website being developed by the UNFF Secretariat will provide an online platform for all information materials for celebration of the Year. This multi-media site will feature interactive web tools to elicit feedback and dialogue, and include key components such as a calendar of national, regional and international initiatives related to the Year, which will feature forest news items and a press kit with fact sheets, brochures and other informational documents related to critical forest issues.

Of course, we only have one Earth. The fact that we are using (or "spending" natural capital) faster than it can replenish is similar to continually making purchases that exceed income. This gap between demand and supply -- known as ecological overshoot -- has grown steadily each year. Global Footprint Network's most recent data show it takes one year and five months to generate the ecological services (production of resources and absorption of CO2) humanity requires in one year.

Climate change – a result of carbon being emitted faster than it can be reabsorbed by the forests and seas – is the most obvious and arguably pressing result. But there are others: shrinking forests, species loss, fisheries collapse and water pollution, to name a few.

Caribou are very susceptible to disturbance in their habitat, and industrial operations may further fragment remaining forested areas surrounding the burnt area. A pause in industrial activity through the next four important caribou activity cycles—fall breeding, winter foraging, spring migration, and summer calving—allows time to determine the impacts the fire will have on the NAOSAP herd. A recovery plan for the herd's future should be based on one year's study.

"The bottom line is there is no protected habitat and now there's 55,000 hectares of significant habitat burned," stated Manitoba Wildlands Director, Gaile Whelan-Enns.

Caribou were listed as threatened under Canada's Species At Risk Act in 2003, and under Manitoba's Endangered Species Act in 2006. The NAOSAP herd has been identified as one of the most at risk herds in the province.

"If we find that the province isn't looking after caribou as well as they should be, then there are legal obligations under the Canadian Species At Risk Act which should be triggered," added Wilderness Committee Campaign Director, Eric Reder.

Both the provincial Liberals and the Greens expressed support for the year-long pause. No one from Manitoba Conservation was available for comment August 20, 2010

Sherry Good is acting as the representative plaintiff for more than 800 people who claim they were wrongfully arrested during the G20 summit in late June, 2010. She is one of approximately 500 people who were corralled by hundreds of riot police at the intersection of Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue for several hours in the rain on June 27.

"The vast majority of the arrests and detentions over the course of the G20 weekend were unlawful and unjustified, as well as unconstitutional," outlines the statement of claim.

"The Toronto Police Services Board is being sued because it is the legal entity charged with overseeing the majority of the police activity that took place that weekend," states Eric Gillespie, one of the lawyers representing Good and others in the class action suit.

The Attorney General of Canada has been named because "it is the legal representative of the RCMP, who also had a significant role, it appears, in the events that transpired at that time," he said.

At least 1,000 people were arrested during the summit, June 26-27, 2010 in downtown Toronto.

Bridging the Gulf highlights connections between choices made by commuters in Ontario, the negative impacts of oil extraction in North America, and ongoing ecological impacts from oil sands development. It focuses on personal transportation and presents five key actions to reduce oil consumption based on policy changes already underway in the province.

"Ontario is in an excellent position — possibly the best in Canada — to start making significant reductions in transportation fuel use," said Cherise Burda, lead author and Ontario Pembina Institute Policy Director . "It really is possible to put these policies into action. We have everything in place — from a fantastic transit plan that just requires funding, to an electricity grid that is becoming greener and can accommodate electric vehicles."

Ontario consumes a third of all refined petroleum in Canada, and almost all (over 80 per cent) of that oil is used by the transportation sector.

In 10 years, the policy changes recommended in this report would keep $1 billion per year in the province — money currently spent on oil imports, but could be invested in jobs, transit or technology. The greatest short term savings come from "commuter choice" policies that include pay-as-you-drive auto insurance, live-where-you-work mortgage breaks, road pricing policies such as high-occupancy vehicle lane tolls, and a regional gas tax offset by incentives to take transit or ride a bike.

Researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax conducted the first global study in the past century, of the populations of these microscopic organisms, and found the declines – averaging about 1 per cent a year, and approximately 40 per cent since 1950 – correlate with increases in sea surface temperatures.

Phytoplankton form the base of the aquatic food chain. The organisms live at the surface of the water, and are the main source of food for zooplankton, which are a food source for fish and other sea creatures. Phytoplankton are also a major source of oxygen for the atmosphere.

"This is a definite wake-up call that our oceans are becoming increasingly stressed and this is another indicator of that," said lead author Dr. Daniel Boyce. "It's quite shocking to think that there's been a 40-per-cent decline at the base of the food chain over the past 50 years. I think it's absolutely cause for concern."

The study found phytoplankton populations fell in eight of ten regions globally. These declines were occurring more rapidly in polar and tropical regions since 1950. Dr. Boyce said further research is needed to understand what's driving that trend.

Costing more than $2 billion and spanning 1,364 kilometres, the proposed corridor will run down the west side of the province connecting the Keewatinoow Converter Station (northeast of the town of Gillam) to the Riel Converter Station (east of Winnipeg in the Rural Municipality (R.M.) of Springfield).

"We believe that we have selected the route with the least impact on the environment and on the communities and residents along the proposed path of the transmission line," said Manitoba Hydro president and CEO Bob Brennan, "It takes out ... 37 acres of agricultural land. In that whole route, we thought that was excellent - 37 acres is not very much in building a line this size."

Manitoba Hydro will begin a series of meetings with municipalities and aboriginal communities and stakeholders in the fall. Hydro is promising to provide fair and equitable compensation packages for landowners affected by the preferred right-of-way. Information centres will provide an opportunity for landowners to discuss the project with Hydro staff and obtain more details.

Construction is expected to start in 2012 with an in-service date for the project of 2017.

"I have asked the Panel to think big," the Secretary-General said, adding "we need a new blueprint for a more livable, prosperous and sustainable future for all."

Co-chaired by Finland's President Tarja Halonen and South African President Jacob Zumasuch, the panel includes high-profile figures from government, the private sector and civil society.

Other notable panelists include Gro Harlem Bruntland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development ("Bruntland Commission"), and Canadian Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.

"I am pleased to help this esteemed group develop new ideas for prosperity in a low-carbon world," stated Balsillie.

Residents from five communities — Resolute Bay, Arctic Bay, Grise Fiord, Clyde River and Pond Inlet — are largely opposed to the plan to send sound blasts through the water, saying the sound could adversely affect whales, polar bears and other marine life, and change migration patterns.

The Nunavut government and the federal government argued against the injunction, citing a consultant's report stating the testing would have little or no impact on marine mammals.

But Judge Cooper noted "some aspects of the report ... cause concern." She said the fact the report contains protocols to mitigate the impact of seismic activity on marine wildlife supports the conclusion that there are impacts.

"I am satisfied that Inuit in the five affected communities will suffer irreparable harm if an injunction is not granted," Judge Cooper ruled in granting the injunction.

The group that sought the injunction, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, stated it welcomed the ruling, however it was unfortunate the Inuit needed to go to court to have their voices heard. The group had maintained that public hearings in May and June did not amount to the "meaningful consultations" required.

"I look forward to the day when the advice of Inuit and their representative organizations is sought prior to seeking project approval," said Okalik Eegeesiak of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.