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"After years of the government backsliding on climate change it is refreshing to see political parties reuniting on this critical issue," said John Bennett, Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada. "The government must now heed the will of the House and the Canadian people, it is time to put this bill into law."

"We can't afford to put global warming aside anymore, we need real action to curb climate change in Canada," said Bennett. "This bill should have been passed years ago, now we have to get moving on concrete measures to put this bill into practice."

In addition to Bill C-311, the Liberal Official Opposition tabled a motion calling on the government to take immediate and decisive action on the environment and climate change. The motion called on the Conservative government to set legally binding, long term emission reduction targets, and implement a national climate change plan with economy-wide regulations.

The "five freedoms" model states that food animals are entitled to freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to express normal behaviour; and freedom from fear and distress.

The Manitoba Egg Farmers stated in a press release that enriched cages combine the food safety benefits of conventional cages with the welfare benefits of open housing. Such cages include "furnishings" such as perches, scratch pads and nesting areas, the group said, and enable hens to "express natural behaviours."

The new policy would be binding on egg farmers who build new facilities, or undertake a major retrofit after 2018. The Manitoba Egg Farmers, representing the province's 168 regulated egg and pullet farmers, stated it recognizes "the importance of providing the public with quality food along with the reassurance that our laying hens are well looked after."

Manitoba Conservation and the East Side Road Authority posted the provincial environmental impacts statement for public comments in late 2009. Engineering studies are underway for future projects, for several hundred kilometers of all weather road in the region.

The decision to move from a screening of this project to a comprehensive study is, according to the formal posting, "as a result of the January 21, 2010 Supreme Court of Canada ruling in MiningWatch Canada v. Canada (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans et al.), it was determined that the environmental assessment in relation to this project will be continued as a comprehensive study."

Connecting First Nations communities that currently have only ice and winter road access, the 'East Side Road' phase one is a fraction of the potential future project to connect over a dozen communities to permanent all weather road services. The region is currently non roaded, intact boreal forests. Climate change has dramatically reduced winter road access for the communities. The region is also the site of a proposal for a huge new boreal world heritage site which First Nations initiated with an Accord among their communities in 2002.

Dr. Harada's study found Health Canada safety mercury guidelines are too weak to protect people from long-term health impacts of low level mercury exposure, which is now worldwide due to industrial pollution from sources such as pulp mills, and coal power plants. The translated study was released on the 40th anniversary of the first fishing ban due to mercury contamination on the Wabigoon River.

Between 1962 and 1970, the Dryden mill, owned by Reed Incorporated and Great Lakes Forest Products Limited, dumped 20,000 pounds of mercury into the Wabigoon River. Members of Grassy Narrows First Nation converged on Queen's Park April 7th 2010 to protest decades of mercury poisoning in their community.

"We're demanding justice and action on this issue," states Grassy Narrows Chief Simon Fobister.

"The people of Grassy Narrows have raised their concerns for forty years, only to have them fall on deaf ears," states Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse. "The demands of Grassy Narrows First Nation are simple and achievable - it is time for the government to listen to the voices of the First Nation."

DFN Chief Don Testawich stated, "Our traditional territory is being overrun and cut to pieces by oil sands, major pipelines, gas fields and major power projects. Companies projects that will fuel unsustainable oil sands growth. Development on this scale is making our Treaty Rights meaningless and threatens our traditional way of life".

Chief Testawich added, "The governments of Alberta and Canada sit back and refuse to address our concerns. We are intervening before the Supreme Court because it is abundantly clear that neither the environment nor First Nations can expect to receive a fair hearing within Alberta, where oil sands revenues are at stake. We need help now and help fast".

The First Nations are taking this matter to the Supreme Court because of their mounting frustration over refusal by the governments and their regulators to act on earlier court decisions that direct governments to deal with their rights. Canada's Supreme Court will hear views of First Nations, governments and industry in the Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. v. the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council case whichwill address the question of whether regulatory boards and tribunals have a duty to decide whether the Crown adequately consulted and accommodated First Nations' concerns before granting approvals for resource development.

At least 164 animals were killed in the Syncrude, Suncor and Shell Canada Albian Sands, according to information given to Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.

Possible reasons for death include euthanasia of problem wildlife, drowning or oiling from tailings, vehicle crashes and electrocution.

The documents show 27 black bears, 31 foxes, 21 coyotes and dozens of deer were killed, along with moose, muskrats, beavers, voles, martens, wolves and bats. Environmental critics are sure the number of animals that die in oil sands incidents is much higher.

"The self-policing system that allows industry to report on itself is flawed," states Mike Hudema of Greenpeace. "The Stelmach government should focus on beefing up its environmental enforcement and monitoring budget rather than putting cash into public relations campaigns."

Oilsands giant Syncrude is currently on trial, charged by the federal and provincial governments, for failing to prevent waterfowl from landing on a oil sands tailings pond.

The adopted rules take effect in 2012, and by 2015, will require harmful air pollution from ships in a low-pollution zone known as an Emission Control Area to decline by 80 percent or more. The law will apply to large ships such as container ships, oil tankers, and large cruise ships.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that by 2030, the implementation of these limits on ship air pollution and related regulations will prevent up to 31,000 premature deaths, 1.5 million work days lost, and more than 5 million cases of acute respiratory symptoms. The health benefits could be worth $270 billion.

Friends of the Earth spent ten years working to put these protections in place, beginning with a legal challenge initiated in 2000. The environmental group praised the ruling, calling it a major victory.

The reversal dashes hopes of protecting at least one shark breed, after nations voted earlier this week to reject protections on hammerheads, among other species.

The victory is another in a long string of successes for Japan. Beyond blocking shark protections, the country successfully defeated proposed bans on bluefin tuna and protections on several species of coral.

"Japan clearly mobilized massive efforts to keep fisheries out of CITES," said Mark W. Roberts, senior counsel and policy adviser for the watchdog group Environmental Investigation Agency.

Canada voted with Japan at the CITES meeting.

Deeper Drilling compares projects on 17 environmental indicators in five categories: general environmental management, land, air, emissions, water and climate change. The highest scoring site had a grade of 60% and the lowest 25%. The 44% average indicates that Canada's regulatory standards for in-situ oil sands extraction are set too low and need improvement.

Recommendations for improvement include: implementing industry best practices, evaluating cumulative impacts, setting reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions and water use, and investing in biodiversity offsets to compensate for terrestrial lands used.

Fish Lake contains approximately 85,000 trout, an important source of food for local Tsilhqot'in communities. The lake is central to traditional land used for berry picking and hunting. The Council of Canadians is urging the federal review panel to reject the mining project. Environmental groups are prepared to create a legal challenge against Canada's Fisheries Act regulation that allows lakes to be defined as tailing ponds.

Mine tailings contain toxic waste including arsenic, mercury, and lead that can leach into the environment affecting water quality and wildlife habitat. There is a for tailings from this proposed mine to contaminate the Fraser River, site of the largest wild salmon run in North America.

This project (Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project) is currently under review through the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.

With the aim to reduce plastic bag use by 50%, Manitoba Conservation has issued strict guidelines for industry:

• Reporting on plastic bag use annually
• Setting minimum thickness guidelines for plastic bags
• Increasing promotion of re-usable bags
• Increasing recycled content in bags by as much as 50%
• Evaluating biodegradable bags
• Promoting incentives for consumers to reuse plastic bags
• Expansion of plastic bag recycling programs
• Banning plastic bags from non conforming uses

MMSM is part of the pollution prevention programs and will regulate new provincial legislation requiring. Companies who manufacture and market packaging and printed-paper will also take responsibility for a share of costs to recover their products from Manitoba residences. The regulation went into effect March 26, 2010.

Nine per cent of butterflies, 11 per cent of beetles - which depend on decaying wood and are essential for recycling nutrients in the soil - and 14 per cent of dragonflies species are threatened with extinction in Europe.

Some indigenous European species are so threatened they are at risk of global extinction, and are now included in a Red List of Threatened Species update compiled by the World Conservation Union(IUCN).

The latest study reveals 31 per cent of Europe's 435 butterfly species have declining populations, and 9 per cent are threatened with extinction. The Madeiran Large White Butterfly may already be extinct, having not been seen for at least 20 years.

"This is a worrying decline," states EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik. "Nature's future is our future, and if it fails, we will fail too. So when a Red List like this raises the alarm, the implications for our ecosystems and for our own future are clear."