News

"The David Suzuki Foundation has been calling for the science-based targets set out in Bill C-311," said Dale Marshall, climate change policy analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation. "This Bill would allow Canada to show leadership in this crucial year for international climate change negotiations, when the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol will be negotiated in Copenhagen," added Mr. Marshall.

The Bill requires the Minister of Environment to produce a plan to reach those targets with regular reports to Parliament on progress towards achieving the targets.

The passing of the Act was largely thanks to a Liberal motion, which changed the timing of the vote, moving it up the agenda, allowing more Parliamentarians to be present for this crucial vote. The Bill will now go to Parliament's environment committee to be discussed and amended, then it will be sent back to the House for 3rd reading.

"To put things in perspective, with only 250 days left before the climate talks in Copenhagen, this Bill will make a strong statement to the international community," said Mike Buckthought, National Climate Change Campaigner at Sierra Club Canada.

The proposed pipeline failed in 2007 partially due to a Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Lawsuit. This time Enbridge has focused on First Nation relations and has tentative support from 25 of the 42 First Nation groups along the pipeline route.

Groups including the Dogwood Initiative, Friends of Wild Salmon, the Haida Nation of the Queen Charlotte Islands, and the Carrier Sekani have voiced concerns over the risk of oil spills, increased heavy oil tanker traffic and impact to the salmon industry.

Despite Enbridge's efforts First Nation say there has been little meaningful consultation. A resolution passed at the First Nation Summit in November 2008 calling on the federal government to establish an independent First Nation review process.

A guaranteed pricing structure would be established for renewable energies including solar, wind, hydro, and biomass systems through stable, long-term contracts. The tariffs make it feasible for homeowners, schools, and commercial buildings to install relatively expensive rooftop solar systems and sell back excess power generated.

"The proposed feed-in tariff program would help spark new investment in renewable energy generation and create a new generation of green jobs," said George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.

The solar energy tariffs, if implemented, will be the highest in North America, making an attractive new market for solar companies. Nanosolar Inc., a California-based company is eyeing Ontario as a location for a regional assembly plant of thin-film solar modules.

In February of 2009 CBC President Lacroix suggested CBC is looking at options such as "(a) introducing more American programming into our television schedules, (b) downgrading or selling parts or the whole of some or our TV or Radio services, (c) increasing the advertising we accept on the air, or (d) shrinking our geographic coverage of the country by consolidating local stations."

Closure of some bureaus, staff layoffs, fewer sports broadcasts, and announcements of fewer episodes of popular CBC TV series are among recent announcements. Decreasing advertising revenue seems to have triggered CBC's situation for the next fiscal year.

"We are concerned about CBC's strong coverage of environmental stories being in place for all Canadians. Fluctuations in advertising revenue should not be the factor for access to public broadcasting," commented Gaile Whelan Enns of Manitoba Wildlands.

Members of the RCEN's Environmental Planning and Assessment (EPA) Caucus are concerned that these new regulatory changes will severely compromise the goals and practices of sustainable development in Canada. In fact, federal environmental assessment provides critical information, and sometimes the only assessment review, on project proposals across the country.

In order to inform the public debate about this issue, members of the EPA Caucus are encouraging concerned citizens and groups to consult and share several information documents (linked below), and to express their concerns by sending a letter to the Minister of the Environment.

The Great Bear Rainforest is the largest track of ancient temperate rainforest in the world, stores massive amounts of carbon dioxide, and is home to the rare white Spirit Bear, grizzlies and salmon. ForestEthics, Sierra Club B.C. and Greenpeace have launched campaigns to raise awareness and urge the B.C. government to follow through on its commitments.

Progress was made December 2008 when the B.C. government announced a proposal for new logging regulations. By the March 31st, deadline the B.C. government must create conditions for: a thriving conservation-based economy; collaborative planning and adaptive management; protected areas not threatened by development.

FCM is reminding citizens that tap water is safe to drink and is inexpensive. Twenty-eight municipalities from six provinces have voted to restrict bottled water and 21 Canadian universities and colleges have created bottle-free zones.

In a recent student initiated referendum at the University of Winnipeg, three-quarters of students voted to eliminate the sale of bottled water on campus. Bottled water will be removed from vending machines and new water fountains will be installed.

Advocates say Canada has some of the best public drinking water in the world and bottled water produces unnecessary garbage and carbon emissions. It also takes a lot of energy to produce plastic bottles especially when half end up in landfills.

The study followed nearly 450,000 people for two decades in 96 metropolitan regions. It analyzed the risk of death from two common parts of air pollution - ozone and fine particulate matter.

The study found that people living in areas like Los Angeles with high concentrations of ozone had a 25 to 30 percent greater annual risk of dying from respiratory diseases including pneumonia and chronic pulmonary disease than those living in the Midwest where ozone levels are low.

Ozone is one of the most widespread pollutants in the world, is formed by a chemical reaction between vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions with sunlight. Authors of the study said the findings justify stronger air quality regulations.

In the year since December 2007, Manitoba experienced a net loss of protected lands. This marks the second year in a row that total lands protected actually decreased. No new boreal forest protected areas were established, and development intentions are proceeding in boreal regions without a protected areas network.

Manitoba has one third of the province's regional system of protected areas in place - established during the 1990's - but continues to fail to fulfill its commitments for protected areas establishment.

"Manitoba will be hit hard by climate change. We need urgent action in our boreal forest regions and for forest species. Lands planning, World Heritage Site protection, and protected areas before development are all overdue," said Gaile Whelan Enns, for Manitoba Wildlands.

The next Manitoba protected areas grade period starts March 2009.

The 2008 protected areas Audit was released earlier and is linked below.

The Uashaunnuat oppose Hydro Québec's $8-billion, 1,550-megawatt hydro project on the Romaine River. The conflict reflects many lost opportunities across Canada as governments continue to impose their way of resource development on local native communities.

"Hydro-Québec does not respect the ancestral rights and titles of the Innu," said Uashaunnuat principal adviser Rosario Pinette. "We are opposed to the Romaine project without our consent. The government has said it does not need our consent but that it will consult with us. That's not enough."

Hydro Québec was granted conditional approval from a joint federal-provincial environmental panel and has reached agreements with four other Innu communities, including a $43 million dollar deal over 60 years with the Nutashkuan Nation.

The UN's World Water Development report, Water in a Changing World, was released at the World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey. The report says by 2030, nearly half of the world's population will be living in areas of high water stress.

Every year the world's population grows by another 80 million. Industrialization, rising living standards, and changing diets that include more water intensive livestock production, place pressure on water resources. Shortages are beginning to constrain economic growth and conflicts over water availability are expected to increase.

The report says, "In many places, climate-related water events have become more frequent and extreme." Rising temperatures are melting snow packs and glaciers, a particular concern for more than 15 percent of the world's population that depend on melt waters.

Canadian Cool Cities make a commitment to stopping global warming by participating. City governments are encouraged to implement energy efficient technology in city buildings, invest in renewable energy, and replace city vehicles with hybrid cars.

Cool Cities is launching "Cool Codes" to help the public understand and implement the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which is expected to produce approximately 15 percent in energy efficiency gains compared to the 2006 edition.

A Cool Codes Toolkit is available online to help cities adopt the new IECC and Cool Cities has also launched its own YouTube Channel.