Environmental Defence Blog
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Environmental Defence is a group of innovative and determined problem-solvers who are making a difference defending clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.They challenge, and inspire change in government, business and people to ensure a greener, healthier and prosperous life for all.
Environmental Defence Blog
2d ago
If people in Ontario don’t speak up, the government might push through two new laws that could see a lot of the province’s farmland, forests, wetlands and habitats marked for destructive suburban sprawl development.
While this might seem like solely an environmental issue, it’s not. That’s because the biggest threat to our environment here in Ontario is also the biggest threat to fixing the housing shortage: sprawl development.
With its permanent protections, the Greenbelt acts as the inner line of defence against destructive sprawl. But only a small portion of Ontario’s essential agric ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
2d ago
Ontario’s current recycling system only collects 43 per cent of beverage containers, but a deposit system could capture 90 per cent, keeping billions of containers out of the environment.
Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – A recent poll commissioned by Environmental Defence found that 81 per cent of Ontarians want a deposit-return system for non-alcoholic beverage containers. The poll, conducted by Abacus Data, shows overwhelming public support for a better system to manage empties for drinks lik ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
5d ago
Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director
Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat – New data released today by the Government of Canada shows that Canada is finally starting to bend the curve when it comes to climate pollution. GHG emissions in 2022 were the lowest they have been in 25 years, with the exception of the pandemic years. However, more action is needed to get the country on track to avoid catastrophic and irreversible climate damages. Critically, Canada must quickly reduce its dependen ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
5d ago
We’ve been closely following all the controversy surrounding Enbridge’s greenwashing and price gouging in Ontario, so we knew we had to make some additions to the Climate Villains roster. Welcome Gregory L. Ebel, the CEO of Enbridge, to our list of infamous Climate Villains – powerful people with fossil fuel interests holding Canada back from effective climate action.
If you haven’t heard of Mr. Ebel before, don’t worry; you’re not alone. The executives behind the fossil fuel industry often avoid public scrutiny, which is why we’re shining the spotlight on their activities. We’ve sourced publ ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
1w ago
Statement from Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate
Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Today Capital Power announced that they would not be pursuing carbon capture at the Genesee Generating Station, east of Edmonton Alberta, given the high costs and complexity of implementing the technology. The project was first proposed in 2021, and has already received government subsidies.
This decision is just the latest failure in carbon capture’s terrible track record. It should serve as a lesson for governments on how reckless it is to be ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
1w ago
Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development program manager
Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – In November 2022, Ontario Premier Doug Ford claimed that sprawl construction would be in progress on the Greenbelt by the end of 2023. Developers tried to evict tenants to make way for construction and survey trucks were on the ground in the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve. Ontarians all know how that turned out. Amid multiple investigations, federal intervention and public outrage at the attack ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
1w ago
This Earth Month, Environmental Defence celebrated its 40th Anniversary. Our Executive Director, Tim Gray, marked the occasion with a speech underscored with a message of hope—a message we’d like to share with all of you now. Four decades of creating meaningful change is no small feat and perseverance often requires hope. But, as you’ll read in Tim’s message below, there’s a certain type of hope that promises a better future, and it’s one rooted in grit, not blind optimism.
Hope is a gift that all of us share. We can tap into it to make our lives richer and more productive.
So how does the sc ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
1w ago
This blog was written by Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Earth Solar
My name is Melina Laboucan-Massimo. I am from the Lubicon Cree First Nation in Little Buffalo, Alberta.
In 2011, my community experienced what was the second-largest oil spill in the province’s history – 4.5 million litres of crude oil (28,000 barrels) contaminated hectares of an aquifer, beaver ponds, muskeg and dense forest. The pipeline owner – Plains Midstream Canada ULC – later faced three charges under provincial law.
The effects of the spill were disastrous. I remember fam ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
1w ago
Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Environmental Defence Executive Director, Tim Gray, will speak at Saturday’s “Keep the Promise – Respect Milton Rally” co-hosted in partnership with a number of local community groups. Together, the groups stand in opposition to re-opening the former Reid Road gravel pit and its conversion into a blasting quarry. The proposed quarry’s close proximity to homes is a danger to the people of Campbelleville and the local environment. It also provides an example of the destruct ..read more
Environmental Defence Blog
2w ago
Canada promised to cut its greenhouse gas emissions after the 2016 Paris Agreement. It was part of the global agreement where 195 countries all agreed to reduce their emissions, and Canada has set this promise into law. While other G7 countries are slashing emissions, Canada lags far behind. In order to meet our targets, every sector of the Canadian economy must row in the same direction. The federal government has set targets and policies for most sectors in the economy….except for the banks, pension funds, and insurers who make investments across our economy.
Why financial regulation?
Regul ..read more