On climate change and disclosure, Canadian businesses must embrace the inevitable
Last month, the federal government released its draft legislation to institute a minimum price on carbon. Starting in 2019, businesses in every province will have to pay for the carbon they emit into the atmosphere, whether it’s through a provincial system or a federal “backstop.” This is a clear signal that carbon pricing is here […]
Partnerships key to game-changing investment in conservation
The $1.3-billion federal budget promise for new parks and protected areas sets the stage for one of the biggest, boldest conservation initiatives in Canadian history. After a quarter of a century of relative neglect, conservation in Canada is back in the spotlight; supporting provincial, territorial and Indigenous conservation partnerships is the best way to keep […]
Budget 2018 signals a new vision for nature conservation in Canada
Despite its natural bounty and the significance of nature to our national identity, Canada has badly lagged other countries in the protection of ecosystems and wildlife habitat. To date, we have protected only 10.6 per cent of our terrestrial ecosystems and inland waters and less than 5 per cent of our marine areas. Among OECD […]
Navigation Protection Act was costly—change is needed
Re: “Changes to the Navigation Protection Act will add more red tape and costs for everyone”(The Hill Times, Feb. 26, p. 24). Conservative MP Kelly Block’s opinion piece spoke of costs, but left out some key externalities. It was costly to break public trust by removing the trigger for an environmental assessment and by restricting […]
A budget about women and how it benefits men
OTTAWA—The federal budget released by Finance Minister Bill Morneau tabled last week has been billed as a feminist budget or a budget put through a gender analysis or lens. But what does that mean? As the bumper sticker says, “feminism is the radical idea that men and women are equal.” So the issues that the […]
Unprecedented Crime is a game changer
For decades, the peer-reviewed science has been clear and consistent about the looming climate crisis. But something has gone awfully wrong. Unprecedented Crime: Climate Science Denial and Game Changers for Survival, by Peter Carter, Elizabeth Woodworth, James E. Hansen, exposes the liability of the fossil fuel industry, governments, and the corporate sector that have suppressed this […]
Strong methane rules will bring health, job, and environmental benefits
Federal regulations to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas facilities will soon be finalized. Reducing methane pollution has important health, environmental and job benefits, which is why these regulations must be implemented quickly and be at least as ambitious as our neighbours in the U.S. First of all, methane emissions from oil and gas […]
It’s time to protect Canadians from toxic chemicals, say Canada’s scientists
In 2018, nearly 600,000 Canadian children will be suffering from asthma, 200,000 school-aged children will be living with ADHD, and 17,000 Canadians will die too early because of air pollution and asbestos. Toxic chemicals are also linked with other diseases, like heart disease and preterm birth. This is why I and over 500 scientists sent […]
Big picture: looking beyond politics to save southern resident killer whales
You can tell a lot about a southern resident killer whale from above. In my field work with the Coastal Ocean Research Institute, an Ocean Wise initiative, my colleagues and I use drone-based aerial photography to measure orcas from season to season. Changes over time help us gauge the health of both individual whales and […]
Feds’ sweeping, new environmental assessment bill keeps power in ministers’ hands, say observers
The government’s new Impact Assessment Act includes hundreds of pages detailing changes to the environmental assessment process in Canada, but keeps ultimate power over approving natural resource projects in the hands of the federal environment minister and her cabinet colleagues. The broad discretion of the environment minister under the bill has drawn criticism from the […]
