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Category: Press Release

  • Groups question Canada’s climate leadership at COP29, after new data shows skyrocketing fossil fuel export emissions   

    OTTAWA/TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE — Ecojustice and Environmental Defence have uncovered that greenhouse gas emissions from Canada’s exported oil, gas, and coal ballooned to record levels in 2023. This information was discovered following a petition to Environment and Climate Change Canada for data on the country’s downstream emissions. This data, which was not previously publicly available, shows that despite Canada’s commitments to reducing emissions at home, exported emissions have risen a shocking 58 per cent from 2012 to 2023.  

    The data show a stark contrast between Canada’s rhetoric as a climate leader and its record. In 2023 for the first time, CO2 emissions produced from Canada’s fossil fuel exports surpassed a billion tonnes, at 1,030 million tonnes, significantly eclipsing the country’s domestic emissions estimate of 702 million tonnes for the same year. These numbers continue to rise as Canada is exporting record-breaking volumes of oil and millions of tonnes of thermal coal through its ports to be burned abroad each year — with concerns that they will continue to rise as governments in Canada approve new fossil fuel projects at home (including new LNG projects in British Columbia).  

    The new downstream emissions data comes to light almost exactly a year after Canada stood on the world stage at COP28, the largest international gathering on climate issues, and proclaimed its commitment to capping emissions and transitioning away from fossil fuels. Now, one year later, as Canada again joins the rest of the world at COP29, these new numbers demonstrate a dangerous continued trend of fossil fuel growth.  

    Since 2012, Canada’s annual exported emissions have increased a whopping 378 million tonnes. This boom in exported emissions counteracts recent hard-won progress at home, where domestic emissions in 2023 were only 42 million tonnes lower than in 2012.  

    The federal government’s long-awaited draft regulations to cap pollution from oil and gas companies are a welcome step, given that the oil and gas industry is the largest source of domestic greenhouse gas emissions, and those emissions continue to rise year after year. However, this new data demonstrates the need for all levels of government to do their part to tackle emissions caused by Canada’s production and export of fossil fuels.  

    According to the International Energy Agency, achieving global net zero emissions by 2050 requires a rapid shift away from fossil fuels and no investments in new fossil fuel supply projects. 

    While Canada is not required to report exported emissions under the Paris Agreement, there are increasing calls on the federal government to account for them — emphasizing that, when Canada ships emissions abroad, they don’t stay away. Rather, the effects of these emissions return to Canada in the form of rising temperatures and extreme weather events, including deadly heatwaves, flooding, and more frequent and severe wildfires.  

    If Canada is truly committed to climate leadership — and to meeting its climate goals — it must account for exported emissions in its climate policies, rapidly phase out fossil fuels, invest in renewable energy alternatives, and collaborate with other nations to transition away from fossil fuels and address the climate crisis globally. 

    Representatives from the groups shared the following: 

    Reid Gomme, Staff Lawyer at Ecojustice said:
    “Canada’s emissions are not confined within our borders – nor are their impacts. They come back to haunt us in the form of climate catastrophes, extreme weather events, rising costs of living, and dangerous health consequences. The rise in exported emissions diminishes Canada’s credibility as a climate leader and ignores our responsibility to align our actions with a climate-safe future. To be a true leader on the world stage, we must own and address our entire emissions profile — both domestic and exported.” 

    Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate at Environmental Defence said:
    “Fossil fuels are causing unnatural climate disasters that are impacting communities across Canada and around the planet. Last year at COP28, countries, including Canada, finally agreed to transition to renewable energy systems. Yet Canada’s oil and gas production and exports continue to grow. The result is skyrocketing pollution levels that will fuel further disasters. Words need to turn into action, and governments in Canada must get serious about moving off of fossil fuels.” 

    About 

    Ecojustice uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, public interest lawsuits and advocacy lead to precedent-setting court decisions, law and policy that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax. 

    Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities. 

    -30-

    For media inquiries:

    Cari Siebrits, Communications Strategist | Ecojustice csiebrits@ecojustice.ca
     

    Alex Ross, Communications Manager | Environmental Defence Canada media@environmentaldefence.ca  

    The post Groups question Canada’s climate leadership at COP29, after new data shows skyrocketing fossil fuel export emissions    appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Climate Experts Available to Comment on COP29 from Baku, Azerbaijan and in Canada

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Between November 11 and November 22, 2024, Environmental Defence experts will be monitoring leaders, experts and advocates from around the world for this year’s session of the global climate negotiations, COP29 in Azerbaijan. Our experts will be able to provide insight on the negotiations at COP29 – including on issues related to climate finance, the  energy transition and fossil fuel subsidies. Our team will also be tracking the participation in the negotiations and proceedings by the Government of Canada, provincial leaders, and oil and gas lobbyists. 

    What Needs to Delivered at COP29:

    • Climate Finance: At COP28 world leaders made the unprecedented decision to transition away from fossil fuels, and a fair fossil fuel phase out needs fair funding. COP29 is the deadline for the adoption of a new collective quantified goal (NCQG), to ensure wealthy countries are supporting developing nations to reduce emissions and address climate impacts. This new framework aims to replace the existing 2009 commitment from developed countries to provide $100 billion annually between 2020 and 2025 — a target missed by years.  At least $1 trillion per year is required to meet the immediate climate needs of developing countries. Agreeing to a new climate finance goal is a crucial benchmark for success at COP29.
    • National Climate Targets: Countries agreed under the Paris Agreement to submit stronger national climate commitments (known as “nationally determined contributions,” or NDCs) every five years. The next round is due in February 2025. These climate plans must demonstrate how countries will implement the commitments made last year to transition away from fossil fuels, scale up renewable energy and double down on energy efficiency measures.  

    For more detailed  information about Canada’s commitments, record to date, and the topics under discussion, please see our backgrounder: https://environmentaldefence.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/COP-29-Media-Backgrounder-November-2025.pdf 

    When: November 11 to November 22, 2024

    Experts available to comment:

    From Baku:

    Julie Segal – Senior Program Manager, Climate Finance (Nov 18-22)

    In Canada:

    Keith Brooks – Programs Director

    Julia Levin – Associate Director, National Climate

    Aliénor Rougeot – Program Manager, Climate and Energy

    Emilia Belliveau – Energy Transition Program Manager

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Alex Ross, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Climate Experts Available to Comment on COP29 from Baku, Azerbaijan and in Canada appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Canada’s Release of its Plan to Cap Oil and Gas Pollution Sets a Standard for Other Countries to Follow

    Pollution

    Statement from Aly Hyder Ali, Oil and Gas Program Manager, Environmental Defence

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – We welcome the Government of Canada’s Oil and Gas Greenhouse Gas Pollution Cap draft regulation, which aims to curb pollution from the oil and gas industry. This is a historic step towards holding this industry accountable for its outsized role in driving climate change.

    The release of the draft pollution cap rules brings Canada one step closer to being the first nation in the world to put binding limits on oil and gas pollution.

    The oil and gas industry is the largest source of emissions in the country, accounting for over 30 per cent of Canada’s emissions. The industry has continued to produce more pollution each year, canceling out efforts made by other parts of the economy. This underscores the need for government intervention.

    Oil and gas pollution isn’t just fueling climate change – it’s also raising Canadians’ cost of living. While companies post record profits, Canadians are paying more for essentials like groceries, insurance, and health care as a result of both the climate crisis as well as the affordability crisis driven in part by fossil fuel profits.

    The pollution cap shifts the responsibility for addressing pollution back onto an industry that has long profited at Canadians’ expense and forces companies to do their part to clean up their own mess.

    However, for the cap to be truly effective, the draft regulations must be strengthened. The rules must take effect sooner than the proposed 2030 timeline, and align with Canada’s climate goal of a 40-45 per cent emissions reduction by 2030. Loopholes which allow companies to avoid having to reduce their own pollution, like offsets and a decarbonization fund, must also be closed.

    Collaboration from provincial governments is also crucial to the cap’s success. Climate impacts cross borders, and so must climate action. Provincial support is necessary to reinforcing federal initiatives, as opposition only undermines national goals and puts the health and economic well-being of all people in Canada at risk.

    It is essential that the federal government urgently transition from draft to final regulations so pollution reductions can begin. Swift implementation will be crucial for Canada to meet its international climate commitments, while safeguarding the future for Canadians.

    Canada has set the stage – now it’s time to act. There is no more time for delay. Canada’s pollution cap can be the benchmark for true accountability and a healthier planet.

    Background Information

    N.B. In the framework released in December 2023, the regulation is called an emissions cap. In today’s announcement the regulation is now called the oil and gas greenhouse gas pollution cap.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact: Allen Braude, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Canada’s Release of its Plan to Cap Oil and Gas Pollution Sets a Standard for Other Countries to Follow appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on on the Alberta United Conservative Party Endorsement of a Resolution Denying Climate Change

    Statement by Stephen Legault, Senior Manager, Alberta Energy Transition

    Canmore | Traditional territories of the Treaty 7 Nations – Denying the link between fossil fuels, CO2, and climate change will only hurt Alberta and its future economic well-being. 97 per cent of the planet’s climate scientists agree that climate change is a global catastrophe resulting in disastrous extreme weather such as floods, famine, drought, and uncontrolled wildfire.

    Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Environment Minister Rebecca Shultz have allowed this demonstrably wrong belief to go unchallenged, becoming the Alberta United Conservative Party’s (UCP) default stance on climate change.

    By denying the reality of climate change, the UCP government ignores one of the main economic drivers for energy transition.

    The question to Premier Smith is: will she disavow this resolution and instead embrace the challenge of addressing climate change, while embracing rather than disregarding the economic opportunity presented by global energy diversification?

    Background

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact: Allen Braude, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

     

    The post Statement on on the Alberta United Conservative Party Endorsement of a Resolution Denying Climate Change appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Alarm bells raised as Alberta’s refusal to assess dangers of massive oil sands carbon capture project sparks safety concerns

    Aerial photo of a large dump trucks parked at a mine staging area. Canada's Oilsands, near Fort McMurray, Alberta.

    CALGARY/TERRITORIES OF THE BLACKFOOT AND PEOPLES OF TREATIES 6 AND 7, HOME TO MÉTIS NATION OF ALBERTA, REGION III — A local First Nation and environmental groups are sounding the alarm after the Alberta government and Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) denied their request to order an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a massive carbon capture project in Alberta’s oilsands.

    The request for an EIA was made by Ecojustice on behalf of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) and several environmental and community organizations in May 2024, to ensure the $16.5-billion Pathways Alliance project will not have significant adverse impacts on the environment, local communities, and the rights of Indigenous peoples. This week, the AER responded that it would not be ordering the assessment.

    The Pathways Alliance — a consortium of Canada’s six largest oilsands producers accounting for 95% of the country’s oilsands production — plans to develop a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project that would capture carbon dioxide from at least 13 oilsands facilities in northeastern Alberta and transport the carbon via over 600-km of pipeline to an area south of Cold Lake, AB, where it would be injected underground for storage. This is the largest CCS project ever proposed in Canada, and one of the largest globally.

    Over recent months, the Pathways Alliance has been applying to the AER for various authorizations that are necessary to build the project. Pathways has split the megaproject into at least 66 smaller segments and has made multiple applications for each — at least 126 by the time they are all submitted.

    An EIA is an opportunity to look at a project as a whole and ensure all environmental, economic, health, and social impacts of the project are adequately identified and addressed. This is why it is a standard step across Canada when assessing projects of this size. By failing to conduct an EIA, the AER is allowing a piecemeal approach, known as “project splitting,” which impairs the AER’s ability to adequately identify and assess all project-specific, direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts.

    The lack of an EIA also undermines Indigenous and other frontline communities’ ability to understand the impacts of this project on their rights. Assessing impacts on Aboriginal and Treaty rights is required as part of Alberta’s duty to consult, but ACFN has been seeking critical information about this project from both Alberta and the Pathways Alliance for over two years — to no avail.

    Concerns about the environmental and health impacts of CCS projects are well documented around the world. These projects can exacerbate air pollution, put stress on watersheds, risk groundwater contamination, and cause dangerous leaks and explosions. Since 2010, there have been 76 incidents involving carbon dioxide pipelines in the US. For example, a carbon dioxide pipeline exploded in Satartia, Mississippi in 2020 and a carbon dioxide pipeline leaked in Louisiana in April 2024. In October 2024, citing a carbon dioxide leak at a CCS project in Illinois, more than 150 environmental and advocacy groups asked the US Environmental Protection Agency to halt carbon dioxide injections and stop permitting new wells until regulations are revised. Following an environmental assessment, in May 2024, the government of Queensland, Australia rejected a proposed CCS project in the Great Artesian Basin due to concerns that carbon dioxide injected underground would cause groundwater contamination. The Government of Queensland has now banned carbon storage in Australia’s largest groundwater basin.

    Questions have also been raised about who is paying for this multi-billion dollar project. Despite record production and profits in the oilsands in recent years, the Pathways Alliance does not want to pay for the CCS project itself. Instead, the oilsands consortium expects Canadian taxpayers to pay — calling upon provincial and federal governments to provide financial support. The federal government has developed investment tax credits to incentivize CCS projects, which would cover half of the capital costs, while Alberta would cover an additional 12%. Pathways is also currently negotiating “contracts for difference” with the federal government, which would guarantee the Pathways Alliance ongoing profits at an established carbon price. This all could mean that the public bears most of the costs, and private companies get all of the potential benefits.

    With Alberta unwilling to assess the risks this project poses to the environment and local communities, it is an open question whether the federal government will step in to assess the risks of this megaproject.

    Representatives from the groups said the following:

    Chief Allan Adam, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation: 
    “There’s a reason the AER doesn’t want to put the Pathways project through an environmental assessment.  It is because it will expose the environmental impacts, the poor economic viability and the risks to human health. We know the AER works with industry to cover up their messes, this is just another example, a big example. With our Treaty rights on the line you can guarantee that ACFN will fight this tooth and nail.”

    Matt Hulse, lawyer at Ecojustice:
    “Just as the Competition Act was being strengthened this past year to introduce stronger anti-greenwashing provisions, the Pathways Alliance’s website was scrubbed. An environmental assessment is an excellent way to test whether the Pathways claims are actually true – not just about its ability to reduce emissions and help address climate change, but to do so safely and cost-effectively, particularly given all the taxpayer money they want to spend. With Alberta unwilling to assess this project, we hope that the federal government will step up.”

    Phillip Meintzer, conservation specialist at Alberta Wilderness Association: 
    “The AER’s decision shows that Alberta’s environmental impact assessment process is fundamentally flawed. Project-splitting is a loophole that allows large industrial projects to steamroll ahead while ignoring cumulative impacts – putting Albertans, Indigenous communities, and ecosystems at risk of harm. It’s like saying that drivers don’t need a license to operate a vehicle because the individual parts aren’t technically a whole car. It’s absurd.”

    Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate, Environmental Defence:
    “Alberta’s decision to skip an environmental assessment of the Pathways Alliance’s massive carbon capture project is further evidence that the government has no desire to protect the health and safety of its residents. Carbon capture infrastructure is enormously risky, and Alberta lacks any robust safety oversight. Pipeline ruptures and carbon dioxide leaks can be devastating and put Alberta’s drinking water at risk. The communities that would bear all of the risks from the project deserve to have real answers about the dangers posed to their families.”

    Emily Lowan, Fossil Fuel Supply Lead, Climate Action Network Canada:
    “This decision is a slap in the face to all the communities who will have to bear the costs and consequences of this risky project. This year alone, we’ve seen regions like Queensland Australia and Illinois pump the brakes on carbon capture projects for health and safety reasons. Local residents don’t want to live in a hazardous waste disposal site, putting their drinkable water and air quality at risk. To subject renewable energy projects to suffocating restrictions, yet skip a comprehensive health and environmental assessment for a massive project from the fossil fuel industry, makes the Alberta government’s double standard abundantly clear. ”

    Background

    • On May 13, 2024, Ecojustice submitted a request on behalf of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Alberta Wilderness Association, Climate Action Network, Environmental Defence, and the No to CO2 Landowner’s Group to the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) to conduct an environmental impact assessment of the Pathways Alliance’s carbon capture project.
    • CCS is massively expensive, with a terrible track record. Analysis from IEEFA concludes that most projects fail, and the few that are able to get off the ground underperform. A 2023 report out of Oxford University found that heavy dependence on CCS to reach net zero would cost at least $30 trillion USD more than a route based primarily on renewable energy, energy efficiency and electrification. Internal documents released by the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee reveal that oil and gas companies see CCS as a way to get social license to continue producing fossil fuels for decades to come.
    • Project Risks: A CCS project of this magnitude introduces a suite of potentially dangerous consequences. The capture, transportation, and storage of carbon dioxide have significant environmental impacts and raise a host of health and safety concerns, including:
      • Leakage: carbon dioxide is an asphyxiant and, when leaked, can cause dangerous health effects including disorientation, confusion, rapid loss of consciousness, even death. Carbon dioxide is colourless and odourless, making it extremely difficult to detect and avoid leaks from pipelines or storage sites, putting nearby communities at risk.
      • Emergency management: Alberta does not mandate an emergency response plan for carbon dioxide pipelines and does not mandate the release of information about how carbon dioxide is likely to disperse. These CO2 plumes can spread significant distances from the point of release.
      • Groundwater contamination: an increase in carbon dioxide in underground aquifers can cause lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals that are contained in rocks to leach into water sources, putting drinking water quality at risk.
      • Risk of explosion: when carbon dioxide is compressed for transport in a pipeline, it becomes highly volatile, creating risks of extremely dangerous pipeline explosions.
      • Water consumption: the equipment used to capture carbon generates heat and must be cooled with water, which would be drawn from the Athabasca River system – putting more pressure on a watershed already under stress.
      • Pollution: carbon capture equipment burns natural gas, increasing regional air and water pollution. The project also runs risks of underground leakage back into the atmosphere, groundwater contamination from stored carbon dioxide.

    About

    The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation are K’ai Tailé Dené, the “people of the land of the willow.” This name signifies ACFN’s deep connection to their traditional territories, which are centred on the Peace-Athabasca Delta in what is now known as northeast Alberta. ACFN signed Treaty 8 in Fort Chipewyan in 1899 and continues to exercise their Treaty rights and maintain their cultural identity.

    Alberta Wilderness Association is the oldest Alberta-based environmental conservation group with more than 7,500 members and supporters in Alberta and around the world. AWA seeks the completion of a protected areas network and good stewardship of Alberta’s public lands, waters, and biodiversity to ensure future generations enjoy the abundant benefits they provide.

    Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat Canada (“CAN-Rac”) is a network of organizations taking action on climate and energy issues in the land currently called Canada.

    Ecojustice uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, public interest lawsuits and advocacy lead to precedent-setting court decisions, law and policy that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.

    Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    No to CO2 Landowners Group is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization of friends and neighbors in the County of St. Paul and Municipal District of Bonnyville, Alberta. It is concerned with protecting their land and preserving their quality of life.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Jay Telegdi | Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
    Jay.telegdi@acfn.com

    Cari Siebrits, Communications Strategist | Ecojustice
    csiebrits@ecojustice.ca

    Phillip Meintzer, Conservation Specialist | Alberta Wilderness Association pmeintzer@abwild.ca

    Midhat Moini, Communication Manager| Environmental Defence
    mmoini@environmentaldefence.ca

    Vicky Coo, Communications Manager | Climate Action Network Canada
    comms@climateactionnetwork.ca

     

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  • Statement from Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager for Plastics: Grocery Stores Can and Should Take Back Alcohol Empties to Prevent More Waste in Ontario

    Without expanded return locations, province will start to see decline of successful deposit-return program for alcohol containers

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – People in Ontario can now buy alcohol in more places, but the province is on the precipice of an environmental setback because there are very few added locations to return empties. It is virtually certain that the lack of return locations will increase waste and litter, spelling doom for beer bottle refill and alcohol container recycling. The requirement for grocery stores that sell alcohol to take back empties is essential and must be maintained.

    Ontarians have been returning containers to The Beer Store for nearly 100 years — ensuring cans and bottles are sorted and effectively recycled or refilled. But retailers are seeking to weaken the deposit-return program for alcohol containers even as Ontario continues to lag behind most other Canadian provinces since it does not have a similar program for non-alcoholic beverages.

    Every year, we estimate that more than 1.7 billion plastic bottles are littered, landfilled or burned in an incinerator because there is no deposit-return system for non-alcoholic beverages. The provincial government abruptly cancelled work on such a program this past summer after retailers complained that they would be expected to participate in taking back empties from the beverages they sell.

    Now retailers are railing against the requirement to start taking back alcohol empties if they sell alcohol as part of this fall’s expansion of sales to convenience and grocery stores.

    All effective deposit-return systems ensure consumers can easily return their empties. This keeps containers in the system and out of the environment while enabling people to get their deposits back. That’s why the province must ignore retailer whining and hold firm that stores that sell alcohol must take back empties. It’s only fair.

    What’s more, the province must get back to the table with the non-alcoholic beverage industry, retailers and environmental advocates to design an effective and long-awaited expansion of the deposit-return program to non-alcoholic beverages.

    Retailers all over the world take back empties — including in Quebec, Michigan, Germany and all over Latin America. There is no excuse for major retailers not to participate in reducing litter and waste in Ontario, refunding customer deposits, and ensuring containers can be recycled or refilled.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Lauren Thomas, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

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  • Joint Statement: Public transit in Canada’s largest cities requires sustainable, long term funding, starting with acceleration of the “Canada Public Transit Fund”

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, TRANSLINK MAYORS’ COUNCIL OF METRO VANCOUVER, CITY OF TORONTO, CITY OF OTTAWA, CITY OF EDMONTON, CITY OF CALGARY, CITY OF BRAMPTON, SOCIÉTÉ DE TRANSPORT DE MONTRÉAL.

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Today, mayors and transit board chairs representing urban regions across Canada met in Ottawa alongside transit and community advocates to call on the federal government to work with local and provincial governments to address the funding crisis facing the country’s largest transit agencies, and develop a new, sustainable funding model for public transportation. Their call for a new deal for public transit was supported by a wide array of stakeholders including transit industry representatives, environmental NGO’s, public transit rider groups, and unions.

    Following a meeting of mayors and board chairs from six transit agencies and more than 15 transit and community groups from across Canada during the Transit for Tomorrow Summit, participants agreed to jointly call on the federal government to play a leadership role in advancing a New Transit Funding Model, which calls for a new approach that quickly expands the revenues available to meet both capital and operating needs, and ns with governments’ shared objectives on affordability, housing, climate action, economic growth and accessibility.

    Mayors, Chairs, and community advocates are calling on the federal government to:

    • Accelerate the Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF) program as the first step towards a sustainable and predictable stream of funding for public transit systems.
    • Commit to convening a forum with municipal and provincial counterparts to develop a new model for funding public transit that grows with the economy, population and ridership, and is sustainable, predictable and sufficient to address both capital and operating needs.
    • Support long-term transportation planning that aligns with and delivers on the economic, social and environmental objectives of all orders of government by enshrining the Canada Public Transit Fund in legislation, similar to the Canadian Community Building Fund, to ensure its long-term predictability.

    The declaration states, in part: “Transit is the most powerful method of tackling traffic congestion. It is the lifeblood of economic growth in our biggest cities.  It is a solution to the rising cost of living. It helps us reduce carbon emissions.  But public transit systems across the country are in a financial crisis. If this historic challenge isn’t overcome, we risk a future that is costlier, more polluting, and where gridlock holds people and businesses back from their full potential.”

    Municipal and transit agency representatives who signed the Joint Declaration include representatives from Toronto, Metro Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Brampton. Stakeholders who have signed the declaration include Environmental Defence Canada, Équiterre, the David Suzuki Foundation, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Canada, TTCRiders, Movement (Metro Vancouver Transit Riders), Climate Action Network Canada, Trajectoire Québec, Alliance TRANSIT and Vivre en Ville.

    Brad West, Mayor of Port Coquitlam, BC, and Chair of the TransLink Mayors’ Council in Metro Vancouver, said: 

    “The old ways of funding transit through fuel levies and property taxes – and even the federal government’s new transit fund – are not designed to support the needs of our rapidly growing urban centres; not today and certainly not into the future. The bottom line is that we need all levels of government at the table, working on a new deal for transit.”

    Olivia Chow, Mayor of the City of Toronto, said: 

    “Canada’s cities all share in the challenges of reducing GHG emissions, improving access to affordable housing and growing our local economies, and we simply cannot meet these goals without well-functioning public transit systems. I welcome the call for greater collaboration across all orders of government as we build public transit for the future.”

    Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton, said: 

    “The crisis facing public transit looks slightly different in each city, but they are all struggling with the same fundamental issue: expanding transit systems quickly enough to meet rapidly growing demands from the public. Now is the time to develop a new model for funding transit that will help keep our cities affordable and livable.”

    Amarjeet Sohi, Mayor of Edmonton, said: 

    “Cities across Canada understand that a strong transit system transforms communities and enables residents to get wherever they need to go, whether it’s work, school, service facilities, or local businesses. Investments in public transit support growth, maintain affordability, and help us meet our climate targets. Now is the time for all levels of government to come together and ensure our transit systems have sustainable, predictable and reliable long-term funding.”

    Nate Wallace, Program Manager, Clean Transportation, Environmental Defence Canada, said: 

    “This is the first time that mayors and transit board chairs from across Canada are meeting to develop a strategy in response to this crisis, and we have brought together advocates, stakeholders and public policy makers from across the country to begin working on solutions. Today’s Summit and our Joint Declaration are a critical step toward achieving a new deal for transit that recognizes the pivotal role transit plays in climate action.”

     Éric Alan Caldwell, Chairman of the Board of the Société de transport de Montréal, said: 

    “One of the biggest challenges facing the largest transit companies is asset maintenance. In Montreal, we recently saw how inadequate asset maintenance funding is jeopardizing services to the public when structural issues led to the emergency closing of a station. Predictable and sufficient asset maintenance funding is essential to guarantee safe, reliable and quality service. This is why it’s essential to act before the new permanent Canada Public Transit Fund, as early as 2025.”

    About the “Transit for Tomorrow” Summit

    Hosted by the TransLink Mayors’ Council and Environmental Defence, the Transit for Tomorrow Summit on October 28, 2024, is bringing all levels of government together to fix the broken funding model for public transit. The Summit is a chance for public transit advocates to convene, communicate the urgency of action to policymakers, and highlight the crucial role of public transit in creating equitable cities and meeting Canada’s climate objectives.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Participating Mayors and transit officials:
    Anna Lilly, anna@earnscliffe.ca
    Manan Kohli, manan@earnscliffe.ca

    Karishma Porwal, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    French Language Media Inquiries:
    medias@stm.info, STM
    Samuel Pagé-Plouffe, Alliance TRANSIT, samuel.page-plouffe@vivreenville.org

    The post Joint Statement: Public transit in Canada’s largest cities requires sustainable, long term funding, starting with acceleration of the “Canada Public Transit Fund” appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • New Audit Finds Notable Increases in Plastic-Wrapped Foods Marketed for Babies and Toddlers

    Updated grocery store audit finds just as much plastic overall, with increases in the baby food and soup aisles

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Environmental Defence’s latest audit of Canada’s major grocery retailers found nearly two-thirds of foods on key shelves, including produce, baby food and soups, are wrapped in plastic. The audit shows notable increases in the amount of plastic-wrapped foods marketed for babies and toddlers and a further shift away from cans in the soup aisle when compared to the original audit conducted in 2022. The amount of plastic in the produce section remained essentially unchanged, sitting at 70 per cent compared to 71 per cent in 2022.

    “We are still bringing home an enormous amount of plastic from our grocery trips,” said Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager for Plastics at Environmental Defence. “And even more food for babies and toddlers is wrapped in plastic, not only creating waste but — as growing evidence suggests — exposing children in these vulnerable age groups to harmful chemical additives and microplastics.”

    The 2024 audit enabled Environmental Defence to identify the types of plastic on the shelves to assess whether the grocers are moving, as they promised, to recyclable or reusable packaging. The audit found that only 16 per cent of the packaging included in the audit is a type that is widely recycled — primarily clear or colourless rigid plastic containers. The vast majority was found to be designed for a single use and not recycled in Canada, including mesh bags, foam, stand-up pouches, film bags and packages made of mixed materials.

    The federal government has called on grocery stores to reduce unnecessary single-use plastic, highlighting packaging for fruits and vegetables. However, the audit found only a small increase in unwrapped produce, increasing from 27 per cent to 29 per cent. Loblaw-owned stores had the lowest proportion of unwrapped produce, at only 17.8 per cent.

    “The major grocery retailers are not reducing throwaway plastic packaging on their own,” added Wirsig. “It’s more important than ever for the federal government to go ahead with its plan to require them to do it. We know people in Canada want this, with 84 per cent supporting the elimination of unnecessary plastic grocery packaging.”

    The 2024 audit also looked at how multi-packs of beverages are bundled in grocery stores since the federal ban on plastic “six-pack rings” came into effect in June. A full 38 per cent of six- and eight-packs are held together with single-use plastic wrap — an alternative that is not a real improvement.

    “Replacing six-pack rings with plastic wrap is irresponsible given the plastic pollution crisis unfolding around the world,” Wirsig said. “There are many alternatives, including allowing customers to select the number of individual beverages they want themselves. Paper ties and other non-plastic alternatives are also available.”

    The audit update was conducted in August 2024 among 13 stores in four of Canada’s top grocery chains: Loblaw, Empire, Metro and Walmart.

    Click here to view the full report.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Lauren Thomas, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post New Audit Finds Notable Increases in Plastic-Wrapped Foods Marketed for Babies and Toddlers appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on Minister Lecce’s Announcement Regarding Ontario’s Energy “Vision”

    Statement by Keith Brooks, Programs Director

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Ontario’s commitment to move forward with an integrated and longer-term energy plan, announced this morning, is a step forward. This “plan to plan” indicates that the provincial government has come a long way from the ideologically-driven cancellation of over 750 clean power projects and the days of removing EV chargers. This speaks to the undeniable opportunity presented by the energy transition.

    However, any praise for Ontario’s new commitment to energy planning must be tempered by the move this government made almost six years ago to remove the requirement for Ontario to issue Long Term Energy Plans every three years. The last Long Term Energy Plan published by the Province of Ontario in 2017 provided the energy sector, municipalities, stakeholders and the public with a roadmap for energy investments. This new document is also very thin on details. Ultimately, it will be judged based on where the province lands on a number of policies, including the role of natural gas in Ontario.

    Eight months ago the Ontario government announced that a natural gas policy statement would be forthcoming, but this “plan” still does not deliver on this commitment and in fact suggests an outdated approach moving forward. That is, the latest plan alludes to future natural gas expansions with the statement that “work is underway to explore how to continue [the Natural Gas Expansion Program] and provide financial support and affordable home heating to more communities.”

    We caution the province against looking for ways to further expand the natural gas pipeline network, which we will oppose with our supporters at each step. Heat pumps are a more affordable heating option and should be the default in any home, new or existing, that is looking to reduce heating costs and upgrade HVAC equipment.

    While this morning’s announcement is a step forward, we encourage the Ontario government to commit to consulting extensively on their integrated plan by delivering public open houses, stakeholder sessions and Indigenous engagement in addition to the usual Environmental Registry posting.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Tamara Latinovic, Environmental Defence
    media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Statement on Minister Lecce’s Announcement Regarding Ontario’s Energy “Vision” appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Ontario’s New Highway Bill Would Lock in Gridlock, Strangle Low-Cost Housing Development and set up Conflict with Federal Government

    Environmental Defence Canada has requested the federal government to immediately designate all new major highways in Ontario for federal Impact Assessments

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – The Ontario government’s omnibus highways bill, which it has labeled the ‘Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024’, would bulldoze ahead with destructive new highways that make traffic worse. The bill ignores environmental values, hinders affordable solutions to traffic congestion, undermines efforts to deliver affordable infill housing and puts the province on a collision course with the federal government.

    The proposed ‘Building Highways Faster Act, 2024’ and ‘Highway 413 Act, 2024’ would prioritize costly and complicated new highway projects over faster, more affordable alternatives that would provide real relief for commuters without destroying farms, species and rivers. Ontario could and should be tackling gridlock right now by making better use of existing infrastructure, such as moving commercial truck traffic from the 401 onto the underutilized Highway 407. This shift alone could ease congestion on major routes without further damage to ecosystems or the climate.

    Additionally, the bill ignores the urgent need for better transit service and long-term investments in well-connected, efficient public transit infrastructure. Improving and expanding transit service would provide affordable, reliable alternatives to driving, reduce traffic, and help meet Ontario’s climate goals. Expert modelling shows that the right investments in improved transit service and densifying existing neighbourhoods would wipe out motor vehicle congestion in the GTA by 2035 by significantly reducing within-region motor vehicle trips. Yet, this legislation undermines the potential for sustainable transportation solutions like transit and cycling infrastructure, both of which are proven to reduce congestion and lower emissions.

    “More highways mean more gridlock, more wasted time, more destroyed natural areas and more pollution,” said Tim Gray, Executive Director at Environmental Defence. “Shifting truck traffic from the 401 to the 407 now and investing in modern, well-connected public transit would relieve congestion more effectively and sustainably—without destroying natural areas and farms or increasing carbon pollution.”

    By short-circuiting environmental reviews Ontario is proposing to ignore the fate of dozens of federally protected endangered species, the Humber, Credit and Holland Rivers and irreplaceable Indigenous archeological sites. All of these values are the responsibility of the federal government and cannot be destroyed at the stroke of the pen by the Ontario government.

    “Premier Ford’s callous and contemptuous disregard for wildlife, rivers, clean water and culture, cannot be legally ignored by the federal government,” added Gray. “This bill should be a bright waving red flag for the federal government to immediately designate all new major highways in Ontario for federal Impact Assessments as we have requested.”

    If passed, the Bill’s presumptive ban on most new bicycle lanes would also be another blow to hopes of solving Ontario housing shortage.

    “Municipal governments like Toronto’s have identified the inclusion of parking as one of the major obstacles to building more homes faster, and at lower cost,” said Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development Program Manager. “While governments are removing the legal obligation to include parking spaces, “last mile” solutions like bicycles and e-bikes are vital to unlocking the interiors of many post-WWII neighborhoods for residents who don’t own cars. Blocking the expansion of protected bicycle lanes would sterilize many parts of our cities and suburbs for the lowest-cost, most labour-efficient forms of family housing.”

    Environmental Defence calls on the provincial government to reconsider this bill and focus on solutions that protect both the environment and the quality of life for Ontarians. Bulldozing new highways through farms, forests and rivers is an expensive, destructive action that will only worsen traffic in the long run, while ignoring the well documented facts that better public transit and smarter use of existing roadways represent a more effective and affordable way forward.

    A full backgrounder on Highway 413 can be found here.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence
    media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Ontario’s New Highway Bill Would Lock in Gridlock, Strangle Low-Cost Housing Development and set up Conflict with Federal Government appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Clean Energy Continues its Forward Momentum, but Canada Needs to Step Up

    solar panels, renewable energy

    Statement by Aly Hyder Ali, Oil and Gas Program Manager

    Canada must pay attention to new analysis that reiterates the age of fossil fuels is coming to an end as demand for coal, oil and gas are set to peak before the end of this decade

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – We are pleased to see that today’s report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) reaffirms that the world is very quickly approaching a future where clean energy can meet all growth in global energy demand, due to rapid adoption in clean energy technologies, improvements in energy efficiency and electrification. This is great news, considering the outsized impacts of fossil fuels on driving climate change.

    For Canada, a major oil and gas producing country, it is imperative to be prepared for the shift in the global energy market. Increasing investments in clean energy sources will not only help meet Canada’s climate targets, but also safeguard the Canadian economy.

    In addition to scaling up clean energy investments, Canada has a responsibility to do its part in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The oil and gas industry continues to be the largest source of pollution in the country.

    Fortunately, the federal government is currently developing a policy that would limit oil and gas pollution. However, the oil and gas emissions cap has been in development for nearly three years now. The Government of Canada must urgently release the draft regulations and move towards tabling the upcoming oil and gas emissions cap as soon as possible.

    The IEA is clear that the world must increase clean energy investments and reduce emissions rapidly to keep the rise in global temperatures to below 1.5 °C. As a wealthy country, Canada has an obligation to do its part in the global effort to fight climate change.

    It is becoming clearer that the world needs to phase out fossil fuels, in addition to reducing current greenhouse gas emissions and further intensifying the clean energy rollout. This is an ambitious task, but very much achievable. We have the tools to support a fair phaseout of fossil fuels.

    As we approach COP 29 in Azerbaijan next month, countries must heed the advice of IEA and follow through on the recommendations in this year’s World Energy Outlook report. It is only through a coordinated global effort that we can overcome the climate crisis.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact: Allen Braude, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Clean Energy Continues its Forward Momentum, but Canada Needs to Step Up appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Federal Impact Assessment Staff Voiced Significant Concern Over Ontario’s Approach to Protecting key Values Threatened by Highway 413 Project

    Concern focused on Ontario’s lack of data and reckless approach to species at risk, navigable waters and duty to consult with Indigenous communities

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – A recent Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) release has revealed a litany of concerns expressed by the federal government about Ontario’s approach to protecting key values threatened by the proposed construction of Highway 413. This includes the revelation that the largest remaining habitat for the critically endangered Western Chorus Frog in Ontario directly overlaps with the proposed route of the Highway.

    The 68-page trove of previously unreleased documents reveals significant concerns about values that must be protected under federal jurisdiction as required by the Species at Risk Act (SARA), the Fisheries Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, the Canadian Navigable Waters Act and the Duty to Consult under Section 35 of the Constitution.

    “These new records further validate long held concerns about this highway,” said Tim Gray, executive director at Environmental Defence. “The Ontario government is trying to recklessly push forward with Highway 413 in a way that harms species at risk and considers Indigenous consultation an afterthought.”

    Federal departments communicated concerns about Ontario’s approach to species at risk including how data collection is being undertaken, the lack of protection for certain species and questionable proposals for the relocation of species at risk. The ATIP revealed that the largest remaining Western Chorus Frog critical habitat area lies in the direct path of the Highway 413 project (ATIP, pg. 24). Environment and Climate Change Canada scientists flagged that the highway routing seemed to be pre-determined and that alternative route assessments were not completed for species at risk such as the Western Chorus Frog, Red-Headed Woodpecker and Rapids Clubtail (ATIP, pg. 23).

    The ATIP release also highlighted apprehension from the federal government about the highway due to its potential impact to the navigable waters of the Credit River, Etobicoke Creek and Humber River due to changes in water infiltration and base-flow as a result of paving large sections of the headwaters for each of those rivers (ATIP, pg. 27-28). Other concerns include a lack of information on current Indigenous traditional uses, such as hunting, fishing or gathering, by Indigenous communities and the project team’s lack of engagement with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers (ATIP, pg. 42).

    “The concerns identified in this ATIP clearly show that the federal government needs to immediately re-designate this risky and expensive highway for a full federal Impact Assessment,” said Gray.

    Full ATIP overview and release are available HERE.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence
    media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Federal Impact Assessment Staff Voiced Significant Concern Over Ontario’s Approach to Protecting key Values Threatened by Highway 413 Project appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • New Testing: High Levels of Endocrine Disruptors, Heavy Metals Hiding in Shoe Charms Intended for Crocs and Other Children’s Plastic Products

    Federal government urged to immediately regulate toxic chemicals in plastics to better protect children from harmful exposures

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Today, Environmental Defence is highlighting testing that found several toxic chemicals hiding in plastic products people wear, use and play with every day. Many of these products are marketed to children, and two of the products released roughly five times the allowable daily oral exposure for infants in a “wipe test.”

    Lead, cadmium, and phthalates were found in several plastic products. These  are highly harmful substances linked to brain damage and ADHD, liver damage, reproductive harms and other devastating diseases. Testing also demonstrated that these chemicals are readily released during contact with hands and can then be ingested—particularly on products that come into contact with food and eating utensils such as tablecloths, which were found to contain over 10% phthalate and up to 0.03% of the highly toxic heavy metal cadmium.

    Even more concerning were the results of a number of items marketed to children such as clothing, toys, crafts and gaming headphones:

    • Cartoon shoe charms, intended to accessorize Crocs, 1% lead and 13.2% phthalate (DEHP) by weight
    • AquaFlo mermaid tail inflatable water toy, 6.3% phthalate (DBP, DIBP) by weight
    • TX bike seat, 2.9% phthalate (DEHP) by weight
    • Guess brand faux leather baseball cap, 10% phthalate (DEHP) by weight
    • Pioneer rubber boots, 4.4% lead and 12% phthalate (DEHP) by weight
    • Sewing kit bag, 0.03% cadmium and 13.6% phthalate (DEHP) by weight
    • Sentry gaming headphones cord, 10.5% phthalate (DEHP) by weight

    Regulators do not appear to be taking these toxic plastic exposures seriously. This testing clearly demonstrates that touching these products exposes people to high levels of toxic chemicals like DEHP but, when contacted by the testing lab about these product testing results, Health Canada’s written response was that touching these products “does not constitute a health risk.”

    “There are such high levels of these harmful chemicals in these plastic products that they are wiping off onto our hands, where they can be easily ingested,” said Cassie Barker, Senior Program Manager for Toxics at Environmental Defence. “These are wildly toxic products that should never be sold in Canada or elsewhere. There is an urgent need for our regulators to acknowledge these harms, and close the toxic loopholes that plastics and product manufacturers use to continue putting us in harm’s way. Our kids deserve stronger rules that hold dirty industries and toxic product sellers accountable. The feds can act tomorrow to better regulate these chemicals and products—and they can show the world that they are serious about tackling toxic plastic.”

    “The more we find out about what’s in the plastic products we touch, play with and eat from every day, the more we realize the urgent need to protect people from this toxic chemical soup,” said Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager for Plastics at Environmental Defence. “Plastic has been sold to us for years as a safe and sanitary material, but there is growing evidence that it’s not only destroying the environment, it’s threatening our health. The federal government must urgently address these toxic plastic products and the world must come together to create an effective global plastics treaty that eliminates these harmful chemicals and products.”

    Products from brands such as Guess, Pioneer, and Sentry were tested. The products were purchased between April and August 2024 from various retailers including Winners, Guess, Michaels, Amazon, Walmart and Dollarama.

    These results build on product testing conducted in spring 2024 that found highly-toxic PFAS chemicals coating children’s winter gloves.

    Read more and see the full results here.

    Background:

    • 13 polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products were tested by the product testing lab Claigan’s, purchased from Winners, Guess, Michaels, Amazon, Walmart and Dollarama, between April and August of 2024
    • 100% of products tested were found to have high levels of harmful phthalates and 46% (6) to have heavy metals such as lead and cadmium
    • All products had significant exposure from DEHP based on hand to mouth route, and two products produced an exposure of roughly five times the allowable daily oral exposure (58 µg per day) for DEHP for infants
    • Phthalates such as DEHP metabolize in the mother or child into MEHP, which induces apoptosis (cell death) of brain cells in early life leading to attention deficit, and endocrine disruption
    • Testing was performed using NIOSH 9100 wipes with distilled water with 6% sebum oil, with exposure data generated using the methodology that 50% of the DEHP from the wipe’s simulated hand contact would be ingested via hand to mouth exposure.
    • Note that Crocs products were not tested in this study, but the highly popular third-party shoe charms are marketed to be used in Crocs products
    • 11 pairs of children’s and youth gloves were tested from the brands Columbia, Flapjack Kids, Helly Hansen, Hot Paws, Igloo, Kombi, Lolmot, The North Face, Outbound, and Ripzone, and purchased from Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, and Walmart in February of 2024, and 91% (10) contained PFAS, or “forever chemicals”
    • Health Canada regulates lead, cadmium and certain phthalate levels in toys and child care articles under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, but there are no limits for these harmful chemicals in other products
    • Polling shows that 4 out of 5 people living in Canada want action on plastics and PFAS, and are concerned about the health and environmental impacts of this toxic class of chemicals.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Lauren Thomas, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post New Testing: High Levels of Endocrine Disruptors, Heavy Metals Hiding in Shoe Charms Intended for Crocs and Other Children’s Plastic Products appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Joint Statement: Communities Across Canada Call for Urgent Public Transit Funding for Transit Action Week

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, TTC RIDERS, MOVEMENT: METRO VANCOUVER TRANSIT RIDERS, EDMONTON TRANSIT RIDERS, ACTIVATE TRANSIT WINDSOR-ESSEX

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Starting today, October 15th through to October 20th, transit riders, advocates, and allies are coming together for Transit Action Week. This is a nationwide effort to demand better funding for public transit systems across the country. This week, actions across the nation will highlight the urgent need for affordable, accessible, and reliable transit systems to help Canada meet its climate targets and create a more equitable future.

    Communities across Canada, including: Toronto, Windsor-Essex, Edmonton, Vancouver, Kitchener-Waterloo, and more are hosting events like rallies, group canvassing, and even advocacy group launch parties. Participants are united in calling for the federal government to speed up the deployment of the Canada Public Transit Fund. They are also pushing for the fund to cover operational costs such as hiring more drivers, mechanics, and staff to keep buses, trains, and streetcars in motion. Additionally, advocates are demanding an increase in the fund to meet the growing transit needs across the country.

    Transit Action Week calls on policymakers to make transit a top priority and empower communities to tackle the climate crisis while improving daily life for millions of Canadians.

    Quotes:

    Nate Wallace, Clean Transportation Program Manager at Environmental Defence said:

    “Public transit activists and the environmental community are coming together like never before. We are united in our shared call to accelerate and expand the Canada Public Transit Fund. There doesn’t have to be a trade-off between better infrastructure and better service. We can build the transformative public transit projects that future generations will enjoy while also improving the service current transit riders experience right now. This isn’t just about saving the planet, but also improving the lives of transit riders and the people in our communities.”

    Shelagh Pizey-Allen, Executive Director of TTCriders said:

    “Subway riders in Toronto are sick of slow repair zones adding time to our commutes every day, but the Canada Public Transit Fund is not big enough to make a serious dent in our system’s maintenance needs. Transit agencies across the country will be competing over $3 billion each year, while the TTC’s unfunded state of good repair needs average $2.4 billion each year.” TTCriders is holding a rally on Thursday, October 17th at 5:00pm at Bathurst subway station.

    Nate Hope, Founding Member of Activate Transit Windsor Essex said:

    “Public transit has been underfunded and undervalued in Windsor-Essex for too long. Buses by-pass riders or sometimes don’t even show up at all. This prevents people from accessing work, school, and appointments. Cities have a role to play but so do other levels of government. These needs require long-term operational investments, not just one time capital projects.” ATWE will be canvassing at the Downtown Windsor Transit Terminal on Thursday, October 17th at 2pm.

    Denis Agar, Executive Director of Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders said:

    “Metro Vancouver’s buses and trains are full, and we need more of them. It’s that simple. We hear stories from members of 4-5 buses passing by a stop, full to the brim. Imagine standing on a crush-loaded bus for over an hour travelling through freeway congestion, and then not being sure if there will be enough room on the bus for you to get home. That’s the experience that riders of BC Transit’s route 66 have every day between Abbotsford and Burnaby. We’re calling on all three levels of government to invest in transit so that we can move around our regions with dignity and ease.” Their group will be canvassing at Richmond-Brighouse Station on Tuesday, October 15th from 3pm-6pm.

    Daniel Witte, Board Chair of Edmonton Transit Riders said:

    “Edmonton is quickly nearing the limits of the transit service it can operate. People all across our city deserve access to dependable and fast public transit to connect them to employment, education, and community. However with many areas of our city not receiving the service that they deserve, and a lack of buses to run along those routes, Edmonton requires immediate support from all levels of government to ensure our record breaking number of transit riders won’t have to depend on a service being stretched thinner and thinner across our large and growing city.” ETR will be holding a public Launch Party at Stadium LRT Station on Sunday, October 20th at 11:30am.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    ABOUT TTCRIDERS (www.ttcriders.ca): TTCriders is a membership-based transit advocacy organization that advocates for accessible, frequent, dignified public transit that connects all Toronto neighbourhoods.

    ABOUT ACTIVATE TRANSIT WINDSOR ESSEX: (www.atwe.ca) – Activate Transit Windsor Essex is a grassroots advocacy group working for a more accessible and sustainable transportation system in Windsor and Essex County.

    ABOUT MOVEMENT: (www.movementyvr.ca) – Movement is a non-profit in Metro Vancouver that’s mobilizing the region’s one million transit riders to make transit better. In the face of increasing congestion, record levels of overcrowding, and potentially devastating budget cuts in 2026, Movement is focused on securing more funding for transit and more bus lanes.

    ABOUT EDMONTON TRANSIT RIDERS (Edmontontransitriders.org) – Edmonton Transit Riders is a local non-profit organization made up of passionate community builders and frequent transit riders, advocating for a transit system that gets the funding, care, and attention that it deserves. We strongly believe in the power of community members coming together to bring positive change to our city and want to see a strong public transit system that supports all Edmontonians.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Karishma Porwal, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    Shelagh Pizey-Allen, TTCriders, shelagh@ttcriders.ca

    Nate Hope, ATWE, activatetransitwindsoressex@gmail.com

    Denis Agar, Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders, denis@movementyvr.ca

    Daniel Witte, Edmonton Transit Riders, daniel@edmontontransitriders.org

    The post Joint Statement: Communities Across Canada Call for Urgent Public Transit Funding for Transit Action Week appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Climate experts react to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s sustainable finance announcement

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, ECOJUSTICE, SHIFT: ACTION FOR PENSION WEALTH & PLANET HEALTH, STAND.EARTH

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Thousands of sustainable finance experts from around the world gathered in Toronto this week for the PRI in Person conference, offering the Canadian federal government an important opportunity to deliver details on Canada’s approach to sustainable finance. 

    New financial rules are desperately needed, as Canada is already listed by the UN as a “low regulation jurisdiction” on sustainable finance, while being home to financial institutions who have the highest levels of financing for oil, gas, and coal. 

    In a speech at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland noted they are continuing to advance reporting requirements and sustainable finance labeling, known as a taxonomy; but they must advance policy that truly aligns our financial system with Canada’s climate commitments. 

    The government’s directive that a taxonomy must be scientifically aligned with 1.5-degrees is positive, which means that a sustainable finance taxonomy must not, by definition, include oil or gas. While excluding new fossil fuel expansion from the sustainability label is obvious, including existing ‘natural’ methane gas projects in the taxonomy in any way would be problematic, given that studies show that gas – when accounting for its extraction, cooling, and transport – is more polluting for the climate than coal.

    The government must deliver on promises of prominent representation for civil society climate experts as well as Indigenous rights holders, as the initial process three-years ago missed these essential perspectives. 

    Yet, more progress for truly climate-aligned finance, including requirements for 1.5-degree aligned climate transition plans, must be prioritized. Finance is the missing piece of Canada’s federal climate plan, and new policy is needed to ensure our financial system aligns with the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

    Julie Segal, Senior Program Manager of Climate Finance, of Environmental Defence Canada, says:

    “These sustainable finance policies should be the foundation for our financial system to align with climate action. The definition of what constitutes a sustainable investment should be water-tight to ensure it does not promote greenwashing, and has to be driven by science, not politics. The government’s acknowledgement that new oil or gas projects are inconsistent with a safe climate is a positive step, but investments in any type of gas projects still risk locking Canada into an anachronistic economy. The announcements from the government today on taxonomy and disclosure for large companies are sensible, but further requirements to align our financial system with climate action, including through Credible Climate Transition Plans, are needed to establish credibility and move our financial system in the right direction. 

    Richard Brooks, Climate Finance Director with Stand.earth said:

    “It’s clear from a report from the University of Toronto published yesterday that Canada’s biggest financial institutions are not doing enough to accelerate the energy transition. They are doing the exact opposite with financed emissions double the total emissions of Canada. This is why we need more robust financial regulation to drive substantial climate action by big banks and pensions. Today’s announcements on taxonomy and disclosure help but our government must go much, much further to flip our financial institutions from making the climate crisis worse to advancing real climate solutions.”

    Karine Peloffy, Lawyer & Sustainable Finance Project Lead at Ecojustice and CAFA’s legal architect said: 

    “This taxonomy announcement was meant to settle what does and doesn’t count as a ‘sustainable investment’ — an ingredient in a broader effort to align Canada’s financial sector with Canada’s climate commitments, and ensure one isn’t working actively against the other. Instead, what we got was yet another “plan to eventually make a plan” that leaves the door open to considering fracked fossil gas as a climate solution, and brings us no closer to reining in the climate-heating investment practices of the financial sector. If decision-makers are looking for inspiration to bring much-needed clarity to this sector, I’d strongly recommend they borrow from the common-sense principles found in the proposed Climate-Aligned Finance Act (CAFA), currently before the Senate.”

    Adam Scott, Executive Director, Shift: Action for Pension Wealth & Planet Health said: 

    “Aligning Canada’s financial system with climate goals is essential to protecting our financial system and our planet. Any policies to get us there must be fit for purpose. The task of completing a climate transition is not about short-term marginal emissions reduction. It’s about creating a systemic pathway for fully replacing fossil fuels in our energy system. Policies like Canada’s new climate taxonomy must get this right in order to avoid stranded assets and climate failure.  

    Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist with Greenpeace Canada said: 

    “Taxonomies and disclosures are nice, but what we really need is for our elected officials to step up and set clear rules to move big money out of fossil fuels and into climate solutions. Anything less is an insult to everyone picking up the wreckage of their lives after unnatural disasters like wildfires, floods and storms supercharged by the burning of fossil fuels.”

    About:

    Ecojustice uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, public interest lawsuits and advocacy lead to precedent-setting court decisions, law and policy that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.  

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry, and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate, and healthy communities.

    For Media Inquiries

    Alex Ross, Communications Manager, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    Cari Siebrits, Communications Strategist | Ecojustice, csiebrits@ecojustice.ca

    The post Climate experts react to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s sustainable finance announcement appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • New Report: Bay Street’s Financed Climate Emissions 2X Greater than Canada

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, STAND.EARTH

    Governments must act and reign in Bay Street’s financing of climate chaos through regulatory reform and the swift passage of the Climate-Aligned Finance Act (CAFA)

    Toronto, ON October 8 2024 — In light of a shocking new report from the Toronto Climate Observatory, that exposes Toronto’s top financial institutions for financing of over $1.43 trillion CAD ($1.1 trillion USD) in fossil fuel companies in 2022, making the sector the fifth largest climate polluter in the world, only after China, United States, India and Russia, Stand.earth and Environmental Defence are calling for urgent policy action. The report was published as thousands of global finance leaders gathered in Toronto for the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) conference. 

    “Just eighteen Toronto-based banks, public pensions and asset managers are responsible for one hundred times the reported climate pollution of the City of Toronto, and aren’t tackling this problem fast enough. These emissions are not accounted for –  they are effectively being hidden or laundered through off-shoring and pushing them down to consumers when they should be addressed by these banks and pensions. They must be held to account. This is why we urgently need regulation from our federal government and agencies to get these institutions aligned with science and taking real action to curb their emissions,” said Richard Brooks, Climate Finance Director with Stand.earth.

    The findings show that banks, asset managers, and pension funds headquartered in Toronto were responsible for at least 1.44 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2022—nearly double Canada’s total emissions that year. Without swift, decisive regulation, Toronto’s financial sector will continue to undermine global efforts to limit catastrophic climate change.

    Some institutions have been found to be underreporting their share of climate pollution by over 2,000 per cent. The report uncovered other significant discrepancies between the emissions reported by financial institutions and the actual emissions they facilitate. 

    “Just months after devastating floods wrecked havoc across the City of Toronto, this report reveals that a handful of Toronto-based financial institutions are financing the climate crisis at an astonishing rate. Its findings underline the urgent need for climate-aligned financial regulations to fix this problem. The City of Toronto should urge the federal and provincial governments to enact such regulations, in order to support the City’s financial sector through the energy transition.” said Alex Walker, Climate Finance Program Manager with Environmental Defence.

    As Canada’s financial hub, Toronto has a direct responsibility to address the climate impact of its financial industry. All levels of government—from the City of Toronto, to the Provincial and Federal governments—must act and implement stronger regulations and ensure that its financial institutions develop credible, science-aligned climate transition plans.

    We continue to call on Canadian financial institutions and government to:

    1. Pass the Climate-Aligned Finance Act: The NGOs are urging the swift passage of this landmark legislation, which would mandate financial institutions to develop and implement credible climate transition plans aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The Act would also enforce mandatory reporting of all financed emissions, including Scope 3 emissions, ensuring transparency and accountability.
    2. Stop Financing Fossil Fuels: NGOs are calling on Canada’s financial institutions to end all new financing for fossil fuel projects and commit to transitioning their portfolios to clean energy investments. The report found that in 2022, Toronto’s largest financial institutions funneled over $1.43 trillion CAD into fossil fuel companies, resulting in 1.44 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions.
    3. Support for Green Investment: The groups are advocating for financial regulations that would incentivize investment in renewable energy and other sustainable technologies. This includes the establishment of a national green taxonomy that excludes fossil fuel investments, ensuring that only truly sustainable projects receive financial backing.
    4. Enact Enhanced Regulatory Oversight: NGOs are calling on federal regulators, including the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) and the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), to enforce strict climate risk assessments, transparency requirements, and accountability for financial institutions that continue to fund high-emitting sectors.

    -30-

    Stand.earth is an international nonprofit environmental organization with offices in Canada and the United States that is known for its groundbreaking research and successful corporate and citizen engagement campaigns to create new policies and industry standards in protecting forests, advocating the rights of Indigenous peoples, and protecting the climate. Stand manages the Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitment Database. 

    Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry, and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate, and healthy communities.

    For more information: 

    Lindsay Meiman, Media Director Stand.earth, lindsay@stand.earth

    Alex Ross, Communications Manager Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post New Report: Bay Street’s Financed Climate Emissions 2X Greater than Canada appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Media Advisory: Environmental Defence Hosts Event Exploring the Relationship Between Finance and Climate Change

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat –  On Thursday October 3rd, Environmental Defence will be hosting an event at STACKT Market in Toronto, to explore the relationship between our financial system and climate change. The evening will feature immersive games, art and lively discussions with climate finance experts.

    Canada’s financial system heavily invests fossil fuels, and under invests in climate solutions, it prioritizes the short-term profits from fossil fuel investments over investments that prioritize long-term good – such as financing the energy transition to clean power like wind and solar. Until the federal government sets new rules and regulations for the financial sector, Canada won’t be able to meet its international and national climate targets.

    This event will explore why this is the case and what can be done so that we can create a sustainable financial system to ensure a strong economic and clean climate future. 

    Event Details:

    WHAT: ReFund the Future a Launch Party for Environmental Defence’s Climate Finance Campaign

    WHEN: Thursday, October 3rd, 2024 6:30 PM – 8:30PM 

    WHERE:  STACKT Market, Toronto – 28 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5V 0C6

    Background Information:

    • Canada’s banks loan over $100 billion to fossil fuel companies each year. In 2023, that was equivalent to $282 million per day from our banks to fund projects that fuel the climate crisis. 
    • For every $1 of fossil fuel finance provided in 2022, Canadian banks spend $0.25 on clean energy. Canadian banks are financing fossil fuels 3.9x more than they are financing climate solutions.
    • Canada’s financial sector was involved in over U$200 billion in fossil fuel financing in 2023 (loans, shares and bonds). This is 70 times more than the value of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
    • Our pension funds had $80 billion in fossil fuel assets in 2023.
    • $100 billion of fossil fuel assets are at risk of being stranded in Canada by 2036, with this number rising to $1.4 trillion worldwide. This is because investments in coal, oil and gas will start losing value as the world shifts more to using clean energy such as hydroelectricity and solar in its energy system, posing a financial risk to those who have invested in the fossil fuel industry. 
    • If Canada doesn’t act on climate change, it could cost Canada $5.5 trillion by 2100. That’s over $190 million per day, every day until 2100. 

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry, and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate, and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Alex Ross, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Media Advisory: Environmental Defence Hosts Event Exploring the Relationship Between Finance and Climate Change appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • New Poll: Two out of Three GTA Voters Want to Fix the Broken Public Transit Funding Model

    Statement by Nate Wallace, Clean Transportation Program Manager

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Today, Environmental Defence released a poll conducted by Innovative Research of a representative sample of more than 2,000 voters in the Greater Toronto Area on their attitudes towards public transit policy. Public transit systems across Canada continue to face financial challenges due to a broken funding model. If these financial challenges aren’t addressed, this may lead to public transit service cuts and fare hikes, resulting in lowering ridership further and creating a vicious cycle.

    Highlights

    • Two out of three voters want to see the broken public transit funding model fixed, with all levels of government helping transit systems stabilize their finances, even if it means increasing taxes. Only 13 per cent agreed with the idea that public transit services should be cut in line with reduced ridership. These results are consistent across voters for all political parties.
    • Three in five of those surveyed (59 per cent) believe that the federal government has a role to play in increased public transit operations funding to improve transit service frequency, reliability and affordability. Currently, the federal government is the only order of government which does not provide funding for improving day to day transit service. 
    • A clear majority (55 per cent) of GTA voters agreed that Canada should set a goal of doubling public transit ridership across Canada by 2035, similar to Canada’s target to increase electric vehicle sales to 100 per cent by 2035. A 2024 report by Environmental Defence and Équiterre, supported by modeling from Dunsky Climate + Energy advisors, found that this is possible to achieve with increased operations funding, and would reduce carbon emissions by 65 million tonnes. 

    “Voters want to see all levels of government working together to fix the broken public transit funding model and stop service cuts. They want to see the federal government involved in operations funding so their bus can show up on time and get them where they need to go,” said Nate Wallace, Clean Transportation program manager at Environmental Defence. “They want to see ambition on expanding public transit to reduce carbon emissions. No matter what political party they support, GTA voters have a strong consensus on the issue of public transit funding. Now it’s time for political parties trying to appeal to voters in swing ridings to embrace this consensus too.” 

    Background

    Report: Putting Wheels on the Bus – Unlocking the Potential of Public Transit to Cut Carbon Emissions in Canada

    The post New Poll: Two out of Three GTA Voters Want to Fix the Broken Public Transit Funding Model appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: Toronto City Council Leads the Way with Fossil Fuel Ad Ban

    Statement by Emilia Belliveau, Energy Transition Program Manager

    Montréal/Tiohtià:ke | Traditional, unceded lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation, a gathering place for many First Nations, including the Anishinaabeg – Congratulations to Toronto for leading the fight against fossil fuel advertising and greenwashing. This week, Toronto City Council passed two important motions by Councillor Dianne Saxe that will limit the oil and gas industry’s pervasive and misleading advertising.  Toronto has recognized how damaging fossil fuel advertising is in the face of the climate crisis and has taken action into its own hands.

    This sets an important precedent for other Canadian cities and municipalities.

    The first motion, adopted on Tuesday, will eliminate misleading advertising and greenwashing by oil and gas companies on public transit operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). In recent years, oil and gas groups like the Pathways Alliance and Canada Action Network have advertised on the TTC. The second motion, adopted on Friday, directs the City Manager to develop a policy to decline fossil fuel advocacy advertising on city property. These are both important steps in limiting fossil fuel advertising.

    Oil and gas companies have been engaged in a decades-long campaign to mislead the public about the realities of climate change and their role in fueling the crisis. Limiting their ability to spread misinformation is critical for achieving climate progress.

    Environmental Defence spoke in favour of the motion and would like to congratulate the City Council for their excellent work.

    Background Information

    • Letter to the Toronto City Council from Environmental Defence in support of the motion.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Midhat Moini, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Statement: Toronto City Council Leads the Way with Fossil Fuel Ad Ban appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: Canadian Climate Institute’s Early Estimates of National Emissions in 2023 Show an Oil and Gas Emissions Cap is Urgently Needed

    Pollution

    Statement by Aly Hyder Ali, Oil and Gas Program Manager, Environmental Defence

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – New analysis confirms that a cap on emissions from the oil and gas industry is crucial to achieve Canada’s climate commitments.

    Today’s report from the Canadian Climate Institute provides an early estimate of Canada’s national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023. While it is promising to see overall reductions in GHG emissions, the data exposes a clear issue: increasing oil and gas emissions are stalling Canada’s progress on climate action, once again erasing much of the progress made by other industries.

    The delay in implementing an oil and gas emissions cap is holding Canada back. The report shows that climate policy works to reduce GHG emissions, but Canada will fall short of its 2030 climate goals without decisive action on oil and gas emissions. Canada needs an oil and gas emissions cap immediately – the future of our environment and economy depends on it.

    For more information about what is needed for an effective oil and gas emissions cap, see this media backgrounder.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact: Allen Braude, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Statement: Canadian Climate Institute’s Early Estimates of National Emissions in 2023 Show an Oil and Gas Emissions Cap is Urgently Needed appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • New Report: Highway 413 Would Have Devastating Impact on Critical GTA Watersheds

    Report finds that Highway 413 would contaminate streams and rivers within the Humber River, Etobicoke Creek, and the Credit River watersheds and destroy large areas of forest, meadow, river and wetland habitat. 

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – A new report released today, Concrete Consequences: How Highway 413 would put GTA watersheds at risk, highlights alarming findings about the proposed Highway 413, shedding light on its potential to cause severe and irreversible damage to three critical watersheds in the GTA: the Humber River, Etobicoke Creek, and Credit River watersheds. The report, written by Environmental Defence based on research from Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Credit Valley Conservation, projects that building the highway will result in habitat destruction and fragmentation, increases in the amount of impervious surfaces and elevated concentrations of chloride in waterways due to increased road salting activity.

    “Our watersheds are critical to the long term survival of key species and ecosystems in the GTA. We can’t afford to put them, and by extension ourselves, at risk by allowing unnecessary development projects like Highway 413 to be built,” said Rebecca Kolarich, Water Program Manager, Environmental Defence.

    Key Findings: 

    • Chloride contamination: Chloride levels are already trending upwards in all three watersheds. The construction of Highway 413 would exacerbate this issue, transforming freshwater habitats into toxic, salty waters, endangering species such as the critically endangered redside dace.
    • Habitat destruction: Highway 413 and accompanying development would destroy natural areas home to approximately 65 at risk species that live in the Credit River watershed.
    • Biodiversity loss: Highway 413 would cut through high-priority areas of habitat connectivity  in the Humber River and Etobicoke Creek watershed. These are areas critical to  preventing biodiversity loss.

    Recommendations:

    • Cancel Highway 413: Address congestion on Highway 401 by subsidizing truck tolls on the underused Highway 407.
    • Enhance natural heritage systems: Implement policies for long-term protection of natural features, undertake native planting projects, and improve environmental monitoring and reporting.
    • Urban development within city boundaries: Build homes within existing urban areas, as there is sufficient land approved for development until 2040.
    • Invest in public transit: Redirect the estimated $10 billion cost of Highway 413 to improve public transit throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

    “Highway 413 is an unnecessary and environmentally harmful project driven by the same destructive planning approach as the attack on the Greenbelt. All three watersheds are facing threats of urbanization and can’t afford to lose their remaining natural areas that provide critical services for surrounding communities and wildlife,” continued Kolarich.

    The full report is available here.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information, please contact:

    Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence
    media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post New Report: Highway 413 Would Have Devastating Impact on Critical GTA Watersheds appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Victory on the Shores of Lake Scugog: Port Perry Residents Block MZO, Protecting Sensitive Wetlands

    Statement from Rebecca Kolarich, Water Program Manager, Environmental Defence 

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat –

    We’re thrilled that Scugog council voted against (4-2) an ill-conceived MZO that would have fast-tracked development on a significant wetland. This was a win for Lake Scugog and the engaged local community that rallied to block Avenu Properties’ MZO request. Dozens of residents from the Township of Scugog spoke before council on Monday September 16th to voice their concerns about this proposed development. 

    Southern Ontario has already lost over 72 per cent of its original wetlands, and the losses continue. In recent years, the Ontario government has slashed environmental protections, including Ontario’s Wetland Evaluation System, leaving our wetlands even more exposed to damage and destruction caused by poorly sited development projects.

    Residents should not have to fight tooth and nail to protect natural areas in their communities. We need the provincial government to step up, and implement stronger policies to protect wetlands, and prevent future situations like this from happening. A wetland is no place for any kind of development, and thankfully the Township Council seems to have gotten the message. 

    Background Information: 

    • In December 2024, Avenu Properties Corporation requested Scugog Council to use the community infrastructure housing accelerator (CIHA) under Section 34.1 of the Planning Act to advance the housing community and related infrastructure development in Port Perry.
    • The proposed development would be located directly on and adjacent to Provincially Significant Wetlands along the shores of Lake Scugog.
    • The proponent has not had extensive and meaningful consultations with Indigenous Peoples, including the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
    • The proponent lacks crucial technical and environmental studies such as an updated Environmental Impact Statement/Natural Heritage Evaluation, Flood Mitigation Study, and Hydrogeological and Geotechnical studies

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Karishma Porwal, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Victory on the Shores of Lake Scugog: Port Perry Residents Block MZO, Protecting Sensitive Wetlands appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Media Advisory: Ontario Healthcare Professionals and Environmental Advocates are Rallying this Weekend to Demand Better Public Healthcare not Greenbelt Highways

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – As Ontario grapples with emergency room closures, a critical shortage of nurses, family doctors, and other health professionals, the provincial government is planning to spend tens of billions of taxpayer dollars on two controversial highway projects that would cut through the Greenbelt — Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass.

    In response, outraged Ontarians are taking a stand, demanding that Premier Ford cancel these unnecessary and harmful highways. Instead, they are calling for these funds to be redirected to address Ontario’s healthcare crisis, which has reached a breaking point.

    In addition to in-person rallies, a number of community groups will be launching and sharing open letters for residents to sign and send to their local MPP demanding they prioritize healthcare over highways.

    Event Details

    WHAT: The Public Healthcare Not Greenbelt Highways weekend will feature in-person rallies and targeted digital actions across southern Ontario from Barrie to Fort Erie.

    WHO: The Public Healthcare Not Greenbelt Highways movement is a coalition of healthcare professionals and advocates, environmental and community groups and concerned citizens fighting for a better Ontario.

    WHEN: September 14 – 15, 2024. Dates and times vary by location.

    WHERE: Communities across southern Ontario. Rally locations and local contact information available below.

    Rallies

    Barrie 
    Sunday, September, 15 at 1 pm
    15 Lakeshore Drive, Barrie, ON
    The Simcoe County Health Coalition and the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition will be hosting a reflective walk to process the tragic losses that could happen and already have happened because of the underfunding of healthcare in Simcoe County and the construction of the Bradford Bypass through the Holland Marsh.

    Burlington
    Sunday, September 15 from 2-4 pm
    City Hall, 426 Brant Street, Burlington, ON
    Stop Sprawl Halton will be rallying in Burlington to demand Public Healthcare not Greenbelt Highways!

    Fort Erie
    Sunday, September 15 at 12 pm
    230 Bertie Street, Fort Erie, ON
    We will have a parade of vehicles or marchers starting at Douglas Memorial and ending at Douglas Park with a rally. Bring signs or flags. For those with disabilities please meet us at the park along Aberdeen St.

    Hamilton
    Saturday, September 14 at 10 am
    Eastgate Square Mall, 75 Centennial Pkwy N, Hamilton, ON
    Hamilton350 and Elders for Climate Sanity are planning a rally in Stoney Creek. They will also have Healthcare Not Highways materials available at their booth at the EcoHub at the Hamilton Supercrawl (in front of the Cathedral on James St N).

    Mississauga 
    Sunday, September 15 from 1-2:30 pm
    Port Credit Lighthouse, 105 Lakeshore Rd W, Mississauga, ON
    Starting at the Port Credit Lighthouse to rally for Ontario Healthcare and Ontario Farmland then walking to Rudy Cuzzeto’s office! We’ll have Indigenous Elders and experts speaking, plus an eco disco dance.  Dr. Mili Roy of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment will be in attendance.

    Newmarket
    Saturday, September 14th, 1 – 3 pm
    MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s Office, 16635 Yonge St., Newmarket, ON
    Join the Alliance for a Liveable Ontario – York Region for a rally demanding the cancellation of the Bradford Bypass and increased funding for public health care. Climate Action Newmarket Aurora will also have information and an open letter available at the Farmer’s Market (Riverwalk Commons, Saturday, September 14, from  8 am – 1 pm).

    Toronto
    Saturday, September 14 from 11 am – 12 pm
    MPP Robin Martin’s Office, 2882 Dufferin St., Toronto, ON
    Environmental Defence and the Greater Toronto Health Coalition are collaborating on a rally outside MPP Robin Martin’s office.

    Local digital actions

    Brampton
    Public Healthcare Not Greenbelt Highways will be taking over Peel Climate Council’s social media for the weekend.

    Bruce and Grey Counties 
    Grassroots organizers have penned an open letter to MPPs Lisa Thompson and Rick Byers calling on them to cancel unnecessary highway projects.

    Cornwall/Stormont Dundas and Glengarry 
    Letter writing campaign calling on MPP Nolan Quinn to fund local healthcare.

    Durham Region
    Stop Sprawl Durham to launch a new digital petition calling on the cancellation of Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass in order to fund healthcare and other provincial needs.

    Minden
    Organizers in Minden are encouraging local residents to sign an open letter to MPP Laurie Scott urging her to direct money towards local, public healthcare rather than expensive and destructive highways through the Greenbelt.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    ABOUT CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICIANS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT (cape.ca): CAPE collaborates with other organizations, nationally and internationally, to work effectively and build power together. We support physicians to be advocates for healthier environments and ecosystems.

    – 30 –

    For more information, please contact:

    Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence
    media@environmentaldefence.ca

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    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on PBO Report that Finds ZEV Regulation Will Help Increase Number of EV Charging Ports

    Statement from Nate Wallace, Clean Transportation Program Manager, Environmental Defence 

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Today, Environmental Defence is pleased to see the economic modeling we published with Simon Fraser University’s Sustainable Transportation Action Research Team (SFU START) being referenced by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) in their latest report, Electric Vehicle Availability Standard: Potential Impacts on Ownership Costs and Charger Supply.

    The PBO report confirms a number of conclusions about Canada’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard:

    • Electric vehicle (EV) prices will need to decline for Canada to meet its EV adoption goals. The PBO estimates that to achieve sales targets, the cost of owning an EV relative to a gas vehicle must drop by 31% by 2030. However, this number includes the PBO assumption that federal and provincial EV purchase incentives will be phased out in 2025 and 2026.
    • The report highlights one of the findings of our study: that Canada’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard will affect the vehicle pricing decisions of automakers by making EVs more affordable and closing the gap between gas and electric vehicle prices.Our study found that Canada’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard would result in an increase of the price of ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles by 6.1 per cent and reduce the price of ZEVs by 22 per cent by 2035, relative to a ‘business as usual’ scenario without the regulation. This change in relative price found in our study is similar to what the PBO estimates is the necessary change in cost to achieve sales targets.
    • The market supply of electric vehicle charging ports is dependent on market demand. This means that the implementation of Canada’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard has a strong positive effect on increasing the supply of charging infrastructure. The regulation alone results in increasing the market supply of charging infrastructure by 33,890 Level 2 public ports and 4,690 Level 3 public ports by 2030. However, despite this significant increase, there remains a gap between what the market will supply relative to the estimated need established by Dunsky. Increased public investments in charging infrastructure must fill this gap, especially in the near future.

    “These findings highlight how important Canada’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard is to closing the price gap between electric and gas vehicles and increasing the number of public charging ports across Canada. Without this regulation, EV prices will be higher and there will be less charging infrastructure built. However, work remains to be done – the findings also highlight the importance of continuing federal and provincial EV purchase incentive programs rather than phasing them out. There also remains a charging infrastructure gap between what the private market will fill and expected needs. Increased public investment is needed now to close it,” Nate Wallace, Clean Transportation Program Manager at Environmental Defence said.

    Background

    PBO Report: https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2425-012-S–electric-vehicle-availability-standard-potential-impacts-ownership-costs-charger-supply–norme-disponibilite-vehicules-electriques-couts-possession-offre-bornes-recharge#pb!ct

    SFU START Modelling Report on Canada’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard:
    https://environmentaldefence.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Clean_Car_Standard_Technical_Report_FINAL-ENG-.pdf

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Karishma Porwal, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Statement on PBO Report that Finds ZEV Regulation Will Help Increase Number of EV Charging Ports appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on Upcoming Ontario Electricity Procurement that Includes Polluting Gas Power

    Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director, Environmental Defence 

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Today’s announcement by Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is a significant and shocking reversal on electricity planning in Ontario.

    By opening the LT2 procurement to natural gas, Minister Lecce is walking back the terms of the original procurement, which focused on 2000 MW of electricity generation from wind, solar and biomass.

    Gas is a fossil fuel, and most of the gas used in Ontario is fracked. When we consider the full climate impacts of gas, including extraction, using gas to generate electricity is no better than using coal.

    Gas is also expensive. In the recent LT1 procurement, battery energy storage beat out gas on price by a wide margin. In Ontario wind energy is now cheaper than natural gas for electricity production, with even greater cost savings expected in the future.

    Communities are saying no to gas. In the LT1 procurement by IESO, the agency aimed to secure 1500 Megawatts (MW) of new gas. However, they did not reach their target due to strong community opposition against these polluting projects.

    If the revised procurement is delivered by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) in a “transparent, competitive and cost-effective manner”, then we should expect that wind and solar will make up the bulk of the new electricity generation procured in Ontario. If that’s not the case, then we must question how the process is weighted in favour of gas over renewables. The Minister’s move to entertain new gas plants is also at odds with Canada’s commitment to a net-zero grid by 2035. Canada’s forthcoming Clean Electricity Regulations are expected to phase out fossil fuel generation by 2035 effectively. We urge the Minister to rethink this procurement and for Canada to finalize its Clean Electricity Regulations and deliver on the promise of a net-zero grid.

    Rather than building new gas plants and expanding existing facilities, Ontario needs to plan for the future and invest in affordable clean energy solutions which will reduce the province’s emissions and make electricity more affordable for people.

    Find out more about Ontario’s gas problem here: NoMoreGasPlants.ca

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

    – 30 –

    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Midhat Moini, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

     

     

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  • Media Advisory: Residents are Walking, Biking and Chalking to Save the Humber River on August 25

    Drone image of the humber river with the city of Toronto on the horizon.

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – On Sunday, August 25th, community members will take part in a protest and family-friendly activity ‘rolled’ into one: a bike ride and chalk walk along the Humber River Recreational Trail to raise awareness about the potential impacts of Highway 413.

    Donning shades of blue and carrying images of the endangered Redside Dace that calls the Humber River home, a school of concerned GTA residents will start at Étienne Brûlé Park and make their way up the Humber River Recreational trail stopping to chalk messages advocating for the protection of the river as they go.

    Event Details:

    WHAT: Walk, Bike and Chalk to Save the Humber

    WHEN: Sunday, August 25, 2024, 9:45 am

    WHERE: Group will meet and depart from Étienne Brûlé Park, 10 Catherine St. Toronto, Ontario

    Background Information:

    • This event is a part of Environmental Defence’s Hands off the Humber campaign that aims to raise awareness of the negative impacts the proposed Highway 413 will have on the Humber River watershed.
    • In 2018, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority declared surface water quality and forest conditions to be ‘poor’ in the southern parts of the Humber River watershed.
    • The proposed route of Highway 413 will cut straight through the Humber’s pristine headwaters in Caledon and York Region bringing with it more concrete, more pollution and more sprawl.
    • Highway 413 could be the tipping point for the population of the Redside dace, a federally endangered species. If constructed, the highway will destroy over 65 per cent of the dace’s remaining habitat.
    • The decline of Redside dace populations in the Humber River watershed demonstrates a much broader concern surrounding the health of local waterways and the quality of the environment in Southern Ontario.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry, and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate, and healthy communities.

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    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Media Advisory: Residents are Walking, Biking and Chalking to Save the Humber River on August 25 appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on Alberta Energy Regulator’s Toothless Response to Imperial Oil Tailings Disaster

    Statement from Aliénor Rougeot, Climate and Energy Program Manager

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat –  ​​The Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) response to Imperial Oil’s gross misconduct is a toothless slap on the wrist. After concealing a toxic leak for nine months and dumping 5.3 million litres of contaminated waste into the environment, Imperial Oil gets away with paying the oil company equivalent of a parking ticket and completing an ‘I’ll do better next time’ take-home assignment. 

    If the AER was serious about protecting local communities and the environment, Imperial Oil would have faced prosecution and a hefty fine. The quality assurance measures imposed by the regulator today should have been in place long before Imperial was ever allowed to operate. This weak response will do nothing to deter oil companies in the tar sands from letting this kind of environmental disaster happen again and again. 

    This shocking dereliction of duty to Albertans underscores why the federal government must ensure that violations of the Fisheries Act result in meaningful legal and financial consequences for polluting oil companies.

    Background information: 

    • The AER announced today an administrative penalty of $50,000 and two “terms and conditions” projects for Imperial Oil, in response to the incidents that occurred at its Kear mine in 2023.
    • The Imperial Oil tailings disaster allowed 5.3 million litres of toxic wastewater to overflow into the environment and an additional unknown volume of tailings to leak off-site. The leak was kept a secret from local Indigenous communities and the federal government for nine months. 
    • In May 2023, the Federal government announced it had opened an investigation into the incident under the Fisheries Act. No public updates have been issued since.
    • The tar sands’ tailings “ponds” now contain over 1.4 trillion litres of waste, covering an area more than 2.6 times the size of Vancouver.
    • For more information about tar sands tailings “ponds” please see this fact sheet.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

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    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Alex Ross, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Statement on Alberta Energy Regulator’s Toothless Response to Imperial Oil Tailings Disaster appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Killing Growth Plan for Greater Golden Horseshoe is a Disaster for Ontario’s Environment and Efforts to End Housing Shortage

    Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development program manager, in response to Ontario’s Provincial Planning Statement

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – The Ontario government’s repeal of the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe may be a death sentence for the province’s best farmland and many endangered species, and it also ends any real hope of fixing the housing shortage.

    Ontario’s government has known for years that shifting construction away from wasteful “greenfield” sprawl, and focusing it on denser, more labour-efficient housing types on existing residential streets, is the only way to deliver “more homes” fast enough to solve a crushing housing shortage.

    Unfortunately, Ontario has done the opposite. Rather than making that shift by removing exclusionary anti-density zoning and maximizing the number of homes that can be built on each piece of “greenfield” land designated for development (350km2 in the GTHA alone), the Ontario government has chosen to remove even the existing provincial measures to promote efficient use of scarce construction labour, equipment and servicing.

    By repealing the Growth Plan, the government has:

    • Eliminated the requirement that municipalities zone to house at least 50 homes and workers on each hectare of “greenfield” farmland or natural habitat approved for destruction. The current government had previously reduced the number from 80 people to 50 people.
    • Removed the requirement that suburban municipalities legalize enough infill housing to accommodate half of their expected population growth within  existing neighbourhoods and built up areas.
    • Made it even harder for towns and cities to plan their housing within their existing neighbourhoods by effectively removing settlement boundaries and allowing individual sprawl developers to demand their greenfield sprawl development be prioritized instead.

    Allowing even more “greenfield” land to be designated for development cannot help increase housing supply because the quantity of land available is not the issue. In the inner GTA and Hamilton alone there are roughly 590km2 of unbuilt “greenfield” land. Even the region’s pre-2022 land supply was far beyond what would be needed to meet housing and employment needs. The 350km2 of “greenfield” land designated before 2022 was enough for 2.5 million new homes, while the GTHA’s existing low-density neighbourhoods require roughly 10 million new residents just to achieve environmentally-friendly population densities.

    For the most part, Ontario’s remaining high quality farmland and critical habitats for endangered wildlife are concentrated in the same narrow southern sliver of land where the province’s fastest-growing cities and suburbs are located. However, only a very small share of the land needed to support agriculture and protect those species currently enjoys Greenbelt protection.

    Today’s statement from Minister Sylvia Jones suggests that harm caused by the government’s attack on smart growth will be amplified through the use of public dollars to subsidize low-density greenfield sprawl. Thanks to long-standing constraints on Ontario’s construction capacity, every low-density home that gets built outside existing built up areas in low density formats will come at the expense of a larger number of lower-cost homes in existing neighborhoods.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry, and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate, and healthy communities.

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    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Killing Growth Plan for Greater Golden Horseshoe is a Disaster for Ontario’s Environment and Efforts to End Housing Shortage appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Environmental Defence to Celebrate 8th Annual “We are Lake Erie” Day on August 27th

    For immediate release: August 20, 2024

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – For over a decade, Lake Erie has been experiencing annual toxic algal blooms. Residents of Ontario are responding to a call for action on social media to raise awareness and demand urgent action to protect the lake—a source of drinking water for millions of people and home to many complex ecosystems. 

    August 27, 2024 is the 8th annual #WeAreLakeErie Day—an event to highlight people’s support for Lake Erie. Throughout the day, social media users will share their Lake Erie stories and photos online using the hashtag #WeAreLakeErie to help create a virtual wave of support for the lake. The event is a chance to demonstrate to decision-makers the important role the lake plays in the lives of so many people.

    Earlier this summer, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced its 2024 Lake Erie algae bloom forecast. This summer’s bloom was forecast to be moderate to larger-than-moderate, and is already measuring nearly 1500km2. 

    A toxic algae bloom is bad news for the lake and the people and animals that rely on it. That’s why Canada and Ontario must work together to protect Lake Erie, and address the root causes of these algal blooms, including actions to reduce nutrient pollution from agricultural and urban sources.

    EVENT DETAILS:

    WHAT: The 8th annual #WeAreLakeErie Day hosted by Environmental Defence Canada.

    WHEN: Tuesday, August 27, 2024, All day.

    WHERE: Online. People will participate by sharing their Lake Erie stories and photos on social media with the hashtag #WeAreLakeErie.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

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    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Karishma Porwal, Environmental Defence Canada, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Environmental Defence to Celebrate 8th Annual “We are Lake Erie” Day on August 27th appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Environmental Group Celebrates as Federal Government Finalizes Delayed Plan to Protect Redside Dace After Legal Pressure

    redside dace

    After unconscionable delays, a Recovery Strategy and Action Plan for the Redside Dace is now in force

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – After delays totalling more than 15 years, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have issued the finalized Recovery Strategy and Action Plan for the endangered Redside Dace, averting an impending courtroom battle over federal violation of the requirements of Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

    Ecojustice lawyers, representing Environmental Defence, filed an Application for Judicial Review this June, after Fisheries and Oceans Canada missed the mandatory Species at Risk Act deadline of April 3, 2024 to finalize the Recovery Strategy and Action Plan for the Redside Dace. This most recent missed deadline came after nearly 15 years of delays to legally mandated timelines for officially “listing” the endangered status of the species and publishing a draft of the proposed recovery strategy. If federal officials had followed the law, a Recovery Strategy would have been in place since 2009.

    The specific content of the Recovery Strategy contains encouraging news for the future of the Redside Dace. It requires the government to make an order under the Species at Risk Act prohibiting destruction of the species’ critical habitat. This habitat, essential for the survival and recovery of the fish, is concentrated in parts of the Greater Toronto Area and faces the threat of being bulldozed for major highway and sprawl proposals. The Recovery Strategy includes all the information required for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada to issue the order in the coming weeks to prohibit this destruction. Despite the months-long delay in finalizing the strategy, the Minister is legally obligated to issue the protection order no later than January 25th, 2025.

    Phil Pothen, Counsel and Ontario Environment program manager for Environmental Defence, said:
    “For years, federal officials have treated deadlines in Canada’s Species at Risk Act as mere suggestions – giving bad actors more chances to wipe out Canada’s endangered species. We’re pleased our Application has reminded them that complying with those deadlines and promptly protecting Species at Risk habitat is a binding legal obligation.”

    Reid Gomme, Ecojustice staff lawyer, said:
    “After a decade and a half of delay, the endangered Redside Dace will finally get the federal protection it is legally owed. If it weren’t for the most recent, unexplained delay in finalizing the proposed recovery strategy, a protection order would have been in place by the end of September 2024. With Canada in the midst of a biodiversity crisis fuelled by species extinction, there is no reason why this species should not be granted its long overdue protection order as soon as possible.”

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry, and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate, and healthy communities.

    ABOUT ECOJUSTICE (ecojustice.ca): Ecojustice uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change, and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, public interest lawsuits and advocacy lead to precedent-setting court decisions and law and policy that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, and Halifax.

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    For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

    Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    Shayoni Mehta, communications strategist, Ecojustice, smehta@ecojustice.ca

    The post Environmental Group Celebrates as Federal Government Finalizes Delayed Plan to Protect Redside Dace After Legal Pressure appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.