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Category: Press Release

  • MEDIA ADVISORY: Windsor Speaks – Our Transition to Electric Vehicles

    Windsor | Traditional territories of Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, the Ojibwe, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi Peoples. On November 22nd, Unifor and Environmental Defence will be hosting “Windsor Speaks: Our Transition to Electric Vehicles”, an in-person community town hall. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the future of sustainable jobs, exchange ideas about Windsor’s place in the clean economy, and send a clear message to those in charge about what needs to be done. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30pm at Local 200/444 Hall in Windsor.

    As Canada’s industry and economy change to create a sustainable future, we want to hear directly from affected workers/communities about their hopes and visions; needs and concerns, regarding this transition.  

    Attendees will consist of workers from across the automotive industry, local industry and community stakeholders, local chamber of commerce and Development Commissions, University of Windsor students and policy experts from Environmental Defence Canada. 

    WHAT: Windsor Speaks – Our Transition to Electric Vehicles 

    WHEN: Wednesday, November 22nd  –  6:30pm-8:30pm 

    WHERE: Local 200/444 Hall – 1855 Turner Rd, Windsor, ON

    WHO: Unifor and Environmental Defence Canada

    Media interviews with spokespeople are available upon request. 

    ABOUT UNIFOR (unifor.org) Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union, with more than 315,000 members working in every major sector of the Canadian economy. Unifor is Canada’s predominant autoworkers union, with nearly 22,000 members working in auto assembly and powertrain operations with another 17,000 members working in the auto parts sector.

    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:

    Ken Bondy, Unifor Canada, ken.bondy@unifor.org

    Alex Ross, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post MEDIA ADVISORY: Windsor Speaks – Our Transition to Electric Vehicles appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: Canada’s Decision to Appeal Judge’s Recent Plastics Ruling Is Welcome

    Statement from Ashley Wallis, Associate Director, Environmental Defence

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – We welcome the federal government’s decision to appeal a federal judge’s ruling and stand firm in its assertion that plastic is toxic. Plastics of all shapes, sizes, uses, and types are entering or have the potential to enter the environment in sufficient quantities to cause harm. The government’s initial order, which declared ‘Plastic Manufactured Items’ toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act is both warranted and necessary.

    The science is clear—plastics of all kinds are persistent and bioaccumulative. They fill the stomachs of whales and seabirds, cause horrific and sometimes lethal entanglement, and facilitate exposure to disease. We’re also learning more everyday about the harms caused by microplastics, which are commonly found in human blood, and have even been found in human placentas and breastmilk.

    Big Plastic has already lost in the court of public opinion. More than 90 per cent of Canadians support federal action on plastics. We’re happy the government of Canada is angling to have them lose in the federal court of appeal too.

    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 Statement: Canada’s Decision to Appeal Judge’s Recent Plastics Ruling Is Welcome appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Plastic Treaty Negotiations End in Deadlock in Nairobi

    The Canadian government must take a leading role at the fourth negotiations in Ottawa next spring

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Despite compelling calls for real action from impacted Global South countries and Indigenous Peoples, a week-long United Nations negotiation session in Nairobi made little progress to lay the groundwork for an effective international treaty to end plastic pollution.

    Progress at the negotiations was obstructed by countries such as Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and the United States, who seem focused on delaying real action to deal with the plastics crisis. With at least 143 industry lobbyists attending the talks in Nairobi, it is clear that corporate profits are distorting global efforts to protect communities, including Indigenous Peoples, and ecosystems from plastics.

    The Zero Draft that formed the basis of the Nairobi talks ballooned to become a nearly unworkable document after countries opposed ambitious measures while adding a plethora of weak approaches—mostly voluntary actions focused on waste management that won’t address the global plastic pollution crisis.

    Key options for tackling plastics are still on the table, but the draft now includes many new options that allow for runaway plastic production while leaving industry off the hook. The real solution is to reduce plastic production because it won’t be enough to simply clean up plastics already in the economy and the environment.

    With the short runway to 2025—the expected completion date for the negotiations—Canada must take steps to ensure that these delay and obstruction tactics do not derail the next round of talks, scheduled for April 2024 on unceded Algonquin territory in Ottawa. Far too much time and space has already been given to member states who clearly have no intention of reaching a workable treaty to eliminate plastic pollution in our lifetimes.

    The Canadian government must play a leadership role in working toward breaking the negotiation deadlock in the lead up to and during the fourth round of negotiations in Ottawa. The government must also work with the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee secretariat to ensure that Indigenous Peoples have full access to and fulsome representation at the Ottawa talks. Further, Canada must move forward on domestic actions to:

    • Reduce plastic production and stop subsidizing the oil, gas, petrochemicals, and plastics sectors;

    • protect and expand the bans on harmful single-use plastics; and

    • require and support reuse and refill systems to replace single-use packaging.

    Quote by Muhannad Malas, Director of Law Reform at Ecojustice:

    The Nairobi negotiations underscored how a handful of powerful countries backed by industry lobbyists are seeking to undermine a much-needed global solution to the plastics pollution crisis that Indigenous Peoples, Global South countries and other impacted communities are advocating for. The next round of negotiations in Ottawa must deliver a foundation for a treaty that would end the plastics crisis by emphasizing the need to cut production and eliminate harmful plastic products and materials.

    Quote by Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager, Plastics, at Environmental Defence:

    The good news is that there appears to be widespread agreement among most of the 163 countries participating in the negotiations to curb plastic production and eliminate harmful products and hazardous chemicals linked to plastics. These are the measures the world needs in order to stop plastic pollution. The bad news is that a small block of about a dozen countries is trying to stall out the negotiations. “High-ambition” countries like Canada must do more to move things forward by the time the talks come to Ottawa, while prioritizing the concerns of Indigenous and frontline communities as well as countries most affected by plastic pollution—particularly those in the Global South.

     

    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.

    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.

    – 30 –

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

    Lauren Thomas, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca, 647-687-2687

    Eric Wright, Ecojustice, ewright@ecojustice.ca, 604-685-5618 ext. 525

    The post Plastic Treaty Negotiations End in Deadlock in Nairobi appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: Canada Must Quickly Appeal Federal Court’s Decision on Plastics

    Statement from Ashley Wallis, Associate Director, regarding the federal court’s decision to strike Plastic Manufactured Items from the Canadian Environmental Protection Act’s list of toxic substances

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – We’re dismayed to see that the court sided with Big Plastic despite the industry’s blatant disregard for plastic’s catastrophic impacts on the environment. It’s unsurprising that an industry so closely tied to fossil oil and gas, environmental injustice, and mass consumption would fight the government’s ability to reign in plastics. However, we are confident that this will not derail efforts toward a future free from plastic pollution.

    Environmental Defence will not be backing down from this fight, and we urge the federal government to stand firm. Canada must quickly appeal this court decision and move forward with its planned regulatory and policy agenda, including bans on harmful single-use plastics. The evidence is clear: decades of research demonstrate plastic products are toxic to the environment, and there is increasing concern over its harmful impact on human health too.

    The world is united in a desire for coordinated action to address the plastic pollution crisis. UN member states from around the world are currently gathered in Nairobi, Kenya to negotiate towards a global treaty on plastic pollution. People in Canada agree too—polling from Oceana Canada shows overwhelming support for action on plastics, including bans on harmful single-use plastics.

    We will continue to support federal action on plastics, including legislative pathways that seek to stem the toxic flow of plastics in Canada and around the world.

    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, 647-687-2687

    The post Statement: Canada Must Quickly Appeal Federal Court’s Decision on Plastics appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • MEDIA ADVISORY/PHOTO OP: Community Leaders, Mayor Olivia Chow and the Public Gather in Scarborough on Saturday November 18 to Discuss a Clean and Equitable Transportation Future

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – On Saturday November 18, 2023 at Evolving Space in Scarborough, from 10 am to noon, Environmental Defence will host Moving Together: Creating The Transportation Future We Want. This in-person event will be moderated by Uytae Lee of CBC’s Stories About Here, and will bring together community experts and interested members of the public to discuss how we can build a clean and equitable transportation future. Mayor Olivia Chow will attend to speak about her vision for Toronto’s transportation future.

    Following the discussion, there will be a photo opportunity at noon, when members of the public hold up a Fund Public Transit banner.

    WHAT: Moving Together: Creating The Transportation Future We Want, an in-person event

    WHERE: Evolving Space, 2206 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 190, Scarborough

    WHEN: Saturday November 18, 2023. Discussion from 10 am to noon. Photo Opportunity at noon

    WHO: Mayor Olivia Chow will speak briefly about her vision for Toronto’s transportation future.

    Uytae Lee (moderator) produces videos that educate people on the urban planning challenges cities face today. He is the creator of the CBC series “Stories About Here,” where he explores often overlooked issues in our own backyards.

    Israt Ahmed is Senior Community Planner at Social Planning Toronto, coordinating civic engagement initiatives and building resident leadership.

    David Cooper is the founder and principal of Leading Mobility, a transportation planning firm that offers strategic and planning support for public transit, infrastructure delivery, stakeholder support, and government relations projects and initiatives.

    Dr. Steven Farber is a transportation geographer and spatial analyst. His research program investigates how land use and transportation systems affect social and economic outcomes of urban areas. He is also the director of Mobilizing Justice.

    Fizza Khalid is a TTCRiders Board Member, co-founder of Scarborough Environmental Association, and a community activist in Scarborough.

    Phil Pothen is Ontario Environment Program Manager at Environmental Defence.

    Nate Wallace is Clean Transportation Program Manager at Environmental Defence.

    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/PHOTO OP: Community Leaders, Mayor Olivia Chow and the Public Gather in Scarborough on Saturday November 18 to Discuss a Clean and Equitable Transportation Future appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Leaked Letter Reveals Ontario Government Scheme to Recruit Small Town Mayors as Lackeys for Forced Sprawl

    Sprawl

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Just weeks after revelations of impropriety forced the Ontario government to reverse its imposition of corrupt settlement boundary expansions on unwilling City and Regional governments, a leaked letter from Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra suggests that the Premier and Cabinet ministers are doubling down and trying to make the mayors of lower-tier municipalities accomplices to the scandal by having them rubber-stamp the government’s forced farm, forest and wetland eating boundary expansions.

    While the Ontario government has announced the reversal of the city and town boundary expansions in the short term, a letter from Minister Paul Calandra dated November 2, 2023 revealed a new consultation process calculated to “launder” the same improper planning decisions by replicating, at the municipal level the opaque, arbitrary and concentrated power that gave rise to them. Rather than using the robust planning expertise and transparent anti-corruption procedures of regional governments, which were elected with a mandate to evaluate settlement boundaries, Minister Calandra’s letter indicates that Ontario will “accept changes [to settlement boundaries] directly from” lower-tier Mayors without any authorization from elected regional or lower-tier councils and without time for public scrutiny or expert analysis.

    “Asking lower-tier Mayors, who were not elected with the mandate to decide settlement boundaries, to unilaterally endorse provincially-enforced sprawl and override Official Plans is an attempt to make them the lackeys for the provincial government’s corrupt sprawl project. We trust they have the intelligence and integrity not to fall for it.” said Tim Gray, executive director of Environmental Defence.

    “Mayors must deliver a resounding “no” to this corrupt, anti-democratic push that would subject boundary decisions to the same corrupting forces that led the provincial government to force sprawl on their communities in the first place. They need to tell the province and its sprawl developer friends to let them plan to build homes, businesses and services inside their existing boundaries” he added.

    At its heart, the Greenbelt, sprawl and real estate scandal is about the government’s decision to extend settlement boundaries and swallow up Greenbelt land even though it knew that it was both unnecessary to meet housing needs and was likely to reduce the efficiency of home construction by making it harder to increase production and fix the housing crisis. There is simply no non-corrupt way to justify further extension of settlement boundaries at a time when housing output is being throttled by shortages of labour, equipment and materials.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian 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 Leaked Letter Reveals Ontario Government Scheme to Recruit Small Town Mayors as Lackeys for Forced Sprawl appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Ontario Government Political Staff Directed Changes to Municipal Official Plans to Favour the Interests of Select Landowners

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE AND ECOJUSTICE

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Newly obtained documents released by Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as a result of a series of freedom of information requests show that it was partisan Minister’s Office staff – not civil service experts – who directed changes to municipal  Official Plans in ways that favoured select landowners and sprawl developers. The documents also show that their lands were designated for development despite being rejected by both municipal planners and provincial Municipal Affairs planning experts. The documents also offer evidence that Ministers’ offices, other than that of Housing Minister Steve Clark, were involved as early as January 2022, prior to the June 2022 election, and yet the government still kept Ontario voters in the dark.

    The documents relate to proposed changes to official plans for Niagara, Hamilton, Halton, Waterloo, Peel, York, and Durham Regions.

    In November 2022, the Ontario government announced that it would force through massive  expansions of urban boundaries in municipalities across the province, despite those municipalities having determined those expansions would be unhelpful and even counterproductive in boosting housing supply.  This includes expanding  Halton’s settlement boundary by more than 3,000 hectares, and expanding Hamilton’s city boundary by 2,200 hectares.. These expansions were done in addition to the land removals from the Greenbelt and similarly lacked a fact-based rationale as more than ample lands were already available for development to meet the province’s home building targets. In Hamilton, forced boundary expansions were even accompanied by a forced reduction in the minimum share of housing Hamilton’s Official Plan committed to add within existing settlement boundaries.

    In response, Ecojustice – on behalf of Environmental Defence – made four freedom of information requests for documents dealing with urban boundary and Greenbelt changes that occurred in late 2022. The groups have obtained four orders from the Information and Privacy Commissioner in relation to these requests as a result of appeals when the Ministry failed to respond.  Of the four requests, two have now resulted in partial releases.  

    Last week, just days before the release of official plan documents, the Ontario government announced that it was reversing its proposed changes to urban boundaries, and legislation was tabled to reverse the Greenbelt changes. These u-turns are necessary and welcome, but both the absence of any credible good faith reason for these boundary expansions and lack of transparency regarding how they were made raises serious and lingering concerns as to what influence real estate investors and sprawl developers have at the highest levels of government over our keystone land use planning policies.

    The partial release reveals the chaotic, developer-led process that did an end-run around the normal planning approval process and was driven by political staff in the  Minister’s office. The documents show that Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s Chief of Staff Ryan Amato directed senior ministry staff to keep their mouths shut about the changes and made clear that maps showing how some of the preferred developer properties had been moved forward needed to be provided to the Premier’s Office. All of these changes, which favoured particular developers, were rushed through without proper consideration of the impact on existing planned land uses, sensitive natural features, water or agriculture.  

    Many of the documents, including ones from September and early October, are redacted on the basis that they are Cabinet privileged, even though the Minister and the Premier have claimed under oath that they did not know about the changes until late October 2022. These redactions call that timeline into question.

    Tim Gray, Environmental Defence executive director, said: 

    “Affordable homes are desperately needed inside our towns and cities. The Provincial government blocked Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Halton and other municipalities in these efforts in favour of expensive farm, forest and wetland eating sprawl that financially rewarded their developer friends. The Ontario public deserves an answer about why this happened” 

    Laura Bowman, Ecojustice lawyer, said:

    “The government continues to refuse to disclose a wide range of information about the process that led to the Greenbelt removals and forced urban expansions into greenspace. The public deserves to know the truth about the removals.”

    Background:

    • In late 2022, Ecojustice, on behalf of Environmental Defence, brought a judicial review of the government’s decision to force Hamilton to expand its urban boundary. That litigation, which argues the decision was unreasonable and unlawful, is ongoing.
    • Earlier this month, the same organizations also brought a judicial review seeking to enforce one of the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s orders to release Greenbelt records. The Commissioner has ordered the government to take steps to retrieve deleted records in that case.

    Full FOI partial packages are available here.

    About:

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

    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.

    – 30 –

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

    Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence
    media@environmentaldefence.ca

    Sean O’Shea, Ecojustice
    soshea@ecojustice.ca

    The post Ontario Government Political Staff Directed Changes to Municipal Official Plans to Favour the Interests of Select Landowners appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • New Immersive Website Highlights Disproportionate Harms of Plastic Pollution to Indigenous and Other Vulnerable Communities in Canada

    Certain people living in Canada are at increased risk of cancer, water poisoning and toxic air emissions from plastic production, use and waste 

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Today, Environmental Defence launched an immersive website to reveal the full impact of plastic pollution in Canada. The site takes visitors through the stages of the life cycle of plastics, from extraction of fossil fuels that are used to make plastic to the dispersal of microplastics. In particular, it emphasizes the disproportionate impacts of the lifecycle of plastics on BIPOC communities that tend to live near fossil extraction, manufacturing and disposal sites.

    “One of the most striking examples of this environmental racism is the fact that there is more than 100 times the amount of cancer-causing benzene in the air in Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia, ON, than in Toronto or Ottawa,” said Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager for plastics at Environmental Defence. “Sarnia—and Aamjiwnaang—are at the centre of petrochemical refining and plastic production in Canada and polluters are not being held accountable.”

    The everyday use of plastic also puts vulnerable people, especially babies and toddlers, at risk of health effects from microplastics and harmful chemical additives in packaging. This is all the more concerning since three quarters of items in the baby food aisles are now packaged in plastic.

    “Until now, when people thought of plastic pollution, they tended to think of litter and landfills or the ocean garbage patches, but that only tells a part of the story,” Wirsig added. “Plastic pollution begins long before the landfill and continues long after. There are toxic impacts on communities—particularly Indigenous peoples—at every stage of plastic production and use in Canada. By ignoring things like microplastics and the extraction of oil and gas we miss the measures needed to truly stop the pollution that harms the environment and human health.”

    The website also provides opportunities for visitors to support efforts to eliminate pollution at the various stages of the life cycle of plastics.

    The immersive website can be visited at BeyondTheLandfill.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:

    Lauren Thomas, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post New Immersive Website Highlights Disproportionate Harms of Plastic Pollution to Indigenous and Other Vulnerable Communities in Canada appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • New Study Links Glyphosate to Leukemia, Pressuring Canada’s Pesticide Regulator to Review Approvals

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, ECOJUSTICE, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH CANADA, MERCURY FILMS INC., SAFE FOOD MATTERS INC.

    Environmental and food safety groups, scientists and filmmakers call for immediate ban of glyphosate

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – A major study on glyphosate, the world’s most used herbicide, found in food, water and humans, has been linked to early leukemia deaths. This finding comes as environmental and food safety groups take Canada’s pesticide regulator to court to challenge the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)’s decisions on glyphosate product renewals, and at a time of accusations of regulatory capture of  the regulator.

    The Global Glyphosate Study, the most comprehensive toxicological study ever on glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides, Roundup and Ranger Pro, found that low doses of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) cause leukemia in rats. Importantly, half of the leukemia deaths identified in the study groups occurred at an early age. Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.

    “The Global Glyphosate Study results call into question Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s continuing support for use of glyphosate on millions of hectares of Canadian farmland, forests and in other industrial weed-killing activities ” says Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth Canada. “It also calls into question attempts by the coalition of Bayer and other companies to have the EU extend glyphosate use for a further 10 years. It’s time to ban glyphosate.”

    These research findings coincide with the European Union’s failed effort to re-register glyphosate for a further 10 years. Over a million citizens petitioned the EU to save the bees and farmers by banning glyphosate.  A decision on the renewal of glyphosate must be taken by 14 December 2023, as the current EU approval expires on 15 December 2023.

    “The PMRA (as does the EPA, EFSA and ECHA) uses proprietary industry studies for its regulatory decisions which, to any ordinary person, is an obvious and dangerous conflict of interest. In sharp contrast, the Global Glyphosate Study is independent, collaborative and financed through crowdsourcing. The leukemia findings they announced yesterday are both definitive and shocking, and should precipitate an immediate ban on glyphosate use in Canada to protect the health of us all, especially our children,” says Jennifer Baichwal, director of Into the Weeds: Dewayne “Lee” Johnson vs. Monsanto Company.

    In a related matter, in Canada, environmental and food safety groups, Friends of the Earth, Environmental Defence, David Suzuki Foundation and Safe Food Matters, represented by Ecojustice, are in court to insist that the PMRA make public its assessments of scientific findings on the impact of glyphosate used to re-register a product containing glyphosate, Mad Dog Plus, used in agriculture, forestry and to kill weeds.

    “The PMRA has refused to disclose its assessment of new science on glyphosate based herbicides, so the public may never know why glyphosate is allowed to continue to be used. The public does not get to know how research like this report influences what is allowed on their food. Health Canada may not begin to review this emerging evidence for at least another decade.  This is not the transparent, rigorous process that people in Canada deserve and expect regarding the regulation of toxic products with potentially serious health impacts,” states Laura Bowman, lawyer with Ecojustice.

    Despite providing PMRA with 61 studies published since the PMRA last re-evaluated glyphosate in 2017, the groups have received no evidence that the PMRA actually evaluated emerging science.

    “We should not be spraying potentially cancer-causing glyphosate on our children’s food right before it is harvested. This study makes it clear that the government must re-evaluate the use of this pesticide,” states Cassie Barker, Senior Program Manager on Toxics at Environmental Defence.

    “Kids are the most exposed to this pesticide. They eat glyphosate in their cereals, sprayed pre-harvest. They play in grass, lawns and parks that have been sprayed. The law requires a safety factor for kids be built into the assessments, but PMRA ignores this.  There is no way they can ignore this study”, states Mary Lou McDonald, President of Safe Food Matters Inc.

    Background: 

    The Ramazzini Institute, an independent research facility, released its new cancer findings yesterday. In earlier results under the Study, serious adverse effects were observed such as indications of endocrine disruption, reproductive effects during development, microbiome alterations and genotoxicity.

    https://glyphosatestudy.org/press-release/global-glyphosate-study-reveals-glyphosate-based-herbicides-cause-leukemia-in-early-life/

    European environmental groups and independent scientists critiqued the safety assessments of glyphosate by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) saying the deficiencies are partly due to important flaws and partly to the outdated and biased, industry-friendly approach in the guidelines for these assessments. They say genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, damage to the gut microbiome and endocrine disruption by glyphosate and glyphosate-based products have been given little importance in the safety assessment. The same is the case for harmful effects on soil, water and biodiversity.

    https://www.pan-europe.info/expert-meeting-shows-glyphosate-not-safe-health-and-environment#

    Into the Weeds: Dewayne “Lee” Johnson vs. Monsanto Company explores the very real issues around agency capture and ‘business as usual’ corporate malfeasance. The International Agency for Research on Cancer declared glyphosate a probable human carcinogen in 2015. The firestorm of industry denial, obfuscation and deliberate sowing of doubt, fuelled by millions of dollars in corporate public affairs budgets, is still raging today.

    Review the court case on PMRA renewal of glyphosate containing products.

    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 Study Links Glyphosate to Leukemia, Pressuring Canada’s Pesticide Regulator to Review Approvals appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: The Ontario Government’s Application for Judicial Review of the Federal Impact Assessment Act is an Attempt to Create a Temporary Gap in Environmental Protections

    Rush Hour traffic Toronto highway

    Statement by Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager on the Ontario government’s Application for Judicial Review of the federal Impact Assessment Act

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – The Ontario government’s attempt to have the Impact Assessment Act and its regulations invalidated before the Federal government has completed the amendments required by the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision is a threat to environmental protection and protection of the public interest. It is intended to create a temporary unregulated “no-mans-land” in areas that remain squarely within federal jurisdiction.

    The specific grounds relied upon to designate the Highway 413 scheme for a federal impact assessment are not those the Supreme Court of Canada took issue with. This means that the Impact Assessment Act can easily be amended to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision without undermining the federal government’s ability to move forward with a full and thorough impact assessment of Highway 413. However, because the Ontario government now has no effective assessment or safeguards of its own that cover key environmental and social necessities, a declaration that the current language of the Impact Assessment Act is invalid could, theoretically, create a temporary gap in the law. It appears that the Ontario government is seeking to rush through that gap and make some of the environmental damage that’s at issue a fait accompli before an amended Impact Assessment Act can come into force.

    The good news is that the federal Parliament can amend the Impact Assessment Act on an expedited basis – fast enough to prevent the Ontario government from causing any damage, regardless of the outcome of this judicial review application. We call on Minister Stephen Guilbeault and all federal MPs to deliver an urgent legislative fix.  

    It is important to remember that  the Ontario government’s framing of the Highway 413 scheme as a solution to gridlock – repeated in its press release today – is false. Research shows that building 413 would have trivial impacts on travel times for existing GTA residents. In reality, the Highway 413 scheme is just another part of the same larger real estate and land speculation scandal that led to the Greenbelt removals has already caused two cabinet ministers and multiple political staffers to resign. Just like the Greenbelt removals, the Highway 413 scheme would divert what belongs to the public – in this case over $10 billion of public funds – to benefit a few politically-connected billionaires who would profit from an increase in land value. Just like the government’s corrupt Greenbelt attacks, it would divert scarce construction capacity to Highway 413 and would slow down urgently needed home building in Ontario, when the focus should be on building low-cost, compact homes in existing neighbourhoods where resources won’t be wasted building infrastructure from scratch.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian 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 Statement: The Ontario Government’s Application for Judicial Review of the Federal Impact Assessment Act is an Attempt to Create a Temporary Gap in Environmental Protections appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: Reversing forced boundary expansions in Hamilton, Halton, Waterloo and other municipalities would be another modest step towards ending Ontario’s sprawl and land speculation scandal

    Sprawl

    Statement by Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager on Ontario Government’s Commitment to Reverse Forced Boundary Expansions in Hamilton, Halton, Waterloo and other Ontario Municipalities

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – The provincial government will take another modest step to try to end its sprawl and land speculation scandal if it follows through on Minister Calandra’s promise to reverse the reduced density targets and forced boundary expansions that it imposed on Hamilton, Halton, Ottawa, Waterloo and other Ontario municipalities. Reversing forced boundary expansions and the Ontario Government’s loosening of Official Plan intensification targets will make it easier for municipalities to deliver the compact, low-cost family housing in existing neighborhoods that is required to fix the housing shortage.

    However, we are concerned that Minister Calandra appears to be continuing to frame the forced boundary expansion scandal as one of “process”.  The heart of the scandal is that the government insisted on extending settlement boundaries in regions where it knew expansion was unnecessary and would actually  make it harder to increase housing production and fix the housing shortage.  Municipal authorities and the Provincial government knew there was already so much farmland and wildlife habitat designated for development within settlement boundaries before 2022 (more than 350 km2 in the GTHA alone) that sprawling even further would require that construction happen at inefficient and car-dependent low densities.   The Government would not have had to resort to inappropriate interventions in the process if it weren’t for the absence of any appropriate, evidence-based justification for these expansions.

    The Ontario Government’s two recent reversals, canceling Greenbelt removals and now reversing forced boundary expansions, are only the first two steps on a long road. These two steps simply reverse actions taken as a part of a much larger corrupt and counterproductive push for sprawl that would worsen Ontario’s housing shortage.  The government actions that form this scandal include: 

    • “Sprawl MZOs” that have forced sprawl outside of existing towns city boundaries
    • The reduction of Growth Plan housing and job density requirements – and a plan to remove them altogether- at a time when higher densities are the only way to solve the housing shortage
    • A plan to let agricultural landlords anywhere in Ontario evict farmers and convert a farm into three McMansion estates
    • Laws that have weakened Conservation Authorities, endangered species protection, and floodplain and wetland protections; forced urban boundary expansions in Hamilton, Halton, Waterloo and elsewhere aimed at increasing the amount of farms, forests and wetlands  lost to sprawl by more than 100 km2 within the Golden Horseshoe alone
    • The dismantling of regional land use planning, 
    • Pushing the dangerous Highway 413 and Bradford by-Pass highway schemes

    Unless the dismantling of regional planning and recent sprawl-inducing changes to the Provincial Policy Statement and the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe are reversed, and unless plans to repeal the Growth Plan altogether are abandoned, there’s a very real risk that these boundary expansions themselves may re-emerge in a new form.

    Just as with the Greenbelt removals and forced boundary expansions, all of these provincial actions involve more than just sacrificing the environment. They  also divert scarce construction capacity and public resources away from essential low-cost housing in existing neighborhoods in order to subsidize the environmentally destructive sprawl schemes of the government’s “friends”. In the case of Highway 413, those public resources consist of more than $10 billion of taxpayer money and a wide swathe of the Greenbelt itself.  

    The scandal won’t be over until Highway 413 and all the government’s other sprawl initiatives have been abandoned and reversed.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian 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 Statement: Reversing forced boundary expansions in Hamilton, Halton, Waterloo and other municipalities would be another modest step towards ending Ontario’s sprawl and land speculation scandal appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Runaway oil and gas sector emissions must be capped

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – With six weeks to go until the UN Climate Change Conference COP28, a coalition of leaders of Canada’s environmental organizations are calling on the Prime Minister to move forward with the government’s promised cap on oil and gas emissions.

    The leaders of Canada’s largest environmental organizations wrote to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers reiterating that for Canada to meet its climate targets, introducing an emissions cap by the end of 2023 is essential.

    The environmental leaders say the prime minister must stand firm against opposition from the oil and gas industry – and publish a regulation this fall to reign in runaway oil and gas emissions.

    The proposed national climate policy aimed at Canada’s largest polluters – fossil fuels – is backed by the public, despite some regional and industry opposition. The majority of Canadians support an emissions cap on the fossil fuel industry:

    • Recent polling commissioned by Nature Quebec and Équiterre showed: 9 out of 10 Quebecers want oil and gas companies regulated because they won’t cut emissions on their own.
    • Recent polling commissioned by CAPE showed: 60 per cent of Albertans want the oil industry regulated nationally with a cap on emissions. Support in Alberta is strongest – at 76 per cent – among youth.
    • National-level polling from May 2023 commissioned by CAN-Rac showed: Two in three Canadians (64 per cent) believe the oil and gas industry should be required to limit emissions so that Canada can meet its climate goals.

    The oil and gas sector is Canada’s highest-polluting industry – accounting for more than a quarter of the country’s total emissions (which doesn’t include downstream emissions – i.e., when the fuels are burned). Without a cap, these emissions are only set to rise on a trajectory that is incompatible with meeting Canada’s 2030 climate targets.

    The Climate Institute of Canada’s analysis of the most recent emissions data found that rising emissions from the oil and gas sector undercut progress in other sectors.

    Executives of the fossil fuel industry were questioned on Parliament Hill this week on its commitment to a net-zero future. Suncor Chief Executive Officer Richard Kruger testified before MPs after concerns were raised about the company’s commitment to profits over all else despite rising emissions and a pivot away from renewables.

    Quotes

    Severn Cullis-Suzuki, executive director, David Suzuki Foundation, said:

    “The runaway fossil fuel industry must be reined in to protect the planet and all life on it. There are currently no limits on the amount of pollution Canada’s oil and gas industry can produce. As fossil fuel executives continue to focus on profit over people and planet, it’s clear the federal government’s role is to step in. The majority of Canadians support limiting this industry’s harmful pollution – it’s time our climate policies reflect what Canadians really want, expect and deserve.”

    Colleen Thorpe, executive director, Équiterre, said:

    “Voluntary approaches have never worked with the fossil fuel sector, which is why a strong, quickly implemented emissions cap regulation is a key piece of the puzzle to a fast and fair energy transition in Canada. Recent statements by members of this industry indicate that this action is more important than ever before. Canadians from coast to coast see through this irresponsible and dangerous spin and know oil companies will not reduce their emissions on their own.”

    Tracy London, executive director, Ecojustice, said:

    “Canada has failed to meet any of the emission reduction targets it has set in the past and is not on track to meet its 2030 target. A strong federal cap on oil and gas emissions is an opportunity to change this trajectory. The federal government must not allow the fossil fuel industry to endanger people and the planet from rising carbon pollution. The oil and gas sector cannot be allowed to put its own profits ahead of the safety of our communities. Following the recent ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada, which potentially drastically curtails the federal government’s ability to use environmental assessments to help achieve its climate goals, it is even more important that it makes best use of the tools still available to it. A cap on oil and gas emissions is both constitutionally solid, and absolutely essential to maintaining Canada’s climate credibility on the world stage. The federal government must table a strong and effective emissions cap on oil and gas, and demonstrate to the world at COP28 that Canada can be a genuine climate leader.”

    Brenna Walsh, senior energy coordinator, Ecology Action Centre, said:

    “Pro-industry voices like to claim that regulating the oil and gas industry will hit Canadians in the pocket-book, but this simply isn’t true. In fact, most often, the opposite is true. Since fossil fuel prices are set in global markets, a cap on emissions will not impact domestic prices for gasoline or affordability. Limiting fossil fuel emissions is a clear win for us all. Industry should be focused on making smart business decisions, positioning our economy for success over the long-term – by becoming leaders in clean, affordable, renewable energy and powering the economy with electricity – not anchoring us to an industry that is only poised to decline.”

    Tim Gray, executive director, Environmental Defence, said:

    “The federal government promised the oil and gas emissions cap to the world two years ago at COP26. With COP28 mere weeks away, we need more than words and good intentions. We need the government to do the right thing: put in place an emissions cap in line with Canada’s climate targets and lock in a historic climate policy win. A strong emissions cap will provide much needed emissions reductions in a sector that has failed to act.”

    Liz McDowell, senior campaigns director, Stand.Earth, said:

    “We can’t afford any more delays. We know pressure from industry lobbyists and industry-beholden politicians like Premier Danielle Smith – who have no real plans to act on climate – is slowing progress on this key climate policy. But those voices don’t represent the views or the best intentions of Canadians. The fact remains that the majority of Canadians support limiting the fossil fuel industry’s emissions.”

    Signatories (alphabetical):

    • Canadian Environmental Law Association
    • David Suzuki Foundation
    • Ecojustice
    • Ecology Action Centre
    • Environmental Defence
    • Équiterre
    • Greenpeace Canada
    • Nature Canada
    • Pembina Institute
    • Sierra Club Foundation
    • Stand.earth
    • West Coast Environmental Law
    • WWF Canada

    For more information or to arrange a media interview, please contact:

    The post Runaway oil and gas sector emissions must be capped appeared first on Environmental Defence.

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  • Environmental and Human Rights Groups Challenging Canada’s Use of 1977 Pipeline Treaty to Block Recent U.S. Line 5 Shutdown Order

    Lake Superior

    Brief highlights the devastating impacts a foreseeable spill would have on the Great Lakes and Indigenous communities; calls into question Canada’s use of 1977 treaty

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Yesterday, several civil society groups, including Environmental Defence, and Anishinaabeg First Nations, with EarthRights International as counsel, submitted an amicus brief in support of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewas Tribe.

    This action is in response to Canada’s recent submission of its own amicus brief in support of Enbridge’s efforts to overturn a recent U.S. judge’s order to shut down the section of the Line 5 pipeline that runs through the Tribe’s territory by June 2026. The territory contains the Mashkiiziibii (Medicine River), a tributary to the Great Lakes, which Line 5 crosses.

    “A major crude oil rupture from Line 5 would cause catastrophic harm to the Tribe’s main water source, and would have larger devastating impacts on Lake Superior and the Great Lakes. These water bodies are an essential source of life for the Indigenous Nations who have cared for and relied on them since time immemorial,” said Michelle Woodhouse, Water Program Manager at Environmental Defence.

    “Shamefully, Canada has framed its support for Line 5 in its most recent amicus brief under the guise of ‘reconciliation and ensuring full protection for the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada in the U.S.’ If Canada is truly committed to reconciliation, it must cease its support for Enbridge’s efforts to keep the oil flowing through a leaky, 70-year-old pipeline. We do not need this pipeline to meet our energy needs. Instead, Canada should be working with the U.S. and Enbridge to implement an orderly shutdown. The Great Lakes, a drinking water source for over 40 million people, cannot become the sacrifice zone in the event of an oil spill.”

    The Amicus Brief highlights the devastating impacts a foreseeable spill would have on the Great Lakes, Indigenous communities, and their rights to continue to live in harmony with, and off, of the lands and waters they have been stewards of for the last 13,000 years. The brief also argues that Canada and Enbridge are using a faulty interpretation of the 1977 pipeline treaty, and in doing so, are encouraging the violation of international human rights law and domestic treaties with Indigenous Peoples.

    The amicus brief was submitted by U.S.-based charity EarthRights International.

    Background information:

    • The Bad River Band has been fighting Enbridge in court since 2019 to have the pipeline removed from its territory and watershed and Enbridge has been found guilty of trespass since 2013.

    • In the Final Report of its annual session, issued on April 28th, 2023, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) called on Canada to re-examine its support for Line 5 and recommended that Canada and the United States permanently decommission the pipeline.

    • The Great Lakes Business Network also submitted its own Amicus Brief, which questions the economic arguments being made by Canada and Enbridge about the true need for the pipeline.

    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:

    Paula Gray, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Environmental and Human Rights Groups Challenging Canada’s Use of 1977 Pipeline Treaty to Block Recent U.S. Line 5 Shutdown Order appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Environmental groups sue Ontario government to release Greenbelt documents

    Aerial photo of Dufferin Rouge Agricultural Preserve - the largest area removed from the Greenbelt by the Ontario government

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE AND ECOJUSTICE

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Ecojustice, on behalf of Environmental Defence, is taking the Ontario government to court to make sure it tells the public the truth about the Greenbelt scandal, and about the government’s relationship with developers.

    Environmental Defence, represented by Ecojustice, submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request in late 2022 to find out what kind of influence developers had on the Ontario Cabinet and Premier in its Greenbelt decision.

    The Ontario government has failed to comply with its legislative obligation to respond to this request and has also failed to respond to an Information and Privacy Commissioner Order.

    Since these environmental groups submitted the FOI request, the Ontario government has been publicly admonished by the Auditor General and the Integrity Commissioner, several ministers have resigned, and the government has reversed its Greenbelt plan. The government is now under criminal investigation by the RCMP.

    Important questions remain about the involvement of government officials in the Greenbelt scandal. There are information gaps in the Auditor General’s report and the investigation carried out by the Integrity Commissioner.

    These groups have now launched a judicial review to force the Ontario government to comply with its legal duties to make a decision about the release of documents relating to the Greenbelt scandal.

    Laura Bowman, Ecojustice lawyer, said:

    “The Premier told the Integrity Commissioner that he had no knowledge of developer influence on the Greenbelt decision last November, yet information about this is not being released, and the Ministry is not following the legal process required. Releasing information on how the Greenbelt decision was made, without further delays, is in the public interest.  

    “The public deserves to know how important land use decisions are being made. This case is important to upholding the integrity of the access to information system.

    “We’re taking the provincial government to court to ensure Ontarians get the truth”

    Tim Gray, Environmental Defence executive director said: 

    “The laws of Ontario require government to follow the orders of the Privacy Commissioner but they are refusing to do so and keeping vital information about who knew what and when from being available to the public”

    “The Greenbelt scandal will not be over until all the information about developer influence on the Ontario government has been revealed and the people responsible held accountable”

    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 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.

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE is a leading Canadian 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

    Sean O’Shea, Ecojustice
    soshea@ecojustice.ca

    The post Environmental groups sue Ontario government to release Greenbelt documents appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: The Ontario Government’s New Greenbelt Bill is only a modest first step towards ending the sprawl and land speculation scandal

    Aerial photo of Dufferin Rouge Agricultural Preserve - the largest area removed from the Greenbelt by the Ontario government

    Statement by Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager on An Act to amend the Greenbelt Act, 2005…

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – By introducing legislation to return the 7,400 acres of vital habitat and prime farmland his Ministry wrongly removed from the Greenbelt, Minister Paul Callandra has taken only a modest first first step on the long path that leads out of the government’s sprawl and land speculation scandal.

    We are relieved to see that this bill enshrines the Greenbelt’s boundaries in the Greenbelt Act itself, and includes provisions that would reverse the $8.28 billion dollar giveaway of development rights in the Duffins Rouge Agricultural preserve and prevent land speculators from suing the government for undeserved “compensation”.

    However, we are concerned that this bill falls short of what will be required to make good on the Premier’s promise never to remove land from the Greenbelt in future, or to restore the public – and investor – certainty that Greenbelt protection is permanent. Restricting the power of the Minister or Cabinet to remove Greenbelt land by regulation alone is a useful step. Yet, given Minister Calandra’s ambiguous comments in the legislature, there is cause for concern that the 10 year annual review process will be manipulated to create a pretext for future attempts to remove Greenbelt land. In order to remedy this omission, and restore damaged public confidence that Greenbelt protection is permanent, this bill must be amended to limit future reviews of Greenbelt boundaries to consider only expansions of the Greenbelt.

    Moreover, it is vital to remember that restoring and permanently protecting the Greenbelt itself will be only a first step as the attempt to remove lands from the Greenbelt was part of a larger corrupt and counterproductive push for sprawl that would worsen Ontario’s housing shortage. Government actions include:

    • Forced urban boundary expansions in Hamilton, Halton, Waterloo and elsewhere aimed at increasing the amount of farms, forests and wetlands  lost to sprawl by more than 100 km2 within the Golden Horseshoe alone
    • “Sprawl MZOs” that have forced sprawl outside of existing towns city boundaries
    • A plan to remove Growth Plan housing and job density requirements at a time when higher densities are the only way to solve the housing shortage
    • A plan to let agricultural landlords anywhere in Ontario evict farmers and convert a farm into three McMansion estates
    • Laws that have weakened Conservation Authorities, endangered species protection, and floodplain and wetland protections
    • The dismantling of regional land use planning
    • Pushing the dangerous “Highway 413” and Bradford by-Pass highway schemes

    Just as with the Greenbelt removals, all of these provincial actions involve not just sacrificing the environment – but also diverting scarce construction capacity and public resources away from essential low-cost housing in existing neighborhoods – to subsidize the environmentally destructive sprawl schemes of the government’s “friends”. In the case of Highway 413, those public resources consist of more than $10 billion of taxpayer money and a wide swathe of the Greenbelt itself.

    The scandal won’t be over until Highway 413 and all the government’s other sprawl initiatives have been abandoned and reversed.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian 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 Statement: The Ontario Government’s New Greenbelt Bill is only a modest first step towards ending the sprawl and land speculation scandal appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: Greenwashing on Full Display as Suncor’s CEO Rich Kruger Testifies Before Parliament

    Ottawa Suncor

    Statement from Emilia Belliveau, Energy Transition Program Manager, Environmental Defence

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Greenwashing was on full display earlier today as Members of Parliament grilled Suncor, the largest greenhouse gas emitter in Canada.

    Despite the rhetoric at today’s committee hearing from CEO Rich Kruger, Suncor has doubled down on oil and gas by expanding production and divesting from renewable energy. Suncor has consistently lobbied to delay, weaken and kill any policies that would limit oil and gas emissions or production.

    When we look at these actions and decisions, it’s obvious that Rich Kruger and Suncor are not allies in the fight against climate change. During the worst wildfire season in Canadian history, and worsening climate crises around the globe, Rich Kruger and Suncor are throwing gas on the fire.

    Oil and gas companies like Suncor cannot be trusted to act in our best interest. Parliamentarians need to see through the oil and gas greenwashing and hold industry accountable. The first step is urgently implementing a strong oil and gas emissions cap that forces oil and gas companies to reduce their emissions on par with the rest of the economy, along with limiting the industry’s influence on climate policy.

     Key Backgrounder Information:

    • Suncor’s CEO Rich Kruger was called to testify in front of the Natural Resources Parliamentary committee to answer for his recent comments in a shareholder meeting, where he called for Suncor’s operations to be less focused on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and more focused on maximizing profits.
    • Prior to joining Suncor earlier this year, Rich Kruger accrued nearly forty years of oilpatch experience, all with ExxonMobil and Imperial Oil (which is majority-owned by Exxon). Exxon has known about the impacts of burning fossil fuels for over four decades, yet has done everything in its power to discredit climate science in order to protect its core business.
    • Oil and gas companies continue to act as the largest barrier to climate policy in Canada.
    • Suncor lobbied the Government of Canada 57 times between January and August, 2023.
    • Suncor is laying off more than 1,500 workers to increase profits.

    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

    Photo credit for the images below: Environmental Defence

    Ottawa Suncor Ottawa Suncor

    The post Statement: Greenwashing on Full Display as Suncor’s CEO Rich Kruger Testifies Before Parliament appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Environmental Defence is Disappointed with the Supreme Court Ruling on the Impact Assessment Act

    Supreme Court Canada

    Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director, Environmental Defence

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – We are disappointed that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled the Impact Assessment Act is unconstitutional in part. The federal government must move swiftly to restore the constitutional legality of the Act.

    Environmental issues such as climate change, species protection and biodiversity are clearly matters of national concern. Today’s decision from the Supreme Court, while ruling that parts of the Impact Assessment Act are unconstitutional, still affirms that the federal government does have jurisdiction to review projects to ensure that environmental impacts are avoided or mitigated. This is good news.

    Federal oversight is crucial, given that environmental issues are not contained within provincial borders. And it’s especially crucial when provinces aren’t taking environmental responsibility seriously or, as the case may be, are outright hostile towards environmental protection.

    With respect to the proposed Highway 413 through the Greenbelt, the project was designated only after the Impact Assessment Agency and the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change concluded that there were matters of federal concern at stake – namely federally-protected species at risk, and a federal duty to consult First Nations. It is our expectation that the process for review of Highway 413 will not be altered as a result of today’s decision.

    We note, too, that this is an advisory ruling. The Impact Assessment Act remains in force.

    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 Environmental Defence is Disappointed with the Supreme Court Ruling on the Impact Assessment Act appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: Ontario’s Hydrogen Investments are Dangerous Subsidies Masquerading as Climate Action

    Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Ontario’s recent investments in hydrogen are troubling. These are not real solutions. One is a subsidy to Enbridge—a fossil fuel giant—to build a fossil fuel power plant. Enbridge promises to blend some hydrogen with natural gas, but that’s just a dangerous distraction. Blending a small amount of hydrogen into a gas plant won’t meaningfully reduce emissions. Instead, it will lock in polluting fossil fuel infrastructure for decades.

    Similarly, the province’s subsidy to Emerald—the owner of the garbage incinerator in Peel—in the name of clean energy and innovation is terrible double speak. Burning waste pollutes the air and warms the climate. What’s more, Emerald is planning a massive expansion of its incinerator in Peel, which is one of the biggest industrial polluters in Brampton. This subsidy—the largest granted to any company on the list at nearly $3 million—tips the scales in favour of expanded waste burning at a time when we need to focus on generating less waste and fewer emissions. Instead, this false solution will foist more waste and air pollution on a community that is already overburdened with both.

    Instead of subsidizing these polluting waste and fossil-burning projects, the government should invest in truly renewable energy, which is a cleaner and more affordable source of power.

    Background Information:

    • Though hydrogen itself isn’t technically a greenhouse gas, scientists have found that hydrogen actually does contribute to temperature rise through some complex chemical reactions—and is actually 33 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Given its tiny size, it is very hard to keep hydrogen from leaking into the atmosphere.
    • Given the energy losses incurred in the production of hydrogen, it is always more efficient and cost-effective to use renewable energy directly than convert it to hydrogen. Depending on the end-use of renewable hydrogen, electricity generation requirements can be 2 to 14 times higher than direct electrification solutions for the same effect.
    • So called “Blue Hydrogen”—Hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture—is even worse for the climate than burning coal or natural gas given the methane leakage and extra fuel needed to power the CCUS technology.
    • The Emerald incinerator in Brampton is the second highest local industrial emitter of the toxic pollutant nitrogen oxide, according to the National Pollutant Release Inventory.
    • Emerald is developing a proposal to quadruple in size to enable the burning of more than 900,000 tonnes of waste each year in Brampton. That’s nearly a quarter of all of the household waste disposed of in the province.

    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, 647-687-2687

    The post Statement: Ontario’s Hydrogen Investments are Dangerous Subsidies Masquerading as Climate Action appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • MEDIA ADVISORY/PHOTO OP: Environmental Defence Experts Available to Comment on Suncor CEO Rich Kruger’s Testimony to Parliamentary Committees

    Suncor oil sands tailings ponds

    Experts with a banner and costumes to gather for a photo opportunity prior to Rich Kruger’s testimony

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – On Monday, October 16, Suncor’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rich Kruger, will testify in front of the Natural Resources Parliamentary committee to address his recent comments in a shareholder meeting. In that meeting, he called for Suncor’s operations to prioritize maximizing profits over reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Rich Kruger will testify in front of the Environment Parliamentary committee for the same reason on Tuesday October 17.

    Before Rich Kruger’s testimony on October 16, people, including Environmental Defence experts – some in costume – will gather for a photo opportunity outside the building where the hearing will take place. Experts will be available to provide commentary following the testimony on both October 16 and October 17.

    WHAT: Photo Opportunity prior to Suncor CEO Rich Kruger’s testimony to the Natural Resources committee, with experts available for commentary following Rich Kruger’s testimony to both the Natural Resources and Environment Parliamentary Committees.

    WHO:

    • Julia Levin, Associate Director National Climate, Environmental Defence – Ottawa

    • Aly Hyder Ali, Oil and Gas Program Manager, Environmental Defence – Ottawa

    • Emilia Beliveau, Energy Transition Program Manager, Environmental Defence – Montreal

    Please note that interviews are available in English only.

    WHERE: Live in Ottawa at the Wellington Building, 197 Sparks Street, or by telephone or video link from Montreal.

    WHEN: Monday October 16, 2023: Photo op from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. outside the Wellington Building. Expert reaction following Rich Kruger’s testimony, at approximately 12:15 p.m.

    Tuesday, October 17, 2023: Expert reaction following Rich Kruger’s testimony, at approximately 1 p.m.

    A media backgrounder about Suncor and Rich Kruger 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 or to request an interview, please contact:

    Ottawa: Paula Gray, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    Outside Ottawa: Allen Braude, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post MEDIA ADVISORY/PHOTO OP: Environmental Defence Experts Available to Comment on Suncor CEO Rich Kruger’s Testimony to Parliamentary Committees appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on RCMP Investigation into Ontario’s Greenbelt Land Swap

    Aerial photo of Dufferin Rouge Agricultural Preserve - the largest area removed from the Greenbelt by the Ontario government

    Statement from Tim Gray, Executive Director on RCMP investigation into Ontario’s Greenbelt land swap. 

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – We welcome the news of the RCMP’s initiation of an investigation into the Ontario government’s Greenbelt land swap as an encouraging and significant development. Considering the far-reaching impact of this scandal, it is highly appropriate that this investigation is now in the hands of the RCMP’s Sensitive & International Investigations (SII) unit, a unit specializing in threats to the political, economic and social integrity of Canada’s institutions.

    It has been clear from the start that the Ontario government’s removal of land to enable  sprawl in the Greenbelt was a false cover story. Contrary to  messaging from Premier Doug Ford, Ontario has more than enough land available to meet rising demand for housing without expanding city and town  boundaries and removing Greenbelt protections. However, the involvement of political figures and loyalties in this scandal makes the investigation and apportionment of criminal blame much more important. 

    Given the nature of the SII, we do not expect to hear frequent updates .  However, while the investigation is underway, immediate action must be taken to reverse boundary expansions and Greenbelt removals to ensure these areas are protected from further development.

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian 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 Statement on RCMP Investigation into Ontario’s Greenbelt Land Swap appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Media Advisory: October 14 Harvest Ontario Walk to Stop The 413

    Harvest Walk 2023

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – In an effort to Stop Highway 413, local community members have organized walks and bike rides passing through different sections of farmland, forests and the Greenbelt that are threatened by the proposed Highway 413 with a focus on 2 walks through downtown Bolton. 

    This year’s walk is being held in memory of Jenni Le Forestier, a dedicated environmentalist and community organizer who passed away in 2022.

    This event is being led by Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet in conjunction with Concerned Citizens of King Township, EcoCaledon, Halton Hills Climate Action, Seniors for Climate Action Now, The Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga and the Wilderness Committee.

    “The fact that Premier Doug Ford has promised us, once again, that he will not touch the Greenbelt says to me that the 413 should also now be off the table, since sections of it will plow through the Greenbelt.” said Betty de Groot, EcoCaledon. “We’re here to remind him to keep his promise and look into other solutions for traffic congestion like stopping urban sprawl, increasing transit options and opening up lanes on the 407 for trucks.”

    “While the lands taken from the Greenbelt have been  saved (Hurray!) the government is still pushing urban sprawl and the people of Ontario must continue to take steps to save our green space and farmland for future generations. The 413 Highway will cut through the Greenbelt’s Nashville Conservation Reserve, the headwaters of the Credit and the Humber rivers and is merely 14 km north of the almost empty 407 toll highway.” said Kathy Geczi, Unitarian Congregation is Mississauga.

    “GASP is opposed to HWY 413 because it will lead to low density urban sprawl. Studies have proven that it will increase traffic congestion over time. It just doesn’t make sense as HWY 407 which parallels the route is under utilized. HWY 413 will hasten the destruction of species habitat and interrupt sensitive ecosystems, wetlands, forests, and prime farmland, while adding tons of CO2 into our atmosphere.” said Lorraine Green, GASP Co-chair. “We support sustainable public transit, walking, cycling, and better use of existing infrastructure. As grandmothers and grand ‘others’ we want to leave a livable healthy planet for our grandchildren. More highways are not the answer.”

    WHAT: Harvest Ontario Walk to Stop The 413 – a set of walks and cycling routes drawing attention to the farmland and green space threatened by Highway 413. 

    WHERE: The 2 main walks will meet in downtown Bolton. There will also be walks in Halton, King County and the Nashville Conservation Reserve.

    A map of all events, with additional information about each event, is available here: https://environmentaldefence.ca/howtostop413/

    WHEN: Saturday, October 14. Most walks and rides start at 10:00 AM. 

    For more information about the Harvest Ontario Walk to Stop the 413 Weekend, please visit: https://environmentaldefence.ca/howtostop413/

     

    ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian 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:

    Daniella Zanchi, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    Or the media contacts listed for each event listed above.

    The post Media Advisory: October 14 Harvest Ontario Walk to Stop The 413 appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement: Leaked Document Shows Ontario Government Knew Expanding Urban Boundaries Would Make it Harder to Build More Homes

    Statement by Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Today’s leak of internal documents from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing reveals that just as in Halton Region and Hamilton, the Ontario government knew that imposing 3,211 hectares of boundary expansions in Belleville, Peterborough, Waterloo, and Wellington was a threat to more than the environment – it would also make it harder to build more homes.

    More broadly, today’s leak confirms what independent experts and environmental and housing NGOs have shown with robust data: the Greenbelt removals are only the most visible part of a much wider sprawl and real estate scandal that encompasses the push to build Highway 413, the rigging of planning processes to railroad municipalities into approving sprawl, and the provincial government’s direct imposition of 10,270 hectares of forced sprawl across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. All of these actions have been taken contrary to its own land use planning rules.

    What ties all of these together is the government’s intentional squandering of construction capacity, development rights and public money, on its developer friends’ schemes for sprawl that it knew, and still knows, would be harmful both to meeting housing targets and to the environment. The scandal won’t be over until the government’s entire push for car-dependent sprawl on farms, forests and wetlands is abandoned and reversed.

    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, 416-356-2587

    The post Statement: Leaked Document Shows Ontario Government Knew Expanding Urban Boundaries Would Make it Harder to Build More Homes appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on the Review of Alberta Energy Regulator’s Response to Imperial Oil Toxic Tailings Leak

    ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, KEEPERS OF THE WATER

    Review of Alberta Energy Regulator’s handling of major tailings leak reveals regulatory system is designed to fail Indigenous communities and the public

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – Today, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) released the results of a review regarding its handling of two incidents that occurred at Imperial’s Kearl Oil Sands mine earlier this year, resulting in over 5.3 million litres of toxic tailings spilling into the environment. The review concluded that “the AER followed the existing policies, standards, procedures, and/or processes” even though it did not notify Indigenous nations of the incident for nine months, leaving them unaware of the risks of consuming water and game harvested in the area.

    Quotes:

    “It is shocking that the AER is refusing to admit to any wrongdoing by hiding a massive toxic leak from impacted communities and the public. This is further evidence that the AER is a captured body designed to protect industry, even if it means endangering the public. The Imperial Oil leak and cover-up were not a mistake, they were a direct result of the broken regulatory system in Alberta. It is appalling for the regulator to take no responsibility for such an egregious failure. We stand in full solidarity with the Indigenous nations calling for a dismantling of the AER. This review highlights the urgent need for the federal government to use the tools at its disposal to step in and address the issue of toxic tailings,” said Aliénor Rougeot, Climate and Energy Program Manager at Environmental Defence Canada.

    “The Alberta government is fast-tracking climate change and environmental destruction with irresponsible and unsustainable extraction of resources, and the people in this province are bearing the consequences, with Indigenous communities being particularly hard hit. The AER is directly complicit in this destruction and needs to be dismantled. We demand it be replaced by a co-governing body where Indigenous communities have authority and can take leadership. The current way of doing business is severely outdated,” said Jesse Cardinal, Executive Director of Keepers of the Water.

    Background information:

    • Imperial Oil had informed the AER about the first incident in May 2022 but hid this information for nine months from the Indigenous nations who rely on the area for sustenance and cultural practices, leaving them unaware of potential risks.
    • It was only when a second incident occurred in February 2023 that the concealment of the initial spill came to light.
    • Indigenous and environmental groups sent a letter to the federal and Alberta governments, calling for accountability for the disaster, such as an overhaul of the AER and bringing federal charges under the Fisheries Act.

    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 KEEPERS OF THE WATER (keepersofthewater.ca): Keepers of the Water are First Nations, Métis, Inuit, environmental groups, concerned citizens, and communities working together for the protection of water, air, land, and all living things within the Arctic Ocean Drainage Basin.

    – 30 –

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

    Paula Gray, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca, 705-435-8611

    Jesse Cardinal, Keepers of the Water, ed@keepersofthewater.ca

    The post Statement on the Review of Alberta Energy Regulator’s Response to Imperial Oil Toxic Tailings Leak appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on the International Energy Agency Report that Fossil Fuels are Expected to Peak and Decline this Decade

    Canada needs to take more action to transition away from fossil fuels

    Statement from Aly Hyder Ali, Oil and Gas Program Manager

    Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – We applaud today’s report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which sends a clear signal: the era of fossil fuels is ending. For the first time, the IEA now predicts that demand for all fossil fuels will peak this decade and significantly decline, even without any additional climate policy. The updated IEA Net-Zero report sends an important message from a global body of energy experts to countries like Canada to pivot and transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy, while we still have time.

    Although the use of fossil fuels is expected to peak this decade – oil and gas demand falls by 20 per cent by 2030, a decline that is due to the remarkable and rapid roll out of clean energy technologies across the world – the IEA is clear that more urgent and bold climate action is needed to keep global temperatures to below 1.5 degrees. Current emissions reduction pledges from countries around the world are not ambitious enough to prevent further climate catastrophes.

    For Canada, this means that federal and provincial governments need to act urgently to implement stronger climate policies and phase out fossil fuels. Currently, Canada is on track to be the world’s second largest developer of new oil and gas extraction.

    Yet, the IEA’s report clearly shows that governments must stop approving new fossil fuels – and close some oil and gas fields early. We can’t afford any more fossil fuel expansion, nor can we afford to rely on speculative technologies, like carbon capture, that have a long history of failure.

    The Government of Canada has promised to release the draft regulations of the long-awaited, much delayed, oil and gas emissions cap this year. To ensure that Canada does its fair share on the global stage and protects its economy from rapidly changing global markets, the upcoming cap on oil and gas emissions must be ambitious and implemented without any more delays.

    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 the International Energy Agency Report that Fossil Fuels are Expected to Peak and Decline this Decade appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Media Advisory: Greenbelt Rallies this Weekend to Celebrate Premier Ford’s Reversal of Greenbelt Land Removals and Protest Proposed Highway 413

    Aerial photo of Dufferin Rouge Agricultural Preserve - the largest area removed from the Greenbelt by the Ontario government

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – This weekend, Ontarians will be coming together across the GTA to celebrate Premier Ford’s reversal of the Greenbelt land removals and will also be calling on him to stop the proposed Highway 413, that if built, will pave over parts of the Greenbelt.

    Throughout the past year over 100,000 Ontarians sent emails, signed petitions, made phone calls to their MPPs, with thousands more attending an unprecedented wave of rallies to voice their concerns on the provincial government’s $8.3 billion gift to developers. Mobilization like this has never been seen in Ontario before.

    “The attack on the Greenbelt was a flagrant example of bad policy designed to benefit well-connected developers at the expense of our environment, but this was just one of many poor policies, including the proposed Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, both of which would pass through the Greenbelt. Although returning the Greenbelt lands is a great first step, there is still much work to be done to restore the many environmental protections that we have lost in recent years.” – Tim Gray, Executive Director, Environmental Defence

    What: Greenbelt Rallies in Richmond Hill and Scarborough

    Where: A map of all events, with additional information about each event, is available here: https://environmentaldefence.ca/handsoffthegreenbelt/

    Saturday, Sept. 23

    Richmond Hill – 1300 Elgin Mills Rd E, Richmond Hill, ON, L4S 1M5 –1 PM – Celebrate the Return of the Greenbelt Lands! and Rally to Repeal Bill 23, Stop Hwy 413!

    “We are happy that the Premier abandoned the Greenbelt giveaways thanks to the thundering voice of the public. This is only the first step, there are many battles ahead such as Bill 23, Hwy 413 and ensuring environmental protections. We want to keep the momentum going.” – Priya Unnikrishnan, Liveable Richmond Hill

    Organized by: Liveable Richmond Hill
    Media contact: Priya Unnikrishnan
    For more information: https://fb.me/e/L9BVmIlb

    Saturday, Sept. 23

    Scarborough – Gus Harris Trail parking lot, entrance off of Pharmacy Ave
    11:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Speeches
    11:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Group walk towards Danforth Ave

    Organized by Scarborough Southwest Environmental Group.
    Media contact: Misha Perozak
    For more information, email scarboroughsweg@gmail.com

    *Note the rally organized on Saturday Sept. 23 in Oakville at Glenashton Park, 1051 Glenashton Dr, Oakville for 12 PM  has been canceled.

    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: Greenbelt Rallies this Weekend to Celebrate Premier Ford’s Reversal of Greenbelt Land Removals and Protest Proposed Highway 413 appeared first on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on Premier Ford canceling $8.28-billion Greenbelt land removals

    Statement from Phil Pothen, Ontario Environment Program Manager on Premier Ford canceling $8.28-billion Greenbelt land removals

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – “While we welcome Premier Ford’s full reversal of the inappropriate removals of Greenbelt lands, the Ontario government’s $8.3 billion gift to developers represented just the most visible part of a dishonest and counterproductive push for sprawl that will only worsen Ontario’s housing shortage. To clean up what remains of the Ontario government’s land use and environmental mess, including Highway 413, it is essential to strengthen Greenbelt protections to ensure future governments can’t try this again.

    We hope this change marks the beginning of a broader shift away from the government’s current misguided policies, including: forced boundary expansions in Hamilton and Halton, Waterloo and elsewhere; its lowering of Growth Plan density requirements; its gutting of Conservation Authorities; and its dismantling of regional land use planning. These damaging decisions, along with attempts to repeal laws which promote efficient land use and construction, must also be reversed.

    Environmental Defence is particularly concerned that Premier Ford continues to pursue the wasteful and unnecessary Highway 413 scheme. Not only does the highway divert billions in public funds but also misallocates crucial construction resources needed for housing and transit. The only beneficiaries of building highway 413 appear to be a select group of land speculators who have invested in farmland and forests along the proposed route. Building 413 would mean fewer homes, slower, and worsened traffic in the GTA.

    The only way to deliver the number of homes that Ontarians need – with the speed that our housing crisis demands – is to overhaul the zoning and official plans of  existing neighborhoods where people want to live. This would permit and encourage the construction of compact, affordable family homes on all residential streets – including those currently limited to single detached homes. This approach would expedite the creation of much-needed housing without compromising community integrity. “

    About ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (www.environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian 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 arrange an interview, please contact: Daniella Zanchi, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Statement on Premier Ford canceling $8.28-billion Greenbelt land removals appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Media Advisory: Rallies planned across Ontario to defend Greenbelt and demand housing solutions

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – As MPPs prepare to reconvene in the legislature, a wave of concerned Ontarians are mobilizing to oppose further removals of land from the Greenbelt. Despite mounting evidence that we have more than enough land to build housing without removing land from the Greenbelt, Premier Doug Ford continues to resist calls to reverse the environmentally disastrous $8.3 billion attack on Greenbelt lands.

    Growing public awareness around the corrupt process behind Greenbelt removals has led to 69% of Ontarians expressing outrage, prompting a surge in community level action. Upcoming rallies across Ontario will demand the immediate return of  lands to the Greenbelt, including those within the ecologically fragile Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve adjacent to Rouge National Urban Park, and to take the actions necessary to build affordable homes in Ontario where municipalities have already identified land for building.

    A full list of rallies is provided below. Interviews can be arranged with local event leaders upon request.

    What: A series of “Hands Off The Greenbelt” rallies across the province, including Housing Minister Paul Calandra’s office.

    Where: A map of all events, with additional information about each event, is available here: https://environmentaldefence.ca/handsoffthegreenbelt/

    When: September 23rd – October 1st. Exact times and dates vary by location.

    Saturday, Sept 23
    Oakville – Glenashton Park, 1051 Glenashton Dr, Oakville – 12 PM

    “GASP is holding this rally as we believe that Stephen Crawford’s constituents expect accountability and want to know why he supported the Greenbelt takeout when the government’s own Housing Affordability Task force determined there is more than enough land available to accommodate future housing. GASP believes this is a betrayal of the public’s trust and is calling on MPP Crawford, as our elected representative, to stand up and speak to Premier Ford and the cabinet and let them know he supports making the Greenbelt whole again. Million-dollar homes on precious farmland will not solve the housing affordability crisis.”  – Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet

    Organized by Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet.
    Media contact: Marilyn Ortwein

    Saturday, Sept. 23
    Richmond Hill – 1300 Elgin Mills Rd E, Richmond Hill, ON, L4S 1M5 – 1 PM

    “New residential development in the Greenbelt is wholly unnecessary, environmentally damaging, and utterly unrelated to solving the undeniable housing crisis.” – Howard Doughty, Professor at Seneca College

    Organized by Liveable Richmond Hill.
    Media contact: Priya Unnikrishnan
    For more information: https://fb.me/e/L9BVmIlb

    Saturday, Sept. 23
    Scarborough – Gus Harris Trail parking lot, entrance off of Pharmacy Ave
    11:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Speeches
    11:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Group walk towards Danforth Ave

    “The Greenbelt is critical infrastructure – like roads and buildings – that we all benefit from, and once it’s gone we can’t get it back. Let’s build lots of homes AND leave the Greenbelt alone, we don’t have to choose.” – Tierney Smith, Scarborough Southwest Environmental Group

    Organized by Scarborough Southwest Environmental Group.
    Media contact: Misha Perozak
    For more information, email scarboroughsweg@gmail.com

    Sunday, Oct. 1
    Stouffville – Housing Minister Paul Calandra’s Office. 37 Sandiford Dr., Main St. and Sandiford, Stouffville – 2PM.
    Environmental Defence experts available for on-site and virtual interviews.

    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: Daniella Zanchi, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Media Advisory: Rallies planned across Ontario to defend Greenbelt and demand housing solutions appeared first on Environmental Defence.

  • Statement on Thorold City Council’s Unanimous Vote Against a New Gas Plant in Niagara

    Keith Brooks, Programs Director, Environmental Defence

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat – We applaud the members of Thorold City Council for voting unanimously against this unnecessary and highly polluting project. Ontario doesn’t need more gas plants. We are encouraged to see communities like Thorold recognize this and stand up for their residents. In order to ensure a safe and stable future, we need more clean energy, not more fossil power. Respected bodies like the International Energy Agency have been clear – there is no room for new fossil fuel infrastructure if we want to hold warming to 1.5 degrees.

    Along with their contribution to larger climate change impacts, gas plants also cause local air pollution – mainly nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. In voting against this proposal, Thorold has both helped with the global project of decarbonization and taken an important step to protect air quality in Thorold and the broader Niagara region.

    Additionally, Thorold’s vote against this project will also save Ontarians hundreds of millions of dollars. Based on other gas plant contracts recently inked by the Independent Energy System Operator (IESO), the gas plant proposed for Thorold could have cost over $700 million over the term of the contract. This, despite the project developer – Northland Power – saying that they anticipate the plant would produce “little energy” and act as a backup option. It would have been a giveaway to fossil fuel project developers – not so different from other giveaways this province has handed out to other developers in recent months.

    Thorold has set an example that other municipalities should follow if prospective gas-plant developers come calling.

    Background information:

    • In October of 2022, the IESO recommended Ontario procure up to 1500 MW of new gas-fired power generation. The Ministry of Energy directed the IESO to proceed with the procurement.
    • Multiple studies have concluded that Ontario does not need more gas to meet growing electricity demand.
    • Northland Power had proposed to build a 198 MW gas-fired power plant in Thorold, Ontario, in Niagara Region, which they intended to bid into the IESO’s upcoming LT1 procurement process.
    • At the request of the Ministry of Energy, the IESO stipulated that project proponents would need a municipal resolution of support in order to secure a contract. The IESO was also directed to structure contracts to ensure power plants would still be paid even if forced to shut down due forthcoming federal Clean Electricity Regulations.
    • Thorold City Council’s vote against the power plant proposal effectively blocks Northland’s proposal from going forward.
    • In a recent capacity procurement, energy storage projects ended up coming in at lower costs than new gas plants.
    • If the IESO is successful at procuring the 1500 MW of gas that it was seeking, this could cost rate payers over $4 billion, despite the fact that these plants are supposed to rarely be used and will have to be shut down before their contracts expires due to incoming federal Clean Electricity Regulations.

    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 Statement on Thorold City Council’s Unanimous Vote Against a New Gas Plant in Niagara appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Media Advisory: Environmental Defence and Other Groups in Ontario to Rally Against Greenbelt Removals

    Aerial photo of Dufferin Rouge Agricultural Preserve - the largest area removed from the Greenbelt by the Ontario government

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat – In early November, 2022, the provincial government announced Bill 23 (“More Homes Built Faster Act”), the rollback of forward-thinking municipal plans in Halton and Hamilton, and the removal of 7,400 acres of protected land from the Greenbelt to build sprawl.

    Public opposition to these attacks on Ontario’s environment is surging. Following the revelations by Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner, and those of the Auditor General earlier this month, activists across the province began organizing another round of rallies to emphasize the urgency for protecting Ontario’s forests, farms and wetlands.

    Local Activists will hold a rally during Ford Fest on Friday, September 8th to loudly voice opposition to removals of land from the Greenbelt and other issues. More rallies in the province will take place in the days following this action, with a full list below. Interviews can be arranged with local activists upon request.

    WHAT: A series of “Hands Off The Greenbelt” rallies across the province, including the Premier’s Ford Fest in Kitchener, Queen’s Park in Toronto and MPP Christine Hogarth’s Office in Etobicoke. New events are being registered every day.

    WHERE: A map of all events, with additional information about each event, is available here: https://environmentaldefence.ca/handsoffthegreenbelt/

    WHEN: September 8th-23rd. Exact times and dates vary by location.

    Friday, Sept. 8th

    Kitchener – 425 Bingemans Centre Drive – 4:00 PM

    Greenbelt Rally: Unions, teachers, nurses, political parties, health coalitions and environmental groups will be there.

    Saturday, Sept. 9th

    Etobicoke – MPP Christine Hogarth’s Office – 2:00-3:00 PM

    Tuesday, Sept. 12th

    Barrie – Grace United Church – 7:00-8:30 PM

    Featuring special guest speakers: David Crombie, former mayor of Toronto and former chair of Greenbelt Council; Tim Gray, Executive Director of Environmental Defence Canada; Margaret Prophet, SCGC; Franz Hartman, Alliance for a Liveable Ontario.

    RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/uniting-for-a-sustainable-future-public-forum-on-the-greenbelt-tickets-699659128287?aff=new

    Thursday, Sept. 14th

    Ancaster – Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre – 5:30-8:00 PM

    Saturday, Sept. 16th

    Toronto – Queen’s Park – 11:00 AM

    This rally is part of a globally coordinated action to demand that governments end fossil fuels – fast, fair, and forever.

    Sunday, Sept. 17th

    Newmarket – Intersection Yonge and Mulock – 11:00 AM – 1:00pm

    Marching to MPP Gallagher Murphy’s office to deliver letters and petition for government to take better action to stop climate change.

    Saturday, Sept. 23rd

    Richmond Hill – Richmond Green Sports Centre and Park – 1:00-3:00 PM

    Facebook Event Page: https://fb.me/e/L9BVmIlb

    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:

    Daniella Zanchi, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

    The post Media Advisory: Environmental Defence and Other Groups in Ontario to Rally Against Greenbelt Removals appeared first on Environmental Defence.

    This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.

  • Environmental Groups Seek Investigation Into Enbridge Gas for False Advertising

    Exterior of the Enbridge Gas headquarters building in Toronto

    Enbridge’s marketing materials claim heating with gas is cheapest, though electric heat pumps would save a typical homeowner over $10,000 by comparison.

    Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat – Environmental Defence, along with Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, and a number of impacted residents have filed a complaint to the Competition Bureau over Enbridge Gas’ deceptive marketing encouraging homeowners to connect to its “natural” gas system. The organizations assert the company is falsely claiming that gas is the most cost-effective way to heat homes. In reality, a typical customer in a gas expansion area could spend over $10,000 more if they choose to use gas instead of installing a high-efficiency electric heat pump (over the lifetime of the equipment).

    “Enbridge’s dishonest marketing is duping people into signing up for its gas service, falsely claiming it’s cheaper than heating with electricity which is just not true.” said Keith Brooks, program director at Environmental Defence. “Heat pumps have come a long way in recent years and they are now the most affordable way to heat a home, and are far superior from an environmental perspective. Enbridge needs to stop lying to people and pushing its fossil gas agenda on communities.”

    The deceptive marketing is targeted at customers in communities that Enbridge has recently connected to its gas pipeline network and ones it plans to connect in the near future. The misrepresentations are being made in materials sent by mail, delivered at the doorstep, and posted at community events. 

    The organizations also take issue with Enbridge’s deceptive use of the terms “low carbon” and “clean energy” when describing natural gas. “Natural gas”, also known as methane gas or fracked fossil gas, is a potent greenhouse gas that pollutes the environment and causes climate change when it is burned and when it escapes into the atmosphere during extraction, production, and transportation. Currently, 19 per cent of Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to heating with gas.

    “I am outraged by Enbridge’s campaign filled with misleading information about the cost and environmental impact of its polluting product. Its proposed new pipeline in Selwyn Township will deliver harmful fossil gas to our residents who will be locked in to higher prices for decades. If this pipeline is built, our community will find it harder to achieve the greenhouse gas reductions we committed to in our 2016 Climate Change Action Plan,” said Guy Hanchet, a resident of Selwyn, Ontario. “We deserve better from a company that claims to be leading the transition towards a net-zero future but whose actions are locking us into a planet that will be a disaster for our grandchildren.”

    The longer Enbridge is allowed to advertise these false claims, the more homeowners will be stuck heating their homes with gas instead of selecting a more affordable option like an electric heat pump. As this continues, unnecessarily high energy costs and carbon pollution can be effectively locked in for a decade or more to the detriment of consumers and the climate.

    “I cannot believe Enbridge has been allowed to lie for so long about the cost of its gas compared to heat pumps. We have a heat pump installed in our home and know it saves us money,” said Lesley Hastie, a resident of Huntsville, Ontario. “I feel especially sorry for renters who have no choice but to pay more for gas heating and cooling because their landlords chose to connect to gas. It’s unfair that Enbridge’s infrastructure expansion costs are being imposed on customers, and it’s unacceptable that the municipality is left with increased greenhouse gas emissions.  Enbridge should be made to stop deliberately misleading the public.”

    For a long time, fossil gas was the cheapest way to heat homes. However, electric heat pumps designed for cold climates are now much cheaper for consumers. This is true both for the initial upfront equipment costs and for the annual energy costs. Upfront equipment costs often beat gas as heat pumps provide both heating and cooling in one unit and the price tag can be further reduced using federal rebate programs. Annual energy costs are also lower as heat pumps are approximately three times more efficient than gas furnaces (or five times for ground-source heat pumps, also known as geothermal).

    “Heat pumps are an amazing technology that allow people to get their homes off of fossil fuels, and save money while doing so,” said Jack Gibbons, chair of Ontario Clean Air Alliance. “People need to know that if they are about to install new heating and cooling equipment, they should go with a heat pump. But Enbridge is misleading these people, and trying to lock in more Ontarians to gas. It’s shameful and should be brought to a stop.”

    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

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