Past events

Faith and the Climate Crisis

​In October, 2024, Ontario's top court ordered a new hearing for a youth-led constitutional challenge of the Ford government's weakening of emissions targets, saying the case raised important issues that should be considered afresh. The Court of Appeal agreed that governments' approach to climate change has the potential to violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

On Sunday, February 23, we were pleased to host Mennonite environmental activist, Alex Neufeldt (See the article in the December Spire)
to speak at our Worship Service. If you were unable to attend the Sunday service,  and did not hear Alex's very engaging talk you can find it here.

For upcoming community environment and climate events
check the CAFES* Ottawa Events Calendar.

* Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) is a network of local environmental and climate leaders in the city of Ottawa.


DEMANDING A JUST, THRIVING, FOSSIL FREE FUTURE 

2024 Ottawa-Gatineau Climate March Organizers were pleased with last week's successful turnout to EXPOSE THE CLIMATE CULPRITS!
The weather was fabulous and some 800 marchers participated.  A number of representative organizations were singled out by the group for their greenwashing and/or lack of action on the climate crisis. These included political institutions, Ottawa City Hall and the Province of Ontario's Regional Office;
​financial institutions, the Royal Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada; and petroleum lobby groups, the Canadian Gas Association and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.  The crowd was motivated by participating groups Just Voices Choir, World Changing Kids, Horizon Ottawa, Climate Justice Climatique, U Ottawa, Last Generation Canada, CAPE and Environmental Defence. Radio-Canada Coverage en francais ici.

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Climate Strike 2024 In Photos

 

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ENVIRO-ADVOCACY  BE HEARD!
Defeat Bill 5!
Ontario Bill 5"Protecting Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act" is misnamed! It does not protect Ontario; it would allow all provincial and municipal laws to be violated at the behest of the provincial cabinet, and would severely water down the Endangered Species Act allowing eradication of at risk species. In addition, it would violate the Inherent rights and Treaty rights of the First Nations in Ontario. Join Environmental Defence and urge your provincial leaders educate themselves and vote against Bill 5 at third reading.

More on the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River
The Kebaowek First Nation are elated. They are celebrating a second win in court against the planned building of the nuclear waste dump at Chalk River. The first win determined the indigenous group was not adequately consulted (see below); the second ruled that the building of the facility would put the lives of the endangered Blanding's Turtle and two bat species in jeopardy, thus causing significant adverse environmental effects. While these decisions may yet be appealed, it is considered "a landmark moment" for environmental law in Canada!
This is good news in that it strengthens the Kebaowek First Nation's right to be heard, and sets a precedent that appropriate consultation with indigenous communities must be included in decisions about projects on their traditional territories.

ENVIRO-BITS
What you Need to Know about Bill 5
Bill 5 is sweeping legislation which the government says will allow major infrastructure and resource extraction projects to happen faster and more efficiently, but critics say it is a pretext to remove oversights on the operations of Ontario companies.
It would give cabinet the authority to name any location in Ontario a special economic zone where companies or projects can be exempted from  provincial laws or regulations, ignoring legal safeguards, required archaeological assessments or environmental or indigenous rights. For example, there are plans to use this for the fast tracking of mining projects and to green light unwanted waste disposal projects. It would undo decades of conservation efforts with a watered down version of the Endangered Species Act. Learn more HERE.

Update from Horizon Ottawa on Fossil Fuel Advertising on City of Ottawa Property
Earlier we reported that a number of Ottawa environmental groups were encouraging the city of Ottawa to ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship of fossil fuel companies in City of Ottawa facilities.  After some months, it would seem that the City of Ottawa's advertising policy review will likely occur on March 4. Nearly 1400 residents have signed the petition calling on Ottawa City Council to support this ban.  Limits on advertising already exist when it comes to other harms like the tobacco industry. In light of the city having declared a climate emergency in 2019, similar rules should be in place for fossil fuel ads. There is still time to sign the petition.

ENVIRO-ACTIONS
Collecting Plastic Tags
The Environmental Action Group is now collecting plastic closure tags from any bag (milk, bread, veggies) as part of their ongoing recycling efforts in collaboration with Earthub - a community effort supported by volunteers throughout the City of Ottawa. Collect and add your tags to the container by the pen/marker box. Tell your friends and neighbours!

New Recycling Initiative at FirstU
Do you have a surplus of dead pens, markers, highlighters and caps? Terra Cycle in partnership with Staples will recycle all the used writing instruments we can collect, including all brands of:

• pens and pen caps
• mechanical pencils
• markers and marker caps
• highlighters and highlighter caps
• permanent markers and permanent marker caps

The container is in the office foyer.

Ontario Election: Did You Vote for the Environment?
While much of the election focused on tariffs, the climate crisis remains an existential issue in our lives. Familiarize yourself with some of the environmental issues facing us, choose one or two, and follow up with your newly elected MPP to discuss how they might be handled in Ontario.​

 

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good news!

The Environmental Action Group welcomes our new Good News Hunter: Jen B will be rounding up morsels of hope and victory ​to keep you in the loop on where we're succeeding, locally and globally, in protecting and preserving our home. Read on, below, for the latest good news!

Big Win in Youth Climate Case
Ontario's top court has ordered a new hearing for a youth-led constitutional challenge of the Ford government's weakening of emissions targets, saying the case raised important issues that should be considered afresh. The Court of Appeal agreed that governments' approach to climate change has the potential to violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Read more in the Winter edition of the Parkway Spire!

Electric Wallpaper to Heat Your Home
In a country where 36% of GHG emissions come from heating buildings, a solution is emerging straight out of science fiction. Electric wallpaper is being trialed in Scotland as a way to heat homes without fossil fuels. The wallpaper is easy to install, and uses strips of copper, graphene or carbon to emit enough heat to provide warmth within one to three minutes.

A Circular Economy for EV Batteries
Electric vehicle (EV) batteries eventually need to be replaced, but that's not the end of the road. Used EV batteries still have about 80% of their capacity and can be repurposed for use by power grids, EV charging stations, and commercial customers. Canada-based Moment Energy is building a huge battery repurposing factory in Texas that will produce up to 1 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery storage systems a year, enough for 750,000 homes.

Solar shows up everywhere
​We need a lot of clean electricity to transition away from fossil fuels, and people are finding ways to put solar panels just about anywhere. For example, it is now mandatory for large parking lots in France to install solar panels over the parking spaces. This design provides good energy yields because the panels can be positioned optimally, and also shades cars from the hot sun. And in Switzerland, a company is about to test a system of removable solar panels between train tracks.