The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is one of the largest investment funds in the world and manages nearly $650 billion in retirement savings on behalf of over 22 million hard-working Canadians. But rather than using that enormous financial power to lead the transition away from fossil fuels that scientists and world leaders agree is essential – CPPIB continues to invest in fossil fuel expansion. The science is clear that avoiding catastrophic climate outcomes requires an immediate end to fossil fuel expansion and rapid-phase out of oil, gas and coal. That’s why in 2022 CPPIB committed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. But CPPIB is continuing to invest our retirement dollars in oil and gas infrastructure and the companies fueling the climate crisis – in October 2024, CPPIB disclosed it holds $23 billion in fossil fuel production assets, while in 2024, CPPIB made six new investments in fossil fuels. For more information read Shift’s CPPIB Watch here. CPPIB’s board of directors also has a potential conflict of interest problem: three of the 11 members of CPPIB’s Board of Directors are also executives or directors of fossil fuel companies. The Canada Pension Plan is our money. CPPIB owes all of us a duty to maximize our returns without undue risk of loss. Fossil fuel expansion simply cannot be a responsible investment, with the high risk of assets becoming stranded as the global economy moves away from fossil fuels. Expanding and prolonging the use of oil, gas and coal locks in more carbon pollution for decades to come, increasing the risk of catastrophic climate outcomes that destabilize our communities, economies and ecosystems. Take action now.  

As things currently stand, thousands of people are affected by hundreds of low-altitude aircraft passages. Every day. Day and night. Each plane passage disturbs the airport's neighbors and the people who live under the air corridors. Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) allows air movements between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., which harms the sleep of thousands of people.   The World Health Organization (WHO) has scientifically established that this nighttime aerial activity causes illness in the people who undergo it. A new terminal and its 10 boarding gates mean a greater number of planes in Montreal's skies. That mean more noises and more nuisance. Without forgetting air pollution, which has also been documented by Montreal scientists.

Dans l'état actuel des choses des milliers de personnes sont touchées par les centaines de passages d' avions à basse altitude. Tous les jours. Chaque passage d'avion gêne les voisins de l'aéroport et les personnes qui vivent sous les corridors aériens. Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) permet les mouvements aériens entre 23h et 7h, ce qui nuit au sommeil de milliers de personnes. L' Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) a bien établi scientifiquement, que cette activité aérienne de nuit entraine des maladies chez les personnes qui la subissent. Une nouvelle aérogare et ses 10 portes d'embarquement signifient un plus grand nombre d'avions dans le ciel de Montréal. Plus de bruits. Plus de nuisances. Sans oublier la pollution de l'air, qui a aussi été documentée par des scientfiques de Montréal.

A recent proposal brought to Brampton city council by Emerald Energy From Waste Inc., would see a massive expansion to the Emerald incinerator, one of the largest garbage incinerators in Canada.  The proposal seeks to quadruple the incinerator's emissions from 182,000 tonnes annually to over 900,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.   We urge you to reject this expansion proposal for the following reasons:  1) Burning garbage produces more greenhouse emissions than burning coal or gas. We can make actual green energy sources much more cheaply than giving this private company $3 million of provincial money. 2) The toxic gas that Emerald company acknowledges leaves its plant, makes people nearby more likely to have chronic lung disease.  3) Studies done on incinerators demonstrate that over half of what is burned could be recycled or composted. It takes a lot of energy to burn wet compostable material and generally that means they are required to burn highly polluting plastics or other fuels, like gas, to get to high enough temperatures.  I and other concerned Ontario residents urge you to NOT approve this expansion and allow for an environmental assessment and community consultation. 

CPPIB is one of the largest investment funds in the world, managing nearly $650 billion in retirement savings on behalf of over 22 million working and retired Canadians.  • CPPIB committed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. In recent years CPPIB has dramatically increased its investments in climate solutions.  • But at the same time, CPPIB is continuing to invest our retirement dollars in fossil fuel infrastructure and the companies fueling the climate crisis – Shift estimates nearly $64 billion in fossil fuel investments as of September 2023. In 2024 alone, CPPIB made five new investments in fossil fuels, including marking Earth Day with a $405 million investment in fracking expansion in Ohio and buying 16,000 kms of oil and gas pipeline in the US Midwest. In September, a CPPIB-owned company extended the piping of fracked gas from the Peruvian Amazon for another ten years until at least 2044.  • CPPIB’s board of directors also has a potential conflict of interest problem: three of the 11 current members of CPPIB’s Board of Directors are also executives or corporate directors of fossil fuel companies.  The Canada Pension Plan is our money. CPPIB owes all of us a duty to maximize our returns over the long-term without undue risk of loss. Fossil fuel expansion simply cannot be a responsible investment, with the high risk of assets becoming stranded as the global economy moves away from fossil fuels.  Over the next few weeks, we have the opportunity to take part in public meetings across Canada being arranged by CPPIB in all provinces and territories except for Quebec – and we can ask CPPIB leadership hard-hitting questions on their role in fueling the climate crisis and protecting our retirement security in a healthy, livable future.  Demand answers: Send questions to CPPIB today – and demand that they stop investing our money in fossil fuel expansion and instead use the national retirement savings of Canadians to invest in climate solutions.  Show up and be heard: You can register to attend the meetings here. Show up and ask the tough questions.  For more information on CPPIB’s approach to climate change and risky investments in fossil fuels, and ideas to ask CPPIB executives about climate change and fossil fuels, read Shift’s CPPIB climate action briefing and sample questions. You can also reach out to Shift at [email protected]. 

Tech operations like crypto currency centers in Canada are guzzling millions of liters water. Digital operations like cryptocurrency and AI rely heavily on large data centers – which use large amounts of electricity, and also water to cool down computers (also known as “servers”).  The latest estimate, from three years ago, is that 127 billion liters of water is used for cryptocurrency operations per year– enough to supply a million Canadian homes. But assessing the true impact is almost impossible because cryptocurrency and data centers in Canada aren’t required to register or restrict how much water or electricity they use.  Already this summer we’ve seen effects of water shortages – like in Alberta – which could regularly become a new normal as the effects of runaway climate change intensify. It’s high time we reckon with the environmental and resource-intensive impact of Big Tech.

The Nahmint watershed, an area on Vancouver Island between the road to Uclulet-Tofino and Alberni Inlet, is home to old-growth forests and vast plant, fish, bird and mammal biodiversity.  However, BC Timber Sales has 4 cutblocks full of old-growth in the area on its auction list for 2024. There is currently no engagement plan to consult with local first nations, scientists or stakeholders to protect these areas.  Since the Nahmint is a sensitive fisheries watershed it must be managed with the health and integrity of the salmon habitat as a priority. Any planned logging must demonstrate that it will not result in any further negative effect to this sensitive watershed.  Anything less is read as wilful disregard of standard professional planning processes. We are poised to make a formal complaint to the Forest Professionals BC body that abides by the FPBC's Code of Ethical and Professional Conduct: Sections 22 and 57, " all registrants are responsible to hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and the protection of the environment. In this time of climate disruption and loss of biodiversity, we need to protect BC's 2% remaining old-growth forest ecosystems that help stabilize air humidity, air temperatures, mountain terrains, produce rain clouds and oxygen, habitat for many species at risk and absorb carbon dioxide. These forests perform many interrelated environmental services that are worth more standing and are under relentless attack from a faceless corporate logging industry.

This will eliminate the need for traffic lights and speed things up. The overhead walkway can ignore the traffic below and possibly be a tourist attraction

La combustion de combustibles fossiles contribue aux changements climatiques et fait monter en flèche les niveaux de pollution à un degré mortel. En effet, la pollution due aux combustibles fossiles est directement liée à 34 000 décès prématurés par an au Canada et à plus de 8 millions de décès dans le monde. Par ailleurs, les entreprises pétrolières et gazières induisent sciemment le public en erreur en ayant recours à des pratiques d’écoblanchiment. Par exemple, elles affirment faussement que le pétrole est un produit « à zéro émission nette » ou « carboneutre », ce qui empêche les consommateur(trice)s de prendre des décisions éclairées et retarde la transition vers des sources d’énergie plus sûres et plus propres. Les entreprises qui fabriquent des produits nocifs menaçant la santé publique ne devraient pas être autorisées à faire de la publicité. C’est dans cette optique que l’Association canadienne des médecins pour l’environnement a initié un appel à l'interdiction de la publicité pour l’industrie des combustibles fossiles, soutenu par plus de trois quarts de millions de professionnel(le)s de la santé. Le projet de loi C-372 représente une opportunité tangible de mettre en œuvre cette interdiction. Le projet de loi pourrait faire l’objet d’une deuxième lecture très prochainement et une grande vague de soutien en faveur de la pétition pourrait faire renverser la vapeur et mener à son adoption. Nous devons montrer aux parlementaires que de très nombreuses personnes en ont assez de la désinformation et des mensonges véhiculés par l’industrie pétrolière et gazière, et qu’elles n’arrêteront pas de se battre pour cette cause tant que le projet de loi C-372 n’aura pas été adopté. Signez la pétition dès maintenant pour soutenir cet important projet de loi et faire en sorte qu’il soit adopté rapidement.

The Canadian carbon price is good for the climate and for most families! Now, more than ever, it needs our support. Please show you support by signing this petition! References: [i] https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/ca/news/catastrophe/canadas-2023-severe-weather-losses-fourth-costliest-on-record--ibc-472080.aspx [ii] https://globalnews.ca/news/10141857/canada-wildfires-side-effects/#:~:text=Wildfires%20burned%2018.5M%20hectares,Globalnews.ca&text=Wildfires%20burned%2018.5M%20hectares%20of%20land%20in%202023.,-What%20will%20happen [iii] https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/whats_new-quoi_de_neuf/2023/research_story-histoire_de_recherche__harvey-eng.aspx [iv] https://www.cdnfirefighter.com/revisiting-canadas-historic-2023-wildfire-season/#:~:text=2023%2C%20over%2018.5%20million%20hectares,in%20the%20line%20of%20duty. [v] https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/faq/do-scientists-agree-on-climate-change/ [vi] https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change [vii] https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/canada-faces-huge-physical-costs-climate-change-making-net-zero-great- [viii] https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/about/frequently-asked-questions/keyfaq2/#:~:text=Current%20projections%20imply%20that%20at,know%20of%20will%20be%20threatened. [ix] https://climateatlas.ca/climate-change-basics [x] https://globalnews.ca/news/10038427/extreme-weather-climate-change-canada-poll/ [xi] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carbon-tax-rebates-climate-1.7159209 [xii] https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/december-2023/carbon-price-affordability/ [xiii] https://ecofiscal.ca/2024/03/26/open-letter-carbon-pricing/ [xiv] https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/december-2023/carbon-price-affordability/ [xv] https://thenarwhal.ca/carbon-tax-inflation-politicians/ [xvi] https://440megatonnes.ca/insight/industrial-carbon-pricing-systems-driver-emissions-reductions/

Fossil fuels are driving climate change and causing skyrocketing levels of deadly pollution – Fossil-fuel pollution is directly linked to up to 34 000 premature deaths in Canada per year and over 8 million globally. Meanwhile, greenwashing by oil and gas companies knowingly misleads the public with false claims of “net zero” and “carbon neutral” oil impeding informed consumer decision-making and delaying the transition to safer, cleaner energy sources. Companies that create harmful products that threaten public health should not be allowed to advertise. For this reason, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment have been leading calls for a fossil fuel advertising ban, and three quarters of a million health professionals support such a ban. Now, with Bill C-372, we have the chance to make this a reality. The bill could come to second reading very soon and a giant wave of support and signatures on this petition could be critical in tipping the scales and getting this bill passed. We need to show Parliamentarians that there is a massive collective of people who are tired of the lies and disinformation from the oil and gas industry and who won’t stop until Bill C-372 is passed. Sign the petition now to support this important legislation and ensure its speedy passage into law.

Saanich’s Quadra McKenzie Study process is an opportunity that must not be wasted. Pressure from UVic could get bus lanes created this year, and get climate pollution from transportation trending down.  Saanich has good policy on climate action and prioritizing public transit riders over car drivers. But when it comes down to allocating road space, in the past transit riders got studies and cars got priority. It is no wonder that many people choose to drive to campus, even when parking is a major pain.  Saanich’s Quadra McKenzie Study presentation includes illustrations of continuous bus lanes on a reconstructed McKenzie with many tall new buildings, but as of right now this study is in the draft planning stages and will take decades to be realized. Bus lanes can and should be created now on the existing roadway, rather than waiting for redevelopment and major road reconstruction. An example of how long these kinds of projects often take is that the Shelbourne Valley Action Plan started with an open house in 2010, and bike and roll lane completion is still years away. Victoria’s plans for transit lanes on Douglas through downtown have taken even longer, with successive plans gathering dust for half a century. As The Martlet reported, last year Climate Justice Victoria, the University of Victoria Student Society (UVSS), and other student groups endorsed the BC Climate Emergency Campaign’s open letter on transportation. The letter calls for reallocating “road space from private automobiles to transit lanes, protected bike & roll lanes, pedestrian priority spaces, and space for trees.” It also asserts that road space “reallocation to trigger traffic evaporation will be essential for meeting the ambitious CleanBC” target of reducing traffic (vehicle kilometers traveled - VKT) 25% by 2030. As a provincial institution, UVic is ethically obligated to help meet this ambitious provincial VKT reduction target. According to UVic’s Sustainability Action Plan, the University has set a goal of increasing the use of transit, cycling and carpooling to 70% of the modal split.  We call on Saanich to paint in 24/7 bus lanes on all four-lane and wider sections of McKenzie this year, and for the UVic administration to actively and publicly lobby for this.