UVic invests millions of dollars from its endowment fund into fossil fuel companies. Trying to profit from corporations that have a history of climate change denial is sustainability leadership in high speed reverse. UVic students and faculty have already voted overwhelmingly in favour of divestment. But the administration's response has been to increase their fossil fuel investments. By raising your voice you can help end UVic's hypocrisy. The university spends millions on branding and is very sensitive to public criticism that challenges its carefully cultivated image as a sustainability leader. If you support divestment from fossil fuel companies like Imperial Oil then please sign our petition and help UVic close the book on its complicity with climate change denial and policy obstructionism. For more information please see this recent article in the Tyee: https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2017/11/03/UVic-Seeks-to-Profit-from-Corporate-Climate-Change-Deniers/

Si les gouvernements sont incapables de s’assurer que l’activité industrielle n’impacte pas les sources essentielles d’eau potable, le bien-être des populations locales est mis à risque. Le petit village de Ristigouche Sud-est au Québec fait face à une poursuite contre une pétrolière pour vouloir protéger son eau potable. Gastem, une pétrolière Montréalaise, poursuit Ristigouche Sud-Est pour avoir passé une loi interdisant le forage du pétrole près de leur source principale d’eau potable. [1] Si Ristigouche Sud-est perd le procès, qui se déroule au cours des deux prochaines semaines, ils auraient à payer 1,5 $ million en dommages – un montant 5 fois supérieur à leur budget annuel. [2] Nous avons besoin de règlements plus stricts au Québec concernant le forage du pétrole et du gaz près des sources d’eau potable. Nous appelons le gouvernement du Québec à mettre en place des règlements plus stricts afin d’assurer la protection des sources d’eau des intérêts corporatistes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If governments are unable to prevent industrial activity from impacting vital water sources, the water that that sustains the lives of local people is at risk. The small village of Ristigouche Sud-Est in Quebec is being sued by an oil and gas company for trying to protect their water. Gastem, a Montreal based oil-and-gas exploration and development company is suing Ristigouche Sud-Est for passing a bylaw establishing a no drill zone near their main source of water. [1] If Ristigouche Sud-Est loses the trial, which is happening right now, they could be forced to pay up to $1.5 million in damages - which is more than 5 times their annual budget. [2] Municipalities should not be punished for passing laws to protect their water. We need stricter regulations in Quebec on oil and gas drilling near water sources. We are calling on the government of Quebec to implement stricter regulations and ensure that vital water sources are protected from corporate interests. Sources: [1] [2] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ristigouche-gastem-oil-gas-lawsuit-1.4276727

Howe Sound is magical. Visitors and locals alike are drawn here by its wild natural beauty, recreational opportunities, and the vibrant communities we call home. However, Howe Sound is under threat from Woodfibre LNG, which proposes to construct and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on the previous Woodfibre Pulp and Paper Mill site located approximately 7 km west-southwest of Squamish. Why is Woodfibre LNG a problem? The project is owned by Sukanto Tanoto, an Indonesian billionaire that has been found guilty of tax evasion and human rights violations. LNG tanker traffic puts Howe Sound residents, Vancouver residents, and Victoria residents at risk, and the potential conflict between recreational sailors and LNG tankers has not been adequately addressed. Increased local air pollution will affect human health, particularly the elderly and kids with asthma. Underwater noise and light pollution will affect salmon migration routes, herring, and marine mammals. Locally, Woodfibre LNG will create nearly double the greenhouse gas emissions of all of Squamish. Woodfibre LNG's local and upstream greenhouse gas emissions are equivalent to adding 170,000 cars to the road. If Woodfibre LNG goes ahead, it will result in 24 new fracking wells per year in northeast B.C. Please sign the Howe Sound Declaration now and ask your friends and family to sign too.

In a shocking move, on the eve of the transfer of power, while four of six Tsilhqot’in communities are evacuated due to raging wildfires, and while the communities have engaged in brave efforts to fight for their very survival, the Clark led British Columbian government has granted controversial drilling permits over the objections of the Tsilhqot’in. The Nation is outraged that the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines has issued permits to allow Taseko Mines Ltd. to conduct extensive pre-construction exploration for the New Prosperity mine proposal. This mine cannot be built. It was rejected twice by the Harper-era Federal Government in 2010 (Prosperity) and 2014 (New Prosperity) due to strong opposition by the Tsilhqot’in Nation and unacceptable environmental and cultural impacts. Chief Russell Myers Ross- “I am speechless at the timing of this insulting decision. It defies compassion that while our people are fighting for our homes and lives, BC issues permits that will destroy more of our land beyond repair. As a Nation, we have wasted enough time and energy in conflict. The project has been rejected twice federally. It is time to move on. As Tsilhqot'in, we are moving forward by establishing the Dasiqox Tribal Park based on our governance and values. The Provincial decision to permit further drilling is insulting. It demonstrates a serious attack on meaningful reconciliation. It is our responsibility to protect Nabas for our future generations.” Chief Joe Alphonse- "This is a typical move by the Liberal government. They are a dead political party trying to mount a dead horse and hoping to ride it to a come back." To learn more watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwjCeWF4rfM

Faced with shrinking habitats, more and more turtles are forced to cross busy highways, where they’re getting slammed by oncoming traffic. Ontario’s turtles are already endangered, and unless government steps in this problem could keep getting worse. The Ontario turtle trauma centre is doing all it can by operating on as many injured turtles as possible, but they’re bursting at the seams and can’t keep up with the volume of turtles coming in with cracked shells, fractured heads, and other life threatening injuries. Underpasses allow turtles to avoid the risk of fatal injury. We need them across the province, starting in areas conservationists say are the most urgent.

Any animal on the planet should be given help and care and we as a society we should be helping any animal that needs our help. Its the right thing to do. Not capture any new ones, but be there to help, learn and train vets, etc and provide a safe home if needed. If the animal can be rehabilitated it should be released...that is a given, but on a case by case basis with oversight from all parties, can we not do what is best for these magnificent intelligent animals and provide compassion?

Kinder Morgan is short on cash, and desperately needs investors to back their Trans Mountain project — a dirty tarsands pipeline that would threaten BC’s coast with oil spills and facilitate a massive increase in climate pollution from the tarsands. [1-2] They’ve hired TD Bank to broker talks with pension funds and banks, searching for backers to bail out their struggling pipeline plan. [3] TD invests millions in branding themselves as a friendly and socially responsible bank, and they don’t want their brand associated with environmental destruction. A massive petition could show TD that supporting the Kinder Morgan pipeline could damage their brand and cost them customers. The company won’t do anything that they think will hurt their bottom line, so if we can make this campaign huge, it could work. We'll be delivering this petition at TD's shareholder meeting on Thursday. Will you add your name right now? [1] Exclusive: Kinder Morgan starts talks with investors for $5.2 billion Canada pipeline project: Sources (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kinder-morgan-de-canada-financing-exc-idUSKBN15W20W [2] The Kinder Morgan Pipeline (Greenpeace). http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/Energy/tarsands/Kinder-Morgan-pipeline/ [3] Kinder Morgan Pipeline: tarsands oil to and from our coast (Raincoast). https://www.raincoast.org/trans-mountain-pipeline/

Kinder Morgan and their backers donated more than $771,000 to the BC Liberals, before Christy Clark approved their TransMountain pipeline. With an election just weeks away, the BC Liberals want the political donation scandal to end. If enough of us sign the open letter, we can force them to choose: Return Kinder Morgan's money, or watch this scandal continue to grow.

Howe Sound is magical. Visitors and locals alike are drawn here by its wild natural beauty, recreational opportunities, and the vibrant communities we call home. However, Howe Sound is under threat from Woodfibre LNG, which proposes to construct and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on the previous Woodfibre Pulp and Paper Mill site located approximately 7 km west-southwest of Squamish. Why is Woodfibre LNG a problem? The project is owned by Sukanto Tanoto, an Indonesian billionaire that has been found guilty of tax evasion and human rights violations. LNG tanker traffic puts Howe Sound residents, Vancouver residents, and Victoria residents at risk, and the potential conflict between recreational sailors and LNG tankers has not been adequately addressed. Increased local air pollution will affect human health, particularly the elderly and kids with asthma. Underwater noise and light pollution will affect salmon migration routes, herring, and marine mammals. Locally, Woodfibre LNG will create nearly double the greenhouse gas emissions of all of Squamish. Woodfibre LNG's local and upstream greenhouse gas emissions are equivalent to adding 170,000 cars to the road. If Woodfibre LNG goes ahead, it will result in 24 new fracking wells per year in northeast B.C. My Sea to Sky is aiming to double the number of signatures we have on the Howe Sound Declaration by March 31st, so we can make Woodfibre LNG a provincial election issue. Please sign the Howe Sound Declaration now and ask your friends and family to sign too.

Since the Rio Tinto modernization, the province has given the Kitimat smelter permission to increase Sulphur Dioxide emissions from 27 tonnes per day up to 42 tonnes per day. The citizens of Kitimat and Terrace want the highest standard of air quality for human health and the environment. To achieve this, we need the commitment of the next Provincial Government to require Rio Tinto to install scrubbers. This technology is in many other aluminum smelters around the world and is environmentally safe.

Message from a Kamloops Mom: Closing the door has cut the volume, but it doesn't mask each new chorus of chest-ripping coughs. I stand outside my daughter's bedroom, wincing and thinking about what can be done to shine a light on air pollution in the upcoming May 9th provincial election. I never thought I would find myself here. When my youngest was just 3 years old, every time she walked along a busy roadway for even 10 minutes, or was exposed to wood smoke in our neighbourhood, she would develop a persistent cough, lasting between 2 weeks and 2 months. It would always start the same way, with the sound of violent hacking over a number of restless nights. She was diagnosed with mild asthma. We wondered, “Is this something that she will grow out of? If we put her on a puffer, will she ever get off again?” During wildfire seasons and times of the year when people want to cozy-up next to their fireplace, I have become a parent who sniffs the air before letting my girls out to play. Now, more than ever, I am aware of how changes in our air quality affect our citizens' health and ultimately, our quality of life. Poor air quality can negatively affect pregnant moms and their developing babies, as well as children, the elderly and athletes. Particles in our air (small enough to have 30 of them fit across the tip of a hair) from things like exhaust and wood smoke, are actually small enough to move from our lungs into our bloodstream. When it comes to making decisions about what we put into the air, there are some things that we all can do. Our children will breathe whatever those decisions are. When we vote on May 9, 2017, the outcome will directly affect the next generation of citizens growing up in our airshed. I will be voting for a candidate who recognizes that our airshed is something worth defending, both for the quality of life of all citizens, but especially for children who depend on us and our decisions. I hope you'll join me in considering this as well, when you vote on May 9th.

Canada has to take action now to end its unfair and polluting subsidies to oil, gas, and coal companies. Canada's $3.3 billion in fossil fuel subsidies undermine the Paris Agreement’s climate change goals, and they even counteract attempts to put a price on carbon. Trying to put a price on carbon while still subsidizing fossil fuel production is like pouring water on the fire with one hand, while spraying gasoline on it with the other. It just doesn't make sense. The Trudeau government can act immediately with a commitment and a plan to get rid of these subsidies by 2020. Four years is more than enough time to wind down polluter handouts. Instead of subsidies that favour the wealthy, we need public investment that helps us move more quickly to sustainable solutions. Let’s put an end to fossil fuel subsidies.