The 2016 federal budget - the Trudeau government's first - is the perfect opportunity for the government to show that they're living up to a campaign promise to end massive subsidies for polluting oil, gas and coal companies. Canada's federal government hands out over $1.6 billion every year to fossil fuel producers. On top of this, Export Development Canada - wholly owned by the government - provides as much as $6 billion per year for dirty energy producers to continue fueling the climate crisis at home and abroad. Canada first promised to put an end to these wasteful and polluting subsidies in 2009 along with the rest of the G20. And yet, little meaningful action has followed. Even under the new Trudeau government, Export Development Canada just offered a $750 million bailout to fossil fuel companies. This is bad climate policy and bad economic policy. The last thing the country needs right now is to lock itself further into the volatile oil market that is wreaking havoc on livelihoods across the country. Bailing out oil producers is not the solution - the real answer is breaking our dependency on this boom and bust sector that is taking the climate down with it. It is high time for Canada to instead get serious about building the prosperous clean energy economy that must power this century. Now is the Trudeau government's chance to lead. China and the US are already moving, promising to establish a deadline for a fossil fuel subsidy phase-out, and Canada could show its true climate colours by leading by example with an ambitious 2020 deadline to end these reckless handouts. 2016 is set to be a promising year for Canadian climate action, but we can’t let it be undermined by continuing to use taxpayer dollars to fund the very problem we are trying to tackle. Let’s start the clock by signaling an ambitious phase out of polluter handouts by 2020 in your upcoming budget.

The Paris Climate Conference is our last best chance to avoid runaway climate change. For the last ten years Canada has been actively derailing international climate talks, and now has a responsibility to the communities most vulnerable to climate change to take swift, bold action in an effort to mitigate the worst impacts of this catastrophe. With a new government, we can change Canada's course on climate action. As an affluent country, Canada has the resources and the technology to make a just transition to a 100% renewables-based economy that honours the Free Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous peoples. We want to see true climate leadership from the Canadian government. Time’s running out. We need more than aspirational statements -- we need real action. Preventing a global rise in temperature by 1.5 degrees celsius means reaching zero emissions by 2050 -- and we need a just transition to a clean energy economy to get there.

An independent panel has been appointed by the Minister of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to conduct a public review and advise the Minister on the socio-economic and environmental implications of the hydraulic fracturing process. However, the Minister of Natural Resources and his department focuses clearly on natural resource development and supporting regulations and not health, safety and the environment. Three of the Hydraulic Fracturing Review Panel members prior to their appointment have stated publically that they supported approval of hydraulic fracturing with appropriate regulations. These three members constitute a majority and are clearly not independent. They believe fracking can be done safely. The drillers' dreams of fracking New York succumbed to the growing mountain of proof that this dangerous process causes birth defects and respiratory illness, while polluting the air and drinking water with carcinogens like benzene and formaldehyde. Why did Minister Dalley appoint a biased panel to conduct an "independent review" when jurisdictions like New York, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have already studied the issue and determined Hydraulic Fracturing to be unsafe? Newfoundland and Labrador has placed a moratorium on all hydraulic fracturing applications pending this review. The review panel is flawed. Here is a link to a list of jurisdictions worldwide that have banned hydraulic fracturing. http://keeptapwatersafe.org/global-bans-on-fracking/ The citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve the same respect and leadership from their elected representatives as do the citizens residing in the communities on the fracking ban list. This issue is a moral issue. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33182065 These companies poison water without remorse - Please Share http://youtu.be/j5kn8qL5G-w #fracking #environment #ClimateChange

The Harper government allowed this relatively small spill to become a serious tragedy by closing the Kitsilano Coast Guard station, and they’re inviting even worse tragedies if they allow expanded tanker traffic on the B.C. coast. Kinder Morgan is proposing a pipeline and tanker that would bring hundreds of huge tarsands oil tankers through Vancouver’s harbour each year -- putting us at risk of a catastrophic oil spill when we weren’t even prepared for a spill that would be considered small by industry standards. In the wake of the Vancouver oil spill, thousands of people are looking for answers. If we raise our voices together now, we can expose how the Harper Government’s negligence turned this spill into a tragedy. With an election coming up, Conservative MPs in the Lower Mainland will be under tremendous pressure to give us a real plan to protect the B.C. coast. Sources: [1] Fuel oil spill from freighter in Vancouver harbour triggers cleanup. http://www.surreyleader.com/news/299210961.html [2] Now-closed Kisilano Coast Guard Base would have responded to oil spill instantly (Vancity Buzz). http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/04/now-closed-kitsilano-coast-guard-base-responded-oil-spill-instantly/

**Update*** Wow! Thanks to your pressure, we just learned that the AER was going to reject CNRL's application, so CNRL withdrew it. But the battle isn't over yet: CNRL filed another application as close as 500 metres away from one spill site for high-pressure injection. The AER is currently considering this application but pressure from us could stop this project for good. ---------- Did you know that for nearly a year, and potentially longer, there have been four unstoppable underground oil leaks at tar sands operation near Cold Lake, Alberta? The only reason the public knows that nearly 2 million litres of oil have spilled -- one of the biggest spills in Alberta’s history -- is because a government scientist risked their job to speak out and raise the alarm.[1] Now Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL), the massive company that owns the project, is quietly applying to the Alberta Energy Regulator for permission to start highly pressurizing the ground for more tar sands again even though the spills haven’t even stopped – they are still spilling![2] We need your help to stop CNRL. The Alberta Energy Regulator is extremely sensitive to public opinion right now because of how it is handling this spill. 80% of Alberta’s oil can only be mined using in situ methods -- this means that to keep expanding the tar sands, they need to prove to the public that in situ is safe and clean. In reality, the process is like fracking: the ground is blasted for weeks or months with super-high pressure steam, and the whole process is powered by burning massive amounts of natural gas and drains water from the whole region. A massive public outcry could stop this project in its tracks and stop industry’s plans to massively expand this type of oil extraction. Period. Together, we can ensure that this oil remains underground for good, and stop millions of tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. Sources: 1. 'Nobody Understands' Spills at Alberta Oilsands Operation. Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/19/nobody_understands_ongoing_spills_at_alberta_oilsands_operation.bb.html 2. Integrated Application Registry, Alberta Energy Regulator. https://www3.eub.gov.ab.ca/eub/dds/iar_query/ApplicationAttachments.aspx?AppNumber=1787672 Further Reading: 1. Why An Accidental Leak Should Send Shivers Up Big Oil's Spine. The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/why-an-accidental-leak-should-send-shivers-up-big-oils-spine/article16929877/

By now you have likely seen the photos of the devastation currently unfolding in the Philippines. I was born in Bato, Leyte, the island featured in most of these photos. Although it was a kakha tukȃ (scratch-and-eat) existence, my childhood years were absolutely carefree. Nanay (grandmother) made sure of it. Many times she could not earn enough to prepare a meal, she would simply add water and salt to gabi (taro) uprooted in the backyard, boil it and we had soup! Or my sister and I would meet her at the beach after school where we’d pluck oysters off the rocks and eat them with boiled corn grits. It was actually fun and yes, raw seafood was still safe. Nanay also made sure we were safe during disasters. The last typhoon I remember with her was taking shelter under a table singing out `Santa Maria, Inahan ka sa Dios...` at the top of our lungs. A coconut tree had fallen, splitting the house into two and there was water everywhere. The flood waters kept on rising so I was put on my tiyo’s back and he swam us to safety in a neighbour’s two-story house. As I see the images on television I imagine how many nanays, mamas, tatays and tiyos there must have been trying and failing, to save their children and grandchildren. My heart breaks trying to imagine their pain. Estimates are that over 10,000 people have been killed and millions have been left homeless by what is being called the strongest storm ever recorded. [1] 48 hours ago, Filipino diplomat and scientist Yeb Sano was in tears as he announced he would go on a hunger strike at the UN Negotiations on climate change. "We must stop calling events like these natural disasters," he told the UN. "It is not natural when science already tells us that global warming will induce more intense storms. It is not natural when the human species has already profoundly changed the climate." Sano is refusing to eat until world leaders at these negotiations make meaningful progress towards an agreement. [2] Unfortunately, Canada’s government is an obstacle to this demand. Canada's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are among the world's highest. At the last climate negotiations, Canada was pinpointed as the “worst country at the negotiations, showing no shame or regret for undermining the Kyoto Agreement," the one pact between the world’s nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [3] In recent years the Philippines has become the largest source of new migrants to Canada (many on various temporary visas). [4] The voices of Filipino Canadians have never been as powerful or important as they are in this very moment. If enough of us pressure the Canadian Government to do what is morally responsible, this country could become a world leader in forging global climate solutions. SOURCES: [1] "Is climate change to blame for Typhoon Haiyan?" The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/12/typhoon-haiyan-climate-change-blame-philippines [2] “It’s time to stop this madness” – Philippines plea at UN climate talks http://www.rtcc.org/2013/11/11/its-time-to-stop-this-madness-philippines-plea-at-un-climate-talks/ [3] The Daily Deconstructor, Canada wins its sixth “Colossal Fossil” award at UN Climate Conference, http://kloshemowich.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/canada-wins-its-sixth-colossal-fossil-award-at-un-climate-conference/ [4] Philippines was Canada’s greatest source of immigrants in 2012 http://o.canada.com/news/philippines-was-canadas-greatest-source-of-immigrants-in-2012/

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) is the largest and loudest pro tar sands lobby group in Canada, and Canadian Geographic is giving them a free pass into classrooms from coast to coast. The Energy IQ project, funded by CAPP, presents a tar sands industry-spun vision of Canada's energy future without critical information on the environmental, human rights and climate change risks and impacts of planned tar sands expansion in Canada. CAPP has lobbied to reduce and restrict Canadian environmental review processes and regulation. Recently they were shown to be working against climate action by the government of Alberta. Our schools are no place for Big Oil, and Canadian Geographic is abandoning its responsibility as an educator and publisher by giving CAPP access.

Oakville Council has delayed climate action for too long. Although they declared a climate emergency in 2019 council has yet to implement any true actions to help reduce emissions for our Town and its citizens. Our Town has a responsibility to put in place programs to help support its residents to reduce emissions and adapt to our changing climate. This summer’s wildfires were a wake-up call to all residents that we must act now. Please use our letter-writing tool to demand climate action from Mayor Rob Burton and our Oakville Council in the 2024 Oakville Budget.

Just because the ocean is an unknown quantity to most of us and is being used as a dumping ground for our garbage, doesn't mean that we can ignore the suffering of the creatures and plant life that dwell below. We will have depleted all the fish stocks by around 2043 if we carry on in this manner, overfishing until there's nothing left. Sharks, an apex predator, are having their fins ripped off and are then thrown back into the sea: all for the benefit of those who think shark fin soup will enhance their sex lives.... Remember that tragic movie "The Cove"? Well it's happening all over again..the Japanese village of Taiji is practising horrific dolphin abuse on a grand scale. They are blaming the dolphins for eating the blue fin tuna, worth millions on the open market, when they are the ones who have fished the tuna to the verge of extinction. The only way that the undersea world can recover is if we stop eating fish, stop dumping junk and show a lot more respect for nature.

I hate seeing people getting judge because they are homless and there nothing in our town to help them. I dont like seeing people sleeping outside in the cold. The students are so scared thinking they want to hurt them and steal there stuff. The police have other important jobs to be doing but they have to deal with the homeless people its so important to me because this is were i grew up and i love my home town. I want to make it safe and fun place to be like when i grew up u could leave your door open and not worry about people walking in. I want to help

Many people including public health experts, healthcare workers on the front line, workers who have worked non-stop throughout this entire pandemic, labour organizations, and more have been calling on paid sick leave since the start of the pandemic (and before), but it is not yet widely spread that a bill was put forward to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in early December 2020 to legislate paid sick leave. This bill, Bill 239, was put forward by MPP Peggy Sattler, and went through a first reading on December 8, 2020. The bill needs attention to ensure Ontario mandates paid sick leave for all workers. We cannot miss this opportunity to ensure this passes. The bill has to go through more readings by other Ontario MPPs, committee members, and be discussed before being moved forward into legislation (or failing). The public can provide further input in this process, like how the bill should be altered in any way to make it more protective of any person in Ontario providing any sort of labour to an employer in Ontario, including undocumented and temporary workers. You can email or call your local MPP and provide them with any important changes they should discuss in the process, and urge them to ensure that paid sick leave is passed into legislation. Paid sick leave should be mandatory, and in 2018 Premier Doug Ford removed the few protections that existed. This moment is of course especially urgent given the ongoing and escalating COVID-19 situation as we go into the end of the year and a provincial "lockdown". Numerous outbreaks are taking place at workplaces such as warehouses, and many of them are not included in the lockdown. Many nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers are continually exposed to COVID-19, and are working between hospitals and Long-Term Care homes, are under-staffed and over-worked, and need to be ensured that they will have paid sick leave for their own protection, patients' protection, their loved ones, and for everyone else. This also applies for people working in grocery stores, pharmacies, schools, and all other labour and services that have just been symbolically applauded but absolutely not sufficiently compensated or protected. These government failures are allowing for growing hazardous working environments, and the failure to reinstate mandatory sick days already negates the purpose of a coherent public health response. People need to be able to stay home for their health, the health of others, and should not have to choose between income and health. The Ontario Financial Accountability Officer also confirmed this month that the Ontario government has $12 billion in contingency funds for COVID-19 spending. Paid sick leave is completely feasible by large employers, and can be supported by the government for small businesses. Paid sick leave is one of many steps that are necessary to respond to this pandemic, alongside an eviction ban, emergency income support, hospital surge funding, expanded testing and vaccination capacity, and more. https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-239 https://www.peggysattler.ca/paidsickdays

If a serious event like an earthquake or tsunami or serious weather event were to compromise the LNG facility such that there was a massive release of LNG it would create a large dead zone in the surrounding area where nothing would survive.