Blog
Generating interest and support for environmental issues is challenging but necessary. Effective media attention can garner public support and influence whether a corporation or government will address a problem. These notes and suggestions are meant to help others put together an action plan that strengthens your relationship with local print, radio and television media – an important step in raising awareness of issues of concern. Continue reading
This spring has been the worst flooding Canada has seen in decades. Torrential rains have been inundating streets, homes, and forcing mandatory evacuations. Researchers write that floods are Canada’s ‘most common and costly natural hazard.’ In fact, flooding has become Canada’s biggest natural disaster problem in terms of insurance claims, which is now costing billions of dollars per year. So how can we prevent flooding, or at least be prepared when it comes? We’ve put together a list of facts and preventative measures you can take to protect your home from flooding. Continue reading
On Wednesday May 17, Linda Heron (Chair & Chief Executive Officer) and Samantha Restoule (Board of Directors) had the pleasure of representing the Ontario Rivers Alliance at the People’s Great Lakes Summit (the Summit), hosted by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) in Toronto, ON.
The Summit is part of CELA’s Healthy Great Lakes program. The objective of the Summit was to bring together a broad range of individuals and organizations working to protect and restore our waters and wetlands across the Great Lakes and St-Lawrence River Basin, and to connect, share ideas, strategize about Ontario public policy priorities, and set plans for collective action. Continue reading
The Ontario Rivers Alliance commissioned this 3-D Flyover of the Energy East Pipeline corridor across Ontario to graphically show the waterbodies that would be at risk if a oil spill or rupture were to occur. The pipeline intersects more than 1,850 streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands along its route through Ontario. To provide perspective, the thick white lines indicate a 15 km area on either side of the pipeline.
SUDBURY: The contributions of the Ontario Rivers Alliance (ORA) are being featured in an online series of short film documentaries dedicated to conservation issues.
In Fieldwork – the Art of Conservation, ORA Chair Linda Heron talks about the organization’s commitment to protecting Ontario rivers, and its focus on one of the most challenging issues facing communities and riverine ecosystems today – hydroelectric power development. Continue reading
Dr. David Suzuki was amazed there was no jail time over this.
Mileage 111.6 and 88.7 are respectively synonymous with February 14th and March 7th of 2015. These significant numbers represent the locations and dates of the largest train derailments in the history of the province of Ontario. Two CN trains carrying Alberta tar sands crude oil derailed and exploded into huge fire balls one week and 23 miles apart, releasing millions of liters of bitumen crude oil into the environment. The first derailment, occurring in a remote wooded area, and the second at the bridge crossing the Makami River, less than 2 km from the Town of Gogama. Continue reading
Indigenous communities who have fished, hunted, and lived in Ontario’s north for generations have a unique understanding of how their environment is changing. Elders pass down environmental knowledge that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else. The government and researchers are starting to recognize the value of what elders know and are launching projects to gather traditional knowledge.
A presentation made by Mike Wilton of Algonquin EcoWatch at the Canadian Water Resources Association’s 2016 Annual Conference.
Algonquin Eco Watch applauds the progress that Ontario Parks and the AFA have made in better understanding and making provision for proper protection of brook trout lakes. In large measure, that addresses our concerns relating to sustainability within the Algonquin Park ecosystem. However, we feel not only that headwaters lacking natural brook trout populations deserve equal protection, but that complete protection/sustainability cannot be achieved unless the entire recharge zone is adequately protected. Continue reading
The Ministry of Energy is undertaking a formal review of Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP), and comments were due on 16 December 2016.
The LTEP is a road map that will set the direction for Ontario’s energy future over the next 20 years. More information on this EBR posting can be found here.
The Ministry of Energy must ensure that our electricity supply is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable and affordable.
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