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ORA’s first Youth Engagement event!

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ORA collaborated with Engineers Without Borders (UW Chapter) to host a youth engagement workshop for 35 grade 11 students in St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School on March 31st. The group included students from the STEM Club and from the Environment Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Red Seal Program. ORA offered the students a Sector-Partnered Experience (SPE) focusing on real-world environmental issues to be solved.

ORA’s team consisted of a Fisheries Biologist, Civil Engineer and Environmental Sciences experts interacting with the students to present and discuss the significant and ongoing environmental effects of hydroelectric facilities, as well as the engineering principles behind them.

The students were then assigned to groups and encouraged to think of alternative eco-friendly solutions to meet the growing electricity demands of the country. We helped them consider several aspects of power generation including how electricity can be used more efficiently, its impacts on wildlife and communities, and the criteria we need to consider when constructing electricity generation facilities. The groups presented their innovative ideas and gift cards were awarded to the group with the most sustainable and feasible solution.

We were thrilled and amazed at the enthusiasm and ingenuity of the students!


Is hydroelectric a pathway to decarbonization?

Watch our video to understand how hydroelectricity is greenwashed by Ontario Power Generation as “clean” and “non-emitting” when there are hundreds of independent third-party studies to the contrary. Read our full submission here!

Please sign and share our petition to protect Ontario Rivers and send OPG a strong message! 


Hydropower is destroying our rivers, biodiversity and fueling Climate Change

Dams and hydropower facilities harm the environment and, when headponds or reservoirs are flooded, can produce carbon dioxide and methane for the life of the dam. Ontario is about to embark on a whole new era of dam building. Ontario has 224 operating hydropower plants and only 3 with fish passage.
By the way, Ontario Power Generation has been selling Clean Energy Credits for hydroelectric since 2013.   
NO MORE NEW HYDROELECTRIC DAMS IN ONTARIO!! 


Join ORA: Adam Shoalts – #1 Best Selling Author & Wilderness Legend

Adam Shoalts, Author and Wilderness Legend

ORA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

SPEAKER: ADAM SHOALTS – #1 BEST SELLING AUTHOR
Saturday, 22 October 2022
Free – Limited Seats

AGM at 10:00 am – Keynote Speaker at 10:30 am

REGISTER NOW TO SAVE YOUR SEAT!


ADAM SHOALTS: A well-known explorer, adventurer, conservationist and bestselling author.  Adam will join us to share stories of his expeditions in Canada’s wilderness and talk about the importance of preserving wild rivers from remote hinterlands to our own backyards.

BIO: Best known for his long solo canoe journeys, including crossing nearly 4,000 km of Canada’s Arctic alone, Adam Shoalts is the Westaway Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and a regular guest on television and radio. His national bestselling books include Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada’s Arctic, A History of Canada in 10 Maps, and The Whisper on the Night Wind. A geographer, historian and archaeologist, Shoalts has a PhD in History from McMaster University.

Register here to reserve your seat.

All registrants will receive an Agenda one week before the AGM.

All members wishing to vote at the AGM must renew their membership by 21 October 2022.

Drop us a line if you interested in joining our Board of Directors at info@ontarioriversalliance.ca   

                                              


Speakers’ Event: Satahon’satat! (Listen!) – The Waters are Speaking

Satahon’satat! (Listen!) – The Waters are Speaking

By Erin Hayward (Hill) – Guest Speaker

Onkwehonwe (Indigenous) peoples are instructed about our responsibility to the waters of the world throughout our Creation Stories. Kahnekanoron (Water is Precious) and it is our responsibility as humans to care for the waters and speak for them when it seems no one is listening. The waters are the source of life for almost all on this planet we call our Mother the Earth. By taking some time to critically consider our daily routines, we can come to understand how we personally may be contributing to the state of water quality in Riverine Ecosystems. The waters speak to us in many ways, and together we’ll discuss a few ways that we can listen. Continue reading


Congratulations to Aleta Karstad and Dr. Frederick Schueler – Recipients of the Glen Davis Conservation Leadership Prize

Painting by Aleta Karstad The Chute, Ivanhoe River

The Ontario Rivers Alliance (ORA) is pleased to report that the WWF-Canada and CPAWS have awarded the Glen Davis Conservation Leadership Prize to Dr. Frederick Schueler and Aleta Karstad for their outstanding conservation efforts and accomplishments!!  They truly are very deserving of this incredible Prize!!

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO Fred and Aleta!!!

We at ORA were eager to nominate Fred and Aleta for this important recognition of the significant sacrifice and contribution they have both made to science, conservation and the protection of freshwater ecosystems and land all across Canada.  They have also been long-time partners and contributors of the ORA.

Read the Press Release: Continue reading





Working with Media on Environmental Issues

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