Canada's Environmental Voice
Anyone familiar with the pipeline debate in Canadian politics shouldn’t be surprised at the widespread public opposition to Enbridge’s proposed Line 9 project. As Keystone XL, Northern Gateway and now Line 9 struggle to gain acceptance and trust in Canada, oil sands producers are quickly turning to rail as an […]
Most of us think little about slavery, convinced that this scourge is behind us. Canadian journalist (and A\J columnist) Andrew Nikiforuk’s new book claims otherwise, arguing that servitude has not vanished but merely changed form. Today’s slavery is not confined to Jews or Africans, but encompasses all of us who […]
Chocolate is one of life’s great pleasures. The perfect food, chocolate is fuel for flagging spirits, an inspiration, a temptation and, for some, a sacrament. Yet most consumers of mass-produced chocolate may be unaware of their beloved confection’s dark side. Child slave labour in West African cocoa plantations haunts the […]
How can we create a society that provides for all while respecting nature’s limits?
FOR MOST OF US, our primary connection to our food system is what we had for dinner last night. It’s what we get at the grocery store, our local farmers markets or in our CSA baskets. It’s what we stock in our kitchen cupboards and put on our plates and […]
LOCAL FOOD HAS TAKEN OFF. From coast to coast to coast, the Canadian food landscape is changing. Within local communities, alternatives to entrenched supply-chain strategies are thriving, such as farmers’ markets, restaurants that focus on regional food sources, community supported agriculture (CSA), farm-gate sales and certified organic food production. Increasingly, Canadians […]
If you’ve rediscovered the thrill of cycling during Bike Month, or if you’re already committed to your bike, you may find yourself wondering how to promote cycling in your city. Like most countercultures, bike culture is deeply linked to activism. The easiest (and most fun) way to promote cycling is […]
On Sunday, I flew back to Kitchener, Ontario, after spending a little more than a week in Calgary. I’m not yet sure of the words I want to use to describe the Great Flood of 2013. I wish I could have stayed longer to assemble a bigger pile, to gather […]
You may have thought that the reason Canada has such a poor track record on climate change is due to lobbying pressure by the oil and gas industry or lack of public support. Those are contributing factors, but the real problem is this:
OCAD University’s Faculty of Design is hosting their first ever Urban Ecologies conference on June 20th and 21st. This conference will examine how ecological approaches to design are shaping the future of our cities, focusing on five intersecting themes: information visualization, systems thinking, regenerative urbanism, urban health and community engagement.
