Canada's Environmental Voice
How can we make an understanding common? Passionate advocates continuously seek new answers to this question, as it is so pertinent to inciting change. Steve McDonald’s short film, The Rainmakers of Nganyi, proposes one solution to this concern. Alternatives Journal discussed these rainmakers in our spring 2010 issue, so it […]
The Islamic philosophy of Tauhid (Unity of God) connects the entire creation to the Creator. A view that ultimately leads to an understanding that we are all connected, that we are all related and that we must work together for peace and environmental harmony. Islamic Cosmology “We are not the […]
In the spring and summer of 2014 and late winter 2015, I lived and worked in the beautiful vibrant hamlet of Igloolik, Nunavut, a coastal Inuit community of more than 1800 people located on Igloolik Island about 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. I was there doing my undergraduate thesis, working on […]
Emi Do was captivated from the get go. By the beginning of the 2011 season, she had accumulated 13 plots of land scattered around Vancouver, to which she tended by way of bicycle and trailer. Her first season, at the beginning of 2010, Do stumbled on the opportunity to farm a plot on the […]
A 2007 study by the Nebraska Energy Office demonstrated that when a 2500-square-foot home is constructed, on average 3.6 metric tonnes of waste is produced, all of which is shipped to landfills. Attributed to hotter than average summers, air conditioners, large emitters of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants, are also quickly becoming the norm […]
Housing represents the single largest store of wealth among Canadian individuals and families, and is the largest expense in most household budgets. Housing epitomizes the concept of “use value” where the worth of something comes from how it is used, and not its resale price. Historically, as land was passed down through generations […]
THIS ISSUE STARTS with a call to action. We propose that Canada’s housing system needs a reframing – and that’s putting it lightly. As a nation, we pride ourselves on being inclusive, friendly and compassionate people. But our housing situation does not reflect these values. Growing numbers of people are […]
Hi Canada, welcome to (y)our issue – but don’t get too comfortable. This is not your Canadian Living, Style at Home or HGTV Canada. Through these next pages, we’d like to introduce you to Canada’s current housing crisis and what can be done about it.
SEAN HERTEL is an urban planner, who takes the road less travelled when it comes to his consulting practice. With any project, he infuses social justice into his passion for cities. Sean leads a Toronto-based professional planning practice specializing in land-use policy to support transit, intensification and housing affordability. He is […]
Teghan Barton is a self-proclaimed Crackerjack Canadianist, having earned both an BA and MA in Canadian Studies where her focus is on issues of belonging, nationalism, and cultural policy. She is very passionate about social justice and working towards creating a safe and healthy future for the planet.
