City developing new climate strategy but some say it’s just a start
The city of Ottawa is preparing a new strategy to combat climate change at the community level.
Activists urging Canada to shut the door on trade in elephant ivory
Elephant activists call for ban on the elephant ivory trade in Canada
Key piece of land in Frontenac County now protected by Nature Conservancy of Canada
A stretch of wetland and forests along Devil Lake in Frontenac County is now under protection by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Second Backyard BioBlitz connects people with nature
This weekend the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is hosting a second straight Backyard BioBlitz which is a virtual event encouraging people to connect and take pictures of nature. People can now register for the BioBlitz to receive instructions on how and where to submit photos and to learn about the daily themes and activities. Photos can be uploaded on...
‘We need to learn to live with fire,’ say experts, as Ontario faces its busiest forest fire season yet
Wildfire smoke from northwest Ontario moved into the rest of the province this past week, experts say we must learn to live with wildfire and make adjustments to our existing infrastructure to mitigate the impact on communities.
Earth Overshoot Day drifts back to July 29
Earth Overshoot Day, which measures the calendar point in which Earth can not regenerate resources to meet humanity's demands, is July 29 in 2021.
Climate crisis costs: Ontario cities projected to spend at least $276 million against flooding in next five years
According to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities' Initiative, Ontario communities are set to spend at least $276 million to combat damage from flooding. Learn more here.
The battle over Hwy. 413: Transportation, environmental visions clash on GTA’s northwest frontier
The Doug Ford government has proposed the development of a new 400-series highway that would run through the Caledon. The community is split over the plan.
Capturing carbon: West Carleton high school grad hopes to use seawater to slow climate crisis
A recent graduate from West Carleton Secondary School has big plans for his project to remove carbon dioxide from the air and the oceans.
Ottawa Riverkeeper wants your help to map and track changes in watershed health
Ottawa Riverkeeper has launched a project to track changes in the health of the Ottawa River and is asking the community to submit photos of the watershed to help create a land use map.
Community battles boat wake and congestion on the Gatineau River
Boat traffic and wake are a hazard to people and the environment. Local group Friends of the Gatineau River are looking into potential solutions.
Very hungry caterpillars ravage the capital region’s trees
LDD caterpillars are stripping leaves from trees across the region.
It’s a real hoot: Live owls coming to Museum of Nature in new outdoor exhibit
Owls Rendez-vous, an exhibit featuring six live birds, will launch this summer, once the nature museum is permitted to reopen under Ontario’s pandemic plan.
Caterpillars cause threat to Ontario trees
We’ve all seen them crawling around. The fuzzy, black, spotted caterpillars that seem to be falling from the sky. The ubiquitous larvae that latch on to everything. The ravenous army that eats the leaves on our trees. And this year is poised to be the worst yet. This is the LDD moth caterpillar. Why the LDD moth The European gypsy...
Ottawa-based project “Ajashki” finalist for first Future Ground Prize
The David Suzuki Future Ground prize will be awarded for the first time in Ontario June 16. Throughout the month of April, the foundation received over 130 applicants and narrowed it down to 15 finalists. One of those finalists is a project titled "Ajashki" which means soil in Algonquin language.
Concern over conservation rising as number of visitors to Ontario parks soars
There is greater concern over the protection of wildlife habitats within Ontario provincial parks as the government makes parks more accessible to a greater number of visitors.
The 25th Hour: I, Naturalist
Reporter Kayla Holmes shows off the perfect way for people who love nature and phones to combine those passions together. Holmes also speaks with biology professor Marc Johnson about a YouTube series he started with his family.
The 25th Hour: Lost in a Plastic Tidal Wave
Two women scientists have been researching how the use of micro-plastics have impacted the ocean's health.
Severe sandstorm creates crisis for residents in northern China
BEIJING — A severe sandstorm hit 12 provinces in northern China in March blanketing Beijing and creating health risks and other concerns for millions of Chinese residents. The wind raged for two days and for many hours the sun was hidden by a gloomy, yellow-brown sky. As tall willow trees swayed in the strong wind, the pungent dust permeated the...
Hudson Bay lowlands a climate change ‘conservation hotspot,’ study finds
A new study found the Hudson Bay lowlands may be one of Canada's most important climate change-fighting ecosystems.
A 15-minute neighbourhood initiative no walk in the park for Alta Vista community because of intensification concerns
Talks about how to transform Alta Vista into a “15-minute neighbourhood” have begun among local residents, but efforts to make the community more walkable have been overshadowed by concerns about looming intensification plans that are also part of the vision.
Chloride levels in Ottawa River rising because of overuse of road salt, Riverkeeper says
As winter comes to an end, the environmental group Ottawa Riverkeeper finds high chloride levels due to road salt in Ottawa waterways leading to the Ottawa River.
Locals fight to preserve rare natural forest on Montreal’s West Island
“We can’t keep losing these important natural spaces,” says Geneviève Lussier, a Pointe-Claire resident and organizer of the Save Fairview Forest group
City’s environment committee pushes for more details, reassurance about Chalk River nuclear waste projects
The City of Ottawa’s environmental protection committee wants Canadian Nuclear Laboratories to do more to ensure the safety of the Ottawa River before it begins two planned nuclear waste projects near the main source of drinking water for the national capital and many other communities downstream of CNL’s Chalk River operations. After an eight-hour meeting on March 30, the committee...
Socially distanced or virtual, youth activists deliver their message on Global Day of Climate Action
Activists put the annual Global Day of Climate Action online this year because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Pandemic pressures: “Thrifting” on the rise saving money and the environment
Thrift shopping has increased in popularity since the pandemic began, especially with young people.
COVID consequences: Pandemic puts pressure on plans to cut plastic waste
Canada has a goal of zero waste plastic, but the pandemic has put this goal in jeopardy.
Pandemic is opening door to consider a greener future for Ottawa’s downtown
What will downtown office space in Ottawa look like in a post-pandemic world? This question, and the debate over the future of offices in general, are in the spotlight now, as the vaccine rollout raises the possibility of a return to normal life by fall. When the pandemic hit, workers fled the downtown core and emptied high-rise office buildings and...
Decades of arsenic poisoning produced by Giant Mine has caused irreversible damage to Dene First Nation land
The federal government moves forward with discussions of compensation for Yellowknife Dene First Nation, for the decades of arsenic poisoning caused by Giant Mine.
Supreme Court declares federal carbon pricing constitutional and climate change a national concern
The Trudeau government is moving ahead with a national regime to ensure every province and territory has legislation in place to impose minimum carbon pricing standards to limit greenhouse gas emissions after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a federal law is constitutional. In its decision, the 6-3 majority concluded climate change “poses an existential threat to human life...
City to double fleet of rentable e-scooters after successful 2020 pilot project
The City of Ottawa approved 1,500 scooters for this upcoming summer after last summer's pilot project proved to be successful.
Group pushes for overhaul of Parks Canada’s draft management plan for Rideau Canal
In the midst of public consultations for the Rideau Canal’s new management plan, the Friends of the Rideau group is expressing disappointment in Parks Canada’s blueprint of its plans for the nearly 200-year-old, 200-kilometre-long transportation route between Kingston and Ottawa.
Ottawa environmental advocates take aim at single-use plastics as they mark World Water Day
One Ottawa environmental advocacy group hosted an online event to celebrate world water day and encouraged community members to reduce their use of single-use plastics in the city.
David Suzuki Foundation enlisting communities to create ‘Butterflyways’ for pollinators to feed, breed, migrate
The David Suzuki Foundation has created the Butterflyway Project to help preserve pollinators across the country.
Picton developing a plan to protect residents and preserve tourism after crush of summer visitors in 2020
A tourism management plan developed after Prince Edward County experienced a sharp increase in the number of Lake Ontario beachgoers last summer has drawn criticism from Picton-area residents who want more done to control the impact of visitors. After the huge influx of summer tourists to the county — especially at Sandbanks Provincial Park near Picton – county councillors asked...
Canada’s updated zero-emission vehicle plan fails to go the extra mile, experts say
Although experts say that Canada's new clean transportation plan is a good step forward, it doesn't go far enough.
Lookahead ’21: Finding funds during pandemic poses key challenge for Rouge River protection group
The Rouge Valley Conservation Centre’s focus for 2021 is to shore up much-needed funding and restarting projects put on hold by the pandemic. The Toronto-area RVCC is a registered not-for-profit charity funded by grants and public donations. The organization, which promotes protection of the Rouge River Valley on its course from the Oak Ridges Moraine in Richmond Hill to Lake...
Lookahead ’21: Organization seeks volunteers to help foster cycling culture, improve infrastructure in GTA suburb
Markham Cycles is searching for volunteers to help expand cycling culture in the Greater Toronto Area community of Markham.
Lookahead ’21: Niagara conservation group aims to revitalize region’s tree cover
Growing up in the Niagara Region, Barry Porter has watched as the land he has lived on over the years has seen increased commercial and residential development, which in turn has caused a lot of deforestation. Porter is today the stewardship director for Land Care Niagara. This year he has a goal to identify and revitalize those areas in the...
Lookahead ’21: Carp corridor wants to tap into city’s water supply and spur more business on urban edge
The Carp corridor is thirsty for city water. The City of Ottawa has yet to extend the service to the stretch of road between Stittsville and Carp that’s home to Ottawa’s largest light industry park. Roddy Bolivar is the executive director of the area’s business improvement group and wants municipal water pipes in the corridor starting this year. “Municipal water...
Community service grant program helps young Canadians give back
#RisingYouth Community Service Grants are helping people ages 15-30 across the country give back to their communities.
Here are six simple ways to have a green pandemic
It ain't easy being green during a pandemic. But here are some ways you can.
Ottawa organizations turn food waste into meals for those in need
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to consume 2020, local organizations are trying to manage what appears to be an increasing amount of food waste.
Hailed as a ‘huge step forward,’ $232M sewage tunnel protects Ottawa River from damaging overflows
Ottawa's $232.3 million dollar sewage tunnel system is ready to significantly reduce the amount of sewage flowing into the Ottawa River during heavy rainfalls.
Ottawa food stores balance low-waste mission with customer safety during COVID-19
Low waste grocery stores change protocols to try to produce less waste through single use plastic while containers are banned from some stores due to COVID-19.
For the love of Ontario Parks, pick up your garbage
As more people discover a love for camping during the pandemic, Capital Current's Samantha Pope writes let's all remember the basics of helping preserve nature: leaving no trace.
New U.K. High Commission overlooking Ottawa River aims to reach sustainability ‘gold standard’
The new British High Commission building in Ottawa will be one of the greenest such buildings anywhere.
Air-quality project discovers no ‘hot spots’ in Ottawa – so far
The Breathe Easy campaign from Ecology Ottawa is a community-level project allowing volunteers to test and track the air quality in Ottawa.
Ottawa’s ambitious energy plan faces potential hurdles, limits to municipal reach
Ottawa’s “Energy Evolution” plan outlines ambitious targets for emission reductions, calling for a 100 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 2050. However, the plan also notes the potential for significant hurdles in meeting that target on time.
Ottawa organizations keeping hard-to-recycle items out of landfills
Local organization Earthub is helping Ottawans find new homes for hard-to-recycle items that would otherwise end up in the trash.