Current Actions
- SAVE THE BEES, PLEASE
- Sorry Dr. Hansen
- Protect Communities Downstream of the Tar Sands
- Stop the Radioactive Roadtrip
- Ban the sale, trade and possession of shark fins
- Protect Endangered Species
- (No Title)
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Radioactive waste shipments should require an environmental assessment!
Re: Regulations Designating Physical Activities (SOR/2012-147)
- Thank you for your leadership on green energy ...
- Thank you for your leadership on green energy ...
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Save the Wolves! Stop the Slaughter!
The deadline to file comments on the federal government's caribou recovery plan is Wednesday, February 22nd. That’s just a few days away - we need your help!
If you aren’t familiar with the centre piece of the plan – it’s killing wolves. Yes, that's right - killing wolves is the solution we’re being sold.
We have been systematically destroying Woodland Caribou habitat, and in the process disrupting migration and reproduction, to the point where many herds are in peril - some numbering fewer than 200.
The federal government says we can fix the problem simply by shooting and poisoning hundreds, perhaps thousands, of wolves.
IT'S NOT RIGHT!
The Species At Risk Act legally required the federal government to produce a 'recovery plan' for the Caribou. The plan, unfortunately, is a bad joke - riddled with scientific errors and extremely questionable assumptions.
Sierra Club Canada with the help of Ecojustice has prepared a response to the ‘plan’.
It will have more weight if we can deliver it in the name of citizens (including you!) across this country from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
Please add your name to our submission below!
The caribou and wolves need you.
Related:
Comments on the 2011 Proposed Boreal Caribou Recovery Strategy Sierra Club Canada, February 2012
Canada responds to caribou decline with plan to kill wolves LA Times, February 15, 2012
Canadians Can Stop Massive Wolf Kill Media Release, Febraury 16, 2012THIS PETITION HAS EXPIRED
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Help Stop Logging in Castle Protected Area
Use Your Leverage as a Visitor or Voter to Stop Clear-Cutting in Alberta's Costa Rica! Show locals on-site protesting they're not alone!
We are asking you to write your own personalized letter to the Premier of Alberta, so we have left everything blank in the letter below. The form letters we've sent in the past (in the tens of thousands) have not been working, so we want you to put your letter in your own words!
The main ASK is that Spray Lake Sawmills be told to stop cutting in Castle Protected Area immediately and move it's operations to another area that has already been approved and is NOT an issue with the public.
Request that you would like your letter read in the Alberta Legislature (to do this you MUST INCLUDE your name, address & postal code in the letter).
We've include some additional information below to help make your letter stronger.
If you're from from Alberta be sure to copy your letter before you hit "send" so you can email it to your MLA (find your MLA info here) and follow-up with a short phone call.
If you're from outside Alberta you might want to add that the government's action on this issue could affect your plans to visit the province in the future.
Don't forget to add a subject title (e.g. "Stop the Clearcutting in Castle").
Note that your letter will automatically be copied to the forestry minister, the tourism and parks minister, and the lead politicians on this issue within each opposition party (Liberal, Wild Rose, NDP and Alberta Party).
Follow-up with a phone call to the Premier’s office 780 427-2251 (toll-free in Alberta by dialing 310-0000) and ask her to Immediately stop the Clear-cutting in Casle Special Place.
Thank you!
Caslte Background Information:
- Castle Protected Area is recognized as the most biologically diverse area in Alberta and home to 223 species at risk of extinction in the province;
- Castle Protected Area was once part of Waterton Lakes National Park and is situated in the Crowsnest Forest and headwaters of the Oldman River Basin;
- Following 5 years of public consultations, Castle was designated a Special Area by Cabinet decision in 1998 - "a major milestone in the preservation of Alberta’s natural heritage for future generations” according to the government of the day;
- Cabinet’s decision was reaffirmed in Alberta's Special Places 2000: Alberta’s Natural Heritage Policy (and has not been rescinded);
- Tourism is Alberta's third largest sector and protected areas and parks account for 20% of its tourism economic activity;
- Independent studies by Lethbridge University and Praxis Group (often used by government) concluded the people living and working in the area strongly oppose logging Castle;
- Premier Allison Redford says she will not intervene to protect Castle even though section 26 of the Alberta Forests Act specifically grants her the authority to cancel a logging license when it’s in the public interest; and
- Premier Allison Redford is breaking a 14 year commitment (since 1998) to not allow industrial scale clear-cutting in Castle Special Place.
If you want to head off a rebuttle from Sustainable Resource Development Department ...
- The whole situation is undemocratic: It ignores Government of Alberta's 1998 designation of the Castle as a Special Place protected area for "preserving Alberta's natural heritage" made following local nominations and years of pubic consultation; A majority of area residents oppose the logging and want the Castle's protection assured as a Wildland Park, according to independent public opinion studies; and there was no public consultation on whether the logging license should have been issued.
- Alberta's Forest Act allows the forestry department, in the public interest, to move logging out of the Castle and no compensation would be due to Spray Lake Sawmills provided they receive a 30-day notice.
- International standards (IUCN) for protected areas do not accept logging in any class of protected area. (Except in developing countries where poverty necessitates wood for fuel.)
- Only international standard for logging recognized by the forest industry, communities, aboriginal peoples and conservation organizations (Forest Stewardship Council, FSC) does not accept clear-cut logging in protected areas.
- Clear-cutting will harm local, long-term jobs, from tourism/outdoor recreation businesses to nurseries that specialize in native plants. The sawmill is located outside the region with only two full-time staff in the region.
- As demonstrated in adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park, clear-cutting is NOT needed to manage fire risk.
- The Castle is rated by government as having a low susceptibility for a pine-beetle epidemic.
- Email Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources
- Canada at a Crossroads
- Point Lepreau – Bad idea then, bad idea now
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Prevent Clear-Cutting in Castle Special Place
Below is the "ask" of Premier Alison Redford. If you want to write a longer letter, some additional points have been included.
● It's best to USE YOUR OWN WORDS, using points below as a guideline. Start by adding a subject title (e.g. "Don't log the Castle"). End with asking for a reply.
● If you're an Albertan, copy your letter and email it to your MLA and follow-up with a short phone call. Find your MLA here.
● Follow-up with a phone call to the Premier’s office 780 427-2251 (toll-free in Alberta by dialing 310-0000).
Ask Premier Redford to:
1) Immediately stop the imminent logging and instead direct Spray Lake Sawmills to their other approved logging areas located closer to the mill.
2) Give this Special Place protected area assured protection in law as a Wildland Park, like what has been done for the other 80 Special Places.
Additional Points:
● The whole situation is undemocratic. There was no public consultion on whether the logging license should have been issued inside the Castle Special Place.
● The majority of area residents oppose the logging and want the Castle's protection assured as a Wildland Park.
● It will harm local, long-term jobs. The sawmill is located outside the region.
● As demonstrated in adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park, clear-cut logging is NOT needed to manage fire risk.
● The Castle is rated by Sustainable Resource Devleopment as having a low susceptibility for a pine-beetle epidemic.
● No industrial-scale logging has occurred in the Castle since the Goverment of Alberta designated it as a Special Place protected area in 1998. -
Save "critical" habitat from clear-cut logging
Letters sent from this page go to Alberta Premier, Ed Stelmach; the Minister responsible for grizzly bear recovery; and the local MLA.
Action Alert:
Your letter sent today through the letter box at the end will help save grizzly bear habitat from clear-cut logging set to start as early as this July, including inside what the province had zoned as Critical Wildlife habitat and defined as “crucial to the maintenance of specific fish and wildlife populations.” Join the majority of area residents in their insistence that the logging and all its network of trails and roads stay out of the Castle Special Place protected area of southwest Alberta.
Clear-cut logging by Spray Lake Sawmills located west of Calgary, has been approved in the heart of the province’s Core Grizzly Bear Conservation Area with the highest density of grizzly bears and an unsustainable level of grizzly bear deaths and removals – the Castle Special Management Area, which is one of Alberta’s 81 Special Place protected areas. The Castle is located within the Castle/Waterton Core Grizzly Bear Conservation Area (or Bear Management Unit 6), between Waterton Lakes National Park and the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass.
Global Forest Watch Canada concluded that the biologically rich, Castle Special Management Area no longer provides secure grizzly bear habitat due to the cumulative density of trails and roads used by motorized vehicles. It found the total was double the threshold for core habitat and in some valleys, triple the threshold above which the habitat is no longer secure for grizzly bear survival.On top of that bad situation, the clear-cut logging with all its associated trails and roads, was approved by the same Minister, (Mel Knight) and local MLA (Evan Berger) responsible for grizzly bear recovery. The province’s updated, 2010 grizzly bear status report noted that the net effect of logging in Alberta is negative for grizzlies. “The increased motorized access … diminishes any potential positive effects of forest regeneration on grizzly bear populations.”
Independent surveys found the majority of residents adjacent the Castle are opposed to the logging and also believe wildlife habitat protection is more important than recreation when there are conflicts between the two.
For more information:
• Global Forest Watch Canada, Alberta Government’s Castle ‘special place’ in south-western Alberta no longer secure for grizzly bears news release and report.
• Market Action & more www.savethecastle.net
• Castle Special Place – Save NOW from Logging flyer and poster
• Castle Special Place pamphlet
• Surveys: Lethbridge & Coaldale and residents adjacent the CastleIn the News Papers:
• Castle Grizzlies Threatened Lethbridge Herald (Front Page), March 10, 2011.
• Lumber boycott urged to protest clearcutting Lethbridge Herald, April 27, 2011.
• Tourism Warning Lethbridge Herald (Front Page), March 3, 2011.
TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR LETTER
1. State the importance of grizzly bear recovery in Alberta to you and the importance of keeping clear-cut logging out of the Castle Core Grizzly Bear Conservation Area.
2. Let the Premier, Minister and local MLA know that you:
- Don’t want the Castle logged and agree with area residents that its Special Place protected area deisgnation should be backed up in law by legislating it as a Wildland Park.
- Want the accumulated amount of trails and roads completely rehabilitated back to a level that falls below the government's threshold for secure grizzly bear habitat (i.e. below 0.6 kilometers of trails/roads per square kilometer of land).
3. Use your own reasons and/or draw for the action alert above, which include:
- Logging worsens the already bad situation of too many trails and roads used by motorized vehicles for there to be secure habitat for grizzly bear recovery.
- Clear-cut logging is the opposite of the Critical Wildlife zone there and the Castle's protected area designation.
4. Ask for a reply.
5. If living in Alberta, keep a copy of your letter from the text box & email it to your MLA (to find your MLA).
Please remember, personally written letters are the most effective. Please personalize the suggested subject and then use the points in the action alert above to write your own letter in the blank space below. Letters do not need to be long; one or two short paragraphs are good.
- Take Action on Proposed Federal Coal Plant Regulations
- Help stop the attack on Alberta's woodland caribou!
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Save "critical" habitat from clear-cut logging
Letters sent from this page go to Alberta Premier, Ed Stelmach; the Minister responsible for grizzly bear recovery; and the local MLA.
Action Alert:
Your letter sent today through the letter box at the end will help save grizzly bear habitat from clear-cut logging set to start as early as this July, including inside what the province had zoned as Critical Wildlife habitat and defined as “crucial to the maintenance of specific fish and wildlife populations.” Join the majority of area residents in their insistence that the logging and all its network of trails and roads stay out of the Castle Special Place protected area of southwest Alberta.
Clear-cut logging by Spray Lake Sawmills located west of Calgary, has been approved in the heart of the province’s Core Grizzly Bear Conservation Area with the highest density of grizzly bears and an unsustainable level of grizzly bear deaths and removals – the Castle Special Management Area, which is one of Alberta’s 81 Special Place protected areas. The Castle is located within the Castle/Waterton Core Grizzly Bear Conservation Area (or Bear Management Unit 6), between Waterton Lakes National Park and the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass.
Global Forest Watch Canada concluded that the biologically rich, Castle Special Management Area no longer provides secure grizzly bear habitat due to the cumulative density of trails and roads used by motorized vehicles. It found the total was double the threshold for core habitat and in some valleys, triple the threshold above which the habitat is no longer secure for grizzly bear survival.On top of that bad situation, the clear-cut logging with all its associated trails and roads, was approved by the same Minister, (Mel Knight) and local MLA (Evan Berger) responsible for grizzly bear recovery. The province’s updated, 2010 grizzly bear status report noted that the net effect of logging in Alberta is negative for grizzlies. “The increased motorized access … diminishes any potential positive effects of forest regeneration on grizzly bear populations.”
Independent surveys found the majority of residents adjacent the Castle are opposed to the logging and also believe wildlife habitat protection is more important than recreation when there are conflicts between the two.
For more information:
• Global Forest Watch Canada, Alberta Government’s Castle ‘special place’ in south-western Alberta no longer secure for grizzly bears news release and report.
• Market Action & more www.savethecastle.net
• Castle Special Place – Save NOW from Logging flyer and poster
• Castle Special Place pamphlet
• Surveys: Lethbridge & Coaldale and residents adjacent the CastleIn the News Papers:
• Castle Grizzlies Threatened Lethbridge Herald (Front Page), March 10, 2011.
• Lumber boycott urged to protest clearcutting Lethbridge Herald, April 27, 2011.
• Tourism Warning Lethbridge Herald (Front Page), March 3, 2011.
TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR LETTER
1. State the importance of grizzly bear recovery in Alberta to you and the importance of keeping clear-cut logging out of the Castle Core Grizzly Bear Conservation Area.
2. Let the Premier, Minister and local MLA know that you:
- Don’t want the Castle logged and agree with area residents that its Special Place protected area deisgnation should be backed up in law by legislating it as a Wildland Park.
- Want the accumulated amount of trails and roads completely rehabilitated back to a level that falls below the government's threshold for secure grizzly bear habitat (i.e. below 0.6 kilometers of trails/roads per square kilometer of land).
3. Use your own reasons and/or draw for the action alert above, which include:
- Logging worsens the already bad situation of too many trails and roads used by motorized vehicles for there to be secure habitat for grizzly bear recovery.
- Clear-cut logging is the opposite of the Critical Wildlife zone there and the Castle's protected area designation.
4. Ask for a reply.
5. If living in Alberta, keep a copy of your letter from the text box & email it to your MLA (to find your MLA).
Please remember, personally written letters are the most effective. Please personalize the suggested subject and then use the points in the action alert above to write your own letter in the blank space below. Letters do not need to be long; one or two short paragraphs are good.
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Athabasca Action Alert
The Lower Athabasca Region cannot be a sacrifice zone for further tar sands destruction! Tell the Alberta government the Athabasca Region deserves better!
Early this month, the Alberta government released a draft of the Lower Athabasca Land Use Plan (LARP). The LARP fails to address local social and environmental needs, and is based on a projection of continued tar sands extraction and a six-fold increase in production. This would decimate this fragile region and the people and species living in it. As usual, the Alberta government is prioritizing the interests of big industry over the voices of local residents and the needs of the environment. At the very least we need an independent review of this land-use plan! Opportunity for public input will continue until June 6th - Please take a moment to take one of the actions listed below and make your concerns heard!
Some key problems with the LARP (feel free to print off and use at the public meetings!): Conservation:
- ● The Alberta Government is only proposing the protection of 16% of the entire Lower Athabasca region. Over 85% new protected areas are located in areas with no oil and gas, tar sands or commercial forestry potential. These areas are mostly in the Canadian Shield –rocky land in the extreme north. While it’s good these areas are being protected, areas that lie on top of bitumen deposits are simply sacrificed.
- ● Environmentally Significant Areas (ESA’s) are largely not protected. It is apparent that this information was not used in identifying sites to protect. Sites like McClelland Lake Fen and the Athabasca River Valley receive no protection. The vast majority of caribou habitat in the lower Athabasca is not protected, and no complete range is protected, essentially undermining the future of the species in the region.
- ● LARP will allow development of existing oil and gas dispositions in all new protected areas. Some also allow forestry. It will also put parks right next door to tar sands and proposed uranium mining operations.
- ● The amount protected is less then half the amount recommended by the industry-stacked Regional Advisory Council (RAC), and much less the standards demanded by First Nations.
Water:
- ● LARP offers no protection for the Athabasca River during low flow periods, providing no thresholds to ensure a high quantity of water for the river. The study “As Long As The River’s Flow,” released in November 2010 found that Treaty 8 Rights are significantly undermined as approximately 80% of Dene and Cree territory in the Athabasca River watershed is un-accessible due to record low water levels resulting from increasing extraction of freshwater – something that is happening today with current water withdrawls. The River’s Flow study recommends an “Aboriginal Baseline Flow (ABF) and an Aboriginal Extreme Flow (AXF)” to reflect protective and mitigation measures in the Athabasca River and adjacent streams where ACFN and MCFN can maintain their Treaty rights and fully access their territory.
- ● The LARP does not identify pre-development baselines or ecological thresholds for water quantity and quality. A recent study by Dr. David Schindler and Dr. Erin Kelly have found a numerous cases of deformed fish and elevated levels of heavy metals and carcinogens, suggesting limits to pollution are needed to ensure serious environmental and human health harm is prevented.
- ● Despite the fact that relatively little is known about the regional groundwater supplies and quality, the LARP does not make it a strategic priority to determine how much groundwater can be safely withdrawn or contaminated by industry without harming regional supplies of groundwater or surface waters.
Air Quality:
- ● LARP does not propose clear solutions or intentions to improve upon the monitoring of the air quality exceedances (limits) on pollutants from the tar sands industry.
- ● According to data gathered from 14 air-monitoring stations throughout the Athabasca River watershed, the Wood Buffalo Environment Association (WBEA) has noted a rapid increase of air pollutant exceedances from 47 in 2004 to 1,556 in 2009. These pollutants include particulate matter, nitrogen and sulphur dioxides, including hydrogen sulphide and volatile organic compounds (“VOC’s”), including benzene, one of the many carcinogens linked to leukemia and blood cancer.
Violations of Indigenous Rights:
- ● At a community meeting held with the Government of Alberta in Fort Chipewyan on January 18th, 2011, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation membership unanimously agreed that the consultation on the LARP process did not represent them nor respect their voices. Leslie Cardinal, another ACFN member, states:
“The government of Canada formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in a manner that is consistent with Canada’s Constitution and laws. The UN Declaration is clear that Indigenous people have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waters and other resources and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations. The LARP is not consistent with the international or Canadian laws.”
- ● Both the Mikisew Cree and the ACFN are left wondering how they will sustain their traditional livelihood and protect their cultural existence. According to Chief Allan Adam of the ACFN, the LARP represents “…an economic assimilation of our people. How can we maintain our culture, protect our livelihood and continue practicing our treaty rights under these conditions. LARP is an infringement of our Rights and the government has a duty and obligation to ensure that we have the ability to practice and maintain those Rights now and into the future.”
FYI: The Pembina institute also released a report titled: Solving the puzzle: environmental responsibility in oilsands development that outlines 19 specific solutions available to help the Alberta government adequately address the environmental impacts of oilsands operations. They hope this report informs the Lower Athabasca Integrated Regional Plan (LAIRP) consultations that are underway. A checklist of the Pembina Institute's key recommendations and the full report are available online.
WE NEED YOUR VOICES TO LET THE GOVERNMENT KNOW THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!
**Please take a moment for one or all of the following actions!**
SIGN THIS PETITION! Members of the Mikisew Cree, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations and Metis communities, including other impacted First Nations/Metis and settler community residents in the Lower Athabasca Region, are calling on local residents and Allies from around the world to add their name to their petition to ensure protectiions for the Athabasca Region! Sign the Petition Here!
FILL IN THE LARP WORKBOOK and/or ATTEND A COMMUNITY MEETING! Find the online workbook and links to meeting places and dates by Clicking Here!
ASK FOR AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE LARP! Contact Premier Stelmach and Ministers Mel Knight, Rob Renner, Ronald Leipart and Len Webber! Let them know at the very least we need an independent panel of scientists and indigenous knowledge holders to review the LARP plan! I am hoping that we can have a link to the letter here!
MAKE THE LARP AN ELECTION ISSUE! The land use plan intersects with numerous federal responsibilities including water management, protecting species at risk, and ensuring Treaty rights. Demand that your MP ensures that the Lower Athabasca gets a good land use plan. Find your MP here!
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Market Action for the Crowsnest Forest
Water
Wildlife
Wildlands
Two of the most effective tools citizens have to bring about change are their wallet as consumers and their vote. By not purchasing wood products from the Crowsnest Forest (C5) in southwest Alberta, at the headwaters for the Prairie Provinces, retailers and citizens alike will be encouraging the logging company, Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS) and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development to:
(a) Enter into a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification process, thereby changing forest planning and logging practices to meet the strict social and environmental standards of FSC.
(b) Reverse the decision to clear-cut the heart of the Castle Special Place protected area, located at the south end of the Crowsnest Forest.
ACTION CHECKLIST
1. Write a short letter to each of Spray Lake Sawmils and the Sustainable Resource Development Minsiter, Mel Knight. Use the white box at the end and making use of the tips above it. You can change the wording in the subject box. Before clicking to send, use your mouse to keep a copy and send to your local MLA. Find your local MLA at http://streetkey.elections.ab.ca/
2. After you send your letter, please take a moment and phone Spray Lake Sawmills (403) 932-2234 and the SRD Minister’s office (780) 415-4815. Let them know of the two requests above.
3. As a consumer, try to avoid buying SLS wood-products derived from the Crowsnest Forest (lumber, fence post, bark mulch and landscaping products).
4. Check if your local retailer is selling wood from the Crowsnest Forest. Let us know if they are coordinator@albertafoothillsnetwork.org
5. Ask the retailer to stock FSC certified wood-products, as for example, RONA and Totem are already committed to and Home Depot prefers. You can download and use:(a) FSC pamphlet summarizing benefits of FSC certified products.
(b) Letter sent lumber retailers in southwest Alberta as a guide. (Three different letters there: (a) to RONA & Totem outlets, (b) to Home Depot outlets and (c) all the rest without a written policy about avoiding selling wood from endangered or high conservation value forests.)6. If not already done, take action to stop pending logging in the Castle Special Place / Special Management Area. More info and links to action items specific to Castle Special Place.
7. Blog and write letters to the editor of local news papers (and encourage others to do the same) to alert the public of the issue.
8. Ask friends and family to join the action and send them the link to this action alert.BACKGROUND
The 3,518 square kilometer Crowsnest Forest is located at the head of the South Saskatchewan River system in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, between Kananaskis Country west of Calgary and the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The Crowsnest Forest falls within the international Crown of the Continent geotourism area and is part of Alberta’s South Saskatchewan planning region, which encompasses southern Alberta, south of Red Deer and including Calgary.
Convincing Spray Lake Sawmills and SRD to enter the Crowsnest Forest into an FSC certification program is an effective way to use market forces to change management there to meet enviornmental and social standards. FSC is an international certification and labeling system for wood products and is the only one jointly recognized by industry, First Nations, and social and environmental organizations. Wood and fibre from certified forests are tracked all the way from that forest to the consumer through the chain of custody certification system. Forests are certified against a set of strict environmental and social standards; standards that include adequate protected areas and community involvement. (Principles & Criteria)
Contrary to his own public advisory committee (CROWPAC) recommendations, the SRD Minister, Mel Knight recently approved a 20 year logging plan – C5 Forest Management Plan 2006-2026 – which sets timber and logging as the priority of the public’s Crowsnest Forest, instead of the public’s consistent priorities of watershed protection, wildlife habitat and intact natural landscapes for recreation and tourism. The plan includes an increase in the annual amount of logging and continues clear-cut logging. It also is an about-face from the Government of Alberta’s 2008 Land-Use Framework which clearly states, “Historically, watershed and recreation were deemed the priority uses of the Eastern Slopes. These priorities should be confirmed, and sooner rather than later.”
Recent opinion surveys and the first round of public input into the South Saskatchewan Region Plan re-affirmed what the majority of Albertan’s want:
- More parks and protected areas set aside to address population growth and to balance resource development.
- An end to clear-cut logging throughout the region, including the Crowsnest Forest and instead, the use of selective logging.
Albertans also identified the recreation and tourism sector as the second most important for future economic growth in the region, after agriculture. The logging or forestry sector was identified as the least important.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.albertafoothillsnetwork.org
TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR LETTERS
1. State what the Castle Special Place and Crowsnest Forest mean to you.
2. Let Spray Lake Sawmills know that you:(a) Don't want clear-cut logging in the Castle Special Place and agree with area residents that its Special Place protected area disgnation should be backed up in law by legislating it as a Wildland Park.
(b) Prefer to buy FSC certified wood instead of what they log in the Crowsnest Forest and plan to in the Castle, because FSC is the only certification recognized by environmental groups and aboriginal peoples, along with industry, as meeting strict community and environmental criteria.3. Let the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) know that you:
(a) Don’t want the Castle Special Place logged and agree with area residents that its Special Place protected area disgnation should be backed up in law by legislating it as a Wildland Park.
(b) Want his department and Spray Lake Sawmills to enter into a FSC certification process for the whole Crowsnest Forest in order to rectify the shortcomings of the Crowsnest Forest Management Plan (C5) and to address the public’s priorities: watershed protection, wildlife habitat, new parks and protected areas, and natural landscapes for the recreation and tourism sector.4. Use your own reasons and/or draw from the action alert above.
5. Ask for a reply. -
Tell Premier Stelmach Coal Kills
As the world grapples with climate change, the Alberta government is poised to grant approval to a new coal-fired power plant without even holding a public hearing.
Maxim Power Corporation’s plan to build a 500-megawatt plant near Grande Cache, Alberta will generate three million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year (the equivalent of adding 590,000 vehicles to the road over its 45-year lifespan).
Coal carries a heavy burden. Each stage in the life cycle of coal -- including extraction, transport, processing, and combustion -- generates multiple hazards for health and the environment.
Even the oil giant EnCana said it’s bad idea.
The proposed coal-fired plant defies the Alberta Government’s own 2008 Climate Change Strategy, which includes a 2020 goal to stabilize GHG emissions and begin making absolute emission reductions. The reality is no serious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can involve the construction of new coal-fired plants.
Help us stop this major new source of air pollution before it starts.Tell Premier Stelmach to kill Maxim Power Corporation’s plan to build a new 500-megawatt coal-fired plant.
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Stop Castle Special Place Logging & Drilling
Castle Falls / Beaver Mines Lake to be logged and
sour gas drilling approvedYour prompt action is needed to save this premier, natural water-tower and popular outdoor respite for southern Alberta; one the Government of Alberta had said is a protected area. Coined as Alberta's Costa Rica along the backbone of the continent, it is the province's most biologically diverse area, one of 81 designated Special Place protected areas (Castle is #40) and a key part of the international Crown of the Continent ecosystem and geotourism area. A critical-class, sour gas (poisonous natural gas) well to be drilled by Shell Canada has just been approved there and block-cut (commonly called clear-cut) logging by a sawmill located outside the region is to start in the heart of it this June. Its short-term jobs at the expense of local, long-term ones associated with tourism and outdoor recreation, and at the expense of an irreplaceable wildland. Such large-scale logging has not occurred in the Castle since 1998, when the Government of Alberta announced it had added it as the new Castle Special Management Area to “Alberta’s protected areas network.” The Government described it then as “a milestone in the preservation of Alberta’s natural heritage for future generations.”
Like the logging, Shell's Waterton 68 drilling site on Mount Backus is located in wildlife habitat that for decades has been zoned by the province as Critical Wildlife, "crucial to the maintenance of specific fish and wildlife populations." It includes that for rare plants and the recovery of grizzly bears, which are listed as a Threatened species by Alberta.
Spray Lake Sawmills, located west of Calgary, plans to take what they estimate as 3,750 truckloads of logs from the core of the protected area, less than a mile west of the drilling site. It totals 5% of the timber for their mill during their 2010-14 operating plan. The Sustainable Resource Development Department (SRD) issued the logging license and approved expansion of it; all without public consultation and ignoring the 1998 protected area decision. The Spray Lake Sawmills and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development are intent on logging the Castle Special Management Area despite:
- • No pine beetle outbreak and it being at low risk of a future outbreak from this native Rocky Mountain beetle.
• Regional land-use planning stipulating watershed protection, tourism and recreation as the highest priorities
for the area; not block-cut/clear-cut logging.
• Since 1934, the historically most extensively logged drainages in the Castle (those of the Carbondale) being
where all the major fires have occurred.
• Few intact forests in Alberta’s southern headwaters and less than 9% of the Castle remaining with trees over
150 years of age, when the natural landscape there should be a third old-growth forests.
• The Castle providing an unsurpassed 1/3 of the annual water flow for most of southern Alberta; specifically
the water stressed, Oldman River Basin and its 70 municipalities, including Lethbridge.ACTION CHECKLIST
• Write a short letter to Premier Stelmach. Use the white box at the end & write your letter in it, using your
own words and making use of tips below. You can change the wording in the subject box. Click to
send when done. Copies will also automatically go to local MLA, Evan Berger, the SRD Minister and opposition
MLAs: Bridget Pastoor, Liberal; Paul Hinman, Wild Rose; Rachel Notley, NDP; and Dave Taylor, Alberta Party.
• After you send your letter, please take a moment and call MLA Evan Berger (403-553-2400). Berger is the
local MLA and Parliamentary Assistant for the SRD Minister. Let him know of your opposition.
• Print & post the poster with maps & photos. Download the poster in PDF (1.74 MB) or JPG (199 KB) format,
open and print with your computer's picture printing function at letter size and post, or for more impact, save
to memory stick & print at ledger size (11" x 17") at a local print shop & then post in public places.
• Blog and write letters to the editor (and encourage others to do the same) to alert the public of the Castle issue
and inform them of the Facebook page.
• Ask friends & family to join the action and send them the link to this action alert.
• Stay in the news & action loop by "liking" Stop Castle Logging on Facebook. If not on Facebook, you can
still view our page here (http://tinyurl.com/4v7pp7y)TIPS FOR WRITING LETTERS
- • State what the Castle Special Place / Special Management Area means to you.
• Ask Premier Stelmach to stop the pending logging and drilling, and to instead strengthen the protected area
by legislating it as a Wildland Park.
• Use your own reasons and/or draw from the action alert above.
• Ask that your concerns are represented in the Alberta Legislature.
• Request a reply.FOR MORE INFORMATION
• See www.albertafoothillsnetwork.org, including Tourism & Recreation Industry Advisory Regarding Alberta,
• Poster with maps & photos: PDF (1.74 MB) or JPG (199 KB).
• Read the Government of Alberta’s highlights of their 1998 protected area decision.
• Proposal from local citizens’ initiative (www.castlespecialplace.ca) and pamphlet .
• On Facebook: Stop Castle Logging. If you're not on Facebook, see the page here (http://tinyurl.com/4v7pp7y)
• Stop Castle Logging Blog (www.stopcastlelogging.org)YOUR LETTER: See tips above and include that you want your letter used in the Alberta Legislature, so your MLA can do that.
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Support Windy Energy
Dear friend,
We hope you will join us and send the Wainfleet Town Council an email in support of wind energy.
All you have to do is fill out your personal information below and click "send your message".
In solidarity,
John Bennett, Executive Director
Sierra Club Canada -
Help us welcome Minister Kent
Dear friend,
We hope you will join us and send the new Federal Minister of Environment, the Honourable Peter Kent, a welcome email encouraging him to get all stakeholders together and develop a real action plan on climate change.
All you have to do is fill out your personal information below and click "send your message".
In solidarity,
John Bennett, Executive Director
Sierra Club Canada -
Add your voice to the nuclear energy debate!
A nuclear reactor commits our children to dealing with the expense and danger of storing radioactive waste for ten thousand years!
Ontario Power Generation hopes to build four new nuclear reactors at the Darlington site on Lake Ontario, east of Toronto. An environmental assessment will begin in March 2011; however anyone who wants to make a written or oral submission must register by January 13, 2011.
The letter below is a notice to the panel informing them that you would like to make a written or oral submission. It does not commit you to appearing at the hearing, it just indicates to the panel you are concerned and are considering appearing or providing a written statement.
The environmental assessment process is both technical and political. Socioeconomic factors are as important as the technical details the panel will be considering. A large number of people submitting comments (even brief ones) can have an important impact on the recommendations the panel makes to the government at the end of the process.
In the coming weeks, Sierra Club Canada, with the assistance of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, will provide you with a model submission. In the meantime, we have only a few weeks to make it clear to the panel that a large number of Canadians have concerns about expanding nuclear power. So please fill in your name and address and send the email below. -
Urge opposition MP's to vote for legislation to BAN oil tanker traffic on West Coast!
Enbridge has proposed a pipeline which will span from the tar sands to Kitimet in British Columbia, in order to ship oil to Asia and other parts of the world. This would allow over 225 super-tankers full of oil every year into pristine, delicate British Columbia waters, waters which have had a moratorium on tanker traffic since 1972. The government acknowledges the moratorium but has yet to implement regulations or laws supporting it. The BC government (along with the Tar Sands industry) is urging the federal government to lift the ban. A resolution by Nathan Cullen calling for legislation on the moratorium comes up for a vote on Tuesday. To pass, it must be supported by all the opposition parties. Let them know you are deeply concerned and want action by sending an email to the House Leaders of all opposition parties.
ACT NOW! Please send an email to the three House Leaders of the Opposition Parties!
Below we've provided some sample text, but we encourage you to include a personal message raising your concerns.
A message in your own words greatly increases your impact! Make sure to sign your name at the end of the message!
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Big Win for Grizzlies & Parks - Thank-you letters needed
Thank-you letters sent from this action center go to the
Action Alert:
YOU DID IT! We did it, thanks to your prompt letters & phone calls.
Thursday afternoon, Nov. 25th at the Alberta Legislature, the Alberta Tourism, Parks & Recreation Minister withdrew the controversial parks legislation (Bill 29) and said she will consult with the public. See Sierra Club Canada's news release.
The government had been pushing Bill 29 through to pass before December 2nd. It would have dismantled
Please take a moment to write a short thank-you letter in the box below.
TIPS FOR YOUR LETTER
- Thank the Minister for withdrawing the proposed parks legislation (Bill 29) and undertaking to consult with the public and First Nations.
- Indicate that you prefer that she to work on new parks and regulations to protect Natural Areas, rather than new legislation. (The previous government established 81 new parks and expanded 13 under the existing legislation, so the legislation isn't the hold up for new parks.)
More Information:
Descriptions of the types of parks
Value of Alberta's Park... Priceless ; government pamphlet
Please remember, personally written letters are the most effective. Please personalize the suggested subject and then use the points in the action alert above to write your own letter in the blank space below. Letters do not need to be long; one or two short paragraphs are good.
Instructions:
1. Read the action alert below.
2. Subject box for letter - Please amend the suggested wording to your own words.
3. Write your letter in the white text-box. (Such personal letters are the most effective.)
4. If living in
5. Fill in your information and hit send.
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We did it! Alberta Parks pulled back from brink of disaster
Please Send a Thank-You
Please take a moment to write a short, personal thank-you letter to Alberta Tourism, Parks & Recreation Minister, Cindy Ady and Premier Ed Stelmach. (Also copied to the opposition MLAs who helped to get the controversial legislation pulled). Below the update are some tips for your letter.
YOU DID IT! We did it, thanks to your prompt letters & phone calls.
Thursday afternoon, Nov. 25th at the Alberta Legislature, the Minister withdrew the controversial parks legislation (Bill 29) and said she will consult with the public. See Sierra Club Canada's news release.
The government had been pushing Bill 29 through to pass before December 2nd. It would have dismantled Alberta's parks network, including directly threatening World Heritage Sites and removing laws protecting sanctuaries for wildlife and people - our Wilderness Areas and Ecological Reserves. Protection would no longer have been the priority inside any of the parks.
TIPS FOR YOUR LETTER
- Thank the Minister for withdrawing the proposed parks legislation (Bill 29) and undertaking to consult with the public and First Nations.
- Indicate that you prefer that she to work on new parks and regulations to protect Natural Areas, rather than new legislation. (The previous government established 81 new parks and expanded 13 under the existing legislation, so the legislation isn't the hold up for new parks.)
We haven't provided sample text below because the AB government considers the total of all form letters received as being just one letter.
For more information:
- Minister's news release.
- On value of parks, government brochure.
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On the current classes of parks in Alberta.
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Protect our Gulf!
Deeply concerned about the damage that oil development could create in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, star Jason Priestley is asking you to join him in calling for a moratorium on oil and gas in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
This fall, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board allowed seismic testing for oil and gas to proceed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Seismic testing, which changes feeding and migratory patterns in fish and marine mammals, is the first step in oil and gas development.
Our worst fear is that this beautiful, shared ecosystem will be put at risk by oil and gas! A spill such as the one that happened in the Gulf of Mexico could impact all five Canadian provinces that bound the Gulf, threatening fish, seabirds, and marine mammals – and the multi-million dollar industries that rely on a healthy Gulf!
Please act now !Write to the Prime Minister, Federal Party Leaders, and Gulf Premiers. Tell them to Protect Our Gulf!
Below we've provided some sample text, but we encourage you to include a personal message raising your concerns.
A message in your own words greatly increases your impact! -
ACTION ALERT: Demand a fair and democratic lawmaking process! Send our Governor General a letter.
On November 16, 2010, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government unilaterally undermined legislation on climate change when bill C-311 was voted down by conservative senators in a surprise vote, and without any debate. This bill was previously supported by the majority of elected MPs and Canadians alike.
We must write to our Governor General, His Excellency David Johnston, and let him know that this circumvention of the democratic process is shameful!
Let's ask the Governor General to speak out in support of democracy and parliamentary traditions. Unelected senators should not be allowed to kill legislation that the majority of citizens support!
Using the form below, you can submit a letter to the Governor General. We’ve provided some sample text, but we encourage you to add to it and personalize your message for maximum effectiveness. Original letters have the greatest chance of being read by His Excellency.
For more information on Bill C-311's demise:
http://www.sierraclub.ca/en/media/release/reform-party-climate-change-deniers-use-unelected-senate-and-dirty-tricks -
Grizzlies Need You Now to Protect Their Park Homes
Letters sent from this action center go to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmack, with a copy to the MLA representing the Official Oppostion of the Legislature on this issue, Harry Chase.
Instructions:
- Read the action alert below.
- Subject box for letter - Please amend the suggested wording to your own words.
- Write your letter in the white text-box. (Such personal letters are the most effective.)
- If living in Alberta, keep a copy of your letter from the text box & email it to your MLA (to find your MLA).
- Fill in your information and hit send.
Action Alert:
Just Days to Act
The Alberta Government is set to pass laws in matter of days; dismantling protection of all parks, including more than 23,000 sq km critical for grizzly bear habitat and currently protected in Wilderness Areas, Wildland Parks and Ecological Reserves.
Monday Nov. 15, the debate starts in the Legislature on Alberta’s Tourism, Parks & Recreation Minister's proposed new parks act (Bill 29). It is THE WORST conservation-related legislation we've seen anywhere in Canada in a generation. It could become law within the week unless enough people write now to stop it.
If the proposed act is passed, it will be the law in Alberta that protection is NOT the primary purpose within parks. Alberta's Wilderness Areas, Wildland Parks, Ecological Reserves and Natural Areas will be gone; turned into multi-purpose parks open to tourism and recreation development, including off-road vehicle trails. For any new park, allocations for resource development like logging and oil & gas that are in existence when the park is established will continue on.
WRITE TODAY Ask that the proposed new parks act (Bill 29) be withdrawn and that the Minister consult with the public and First Nations.
Also ask that any new parks legislation includes:
- Preservation of the natural environment (i.e. protection from harm or degradation) and protection of the ecological integrity within parks as the primary purpose of parks.
- Protections for Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves as they are in the current legislation and protections for Wildland Parks as roadless areas.
- A mandatory and expeditious process of removing resource development allocations within parks.
- The Minister NOT be given broad discretion to approve tourism developments within any park and location the Minister chooses.
More Information:
- It's in the News - Edmonton, Vancouver & Winnipeg
- Descriptions of the types of parks that would be done away with
- Value of Alberta's Park... Priceless gov't pamphlet
Please remember, personally written letters are the most effective. Please personalized the suggested subject and then use the points in the action alert as a guide to write your own letter in the blank space below. One or two short paragraphs are good.
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Grizzlies Need You Now to Protect their Park Homes
Letters sent from this action center go to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmack, with a copy to the MLA representing the Official Oppostion of the Legislature on this issue, Harry Chase.
Instructions:
- Read the action alert below.
- Subject box for letter - Please amend the suggested wording to your own words.
- Write your letter in the white text-box. (Such personal letters are the most effective.)
- If living in Alberta, keep a copy of your letter from the text box & email it to your MLA (to find your MLA)
- Fill in your information and hit send.
Action Alert:
Just Days to Act
The Alberta Government is set to pass laws in matter of days; dismantling protection of all parks, including more than 23,000 sq km critical for grizzly bear habitat and currently protected in Wilderness Areas,
Monday Nov. 15, the debate starts in the Legislature on
If the proposed act is passed, it will be the law in
WRITE TODAY Ask that the proposed new parks act (Bill 29) be withdrawn and that the Minister consult with the public.
Also ask that any new parks legislation includes:
· Preservation of the natural environment (i.e. protection from harm or degradation) and protection of the ecological integrity within parks as the primary purpose of parks.
· Protections for Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves as they are in the current legislation and protections for Wildland Parks as roadless areas.
· A mandatory and expeditious process of removing resource development allocations within parks.
· The Minister NOT be given broad discretion to approve tourism developments within any park and location the Minister chooses.
More Information:
- It's in the News - Edmonton, Vancouver & Winnipeg
- Descritions of the types of parks that would be done away with
- Value of Alberta's Park... Priceless gov't pamphlet
Please remember, personally written letters are the most effective. Please personalized the suggested subject and then use the points in the action alert as a guide to write your own letter in the blank space below. One or two short paragraphs is good.
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Encourage Ottawa City Council to vote to protect the South March Highlands!
The South March Highlands (SMH) is one of the most bio-diverse areas in Canada. There is currently a motion before Ottawa City Council to expropriate a portion of the SMH known as Beaver Pond Forest. If this motion is not approved, this area will be clear-cut and blasted by Urbandale for a housing development north of the Beaver Pond.
We must encourage Ottawa City Council members to vote to protect this area. By voting to expropriate this part of the forest, development plans will be stalled long enough for us to engage the support of the National Capital Commission to provide long-term protection for the balance of the area.
Will you help us?
Using the form below, you can write to City Council, encouraging them to vote in support of the motion on October 6th to expropriate the Beaver Pond Forest area of the SMH. We’ve provided a sample letter, but we encourage you to personalize your message for maximum effectiveness (please note that since this e-mail will be sent to all City Council members, we ask that you leave the greeting generic i.e. “Dear Councillor”). Once you have completed your message, please scroll to the bottom of the page to submit it.
Be sure to forward this call to action to others!
To learn more about the South March Highlands, check out: http://southmarch.wordpress.com/
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Save Fish Lake
When the government altered the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) this summer, it assured Canadians it remained committed to CEAA's effectiveness and environmental oversight more generally.
Also this summer, the B.C. government granted Taseko Mines a 25-year mining lease. Taseko now plans to dig an open-pit mine in central B.C. which would drain Fish Lake and turn it into a tailings pond.
This is the first real test of the government's commitment to the revised CEAA. Sign your name to the letter below to tell Mr. Harper and Mr. Prentice how important it is to stand by their word.
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Stop the shipment of dangerous nuclear waste
Sierra Club Canada has learned Bruce Power plans to relocate 16 radioactive steam generators from Tiverton to Owen Sound, ON. The generators are then slated to travel via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River to a recycling facility in Sweden.Bruce Power is rushing ahead with its proposal while serious questions remain unanswered about the procedure. Sierra Club Canada is calling for a stay in shipping until a full environmental assessment is conducted and all pertinent questions are answered. This is the only way to ensure the health and safety of the millions of Canadians who live alongside these waterways.
Bruce Power's application to ship the steam generators is currently before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The time to stop it is now. Please take a moment to sign your name and submit the letter below to the CNSC.
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Letter to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Below is a form letter to be sent to the Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The letter will also be copied to the Honourable Marjory LeBreton, who is the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Just add your name and click "Send Your Message"!
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Reinstate ecoENERGY and Stop Asbestos Subsidies!
Natural Resources Canada has cut the immensely popular and environmentally beneficial ecoENERGY Retrofit program, and at the same time giving the asbestos lobby another $250,000 toward promoting the use of this deadly product in developing nations!ecoENERGY Retrofit Program: provides homeowners with financial incentives and support in upgrading the energy efficiency of buildings across Canada.
Asbestos: one of the most documented workplace hazards in Canada and the source of many health problems in the developing world.
Is this a fair tradeoff?!?
Using the form below you can write to the Minister of Natural Resources, Christian Paradis to let them know that this is unacceptable. Please note that letters are much more effective if they come in your own words. We have provided a draft for your use, but please feel free to edit! After you've sent your email, be sure to join the Facebook group in support of ecoENERGY.
For more details on the issue, see Green Communities Canada's backgrounder (PDF) >>>
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Help Green the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline!
Please join Sierra Club Canada in calling for the National Energy Board and the Federal government to fully implement all of the Joint Review Panel’s recommendations on the Mackenzie Gas Project.
Please note that letters are much more effective if they come in your own words. We have provided a draft for your use, but please feel free to edit! For more details on the Mackenzie Gas Project and the Joint Review Panel’s recommendations see our backgrounder >>>
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Pass Bill C-311 Now!
Please join Sierra Club Canada in calling for the swift passage of Bill C-311, entitled An Act to ensure Canada assumes its responsibilities in preventing dangerous climate change (the “Climate Change Accountability Act”).
Please note that letters are much more effective if they come in your own words. We have provided a draft for your use, but please feel free to edit! For more details on Bill C-311 see our backgrounder. -
(No Title)
Help protect the Eco Echo Outaouais Environmental Campus from being paved over by their own municipality for the sake of building a light industrial park. Eco Echo is an ongoing community project that has the potential for transforming the gateway to the Gatineau Park at Wakefield. They offer visitors and locals inspirational environmental programs, workshops and cultural activities in a 400-seat outdoor amphitheatre in an old marble quarry. Eco Echo is taking a stand to preserve all that we love about the Gatineau. This is in jeopardy and needs your urgent support. Send a message to the Mayor and Councillors (listed below) that you care!
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Keep the Good News along the Tracks Moving Forward for Park Grizzly Bears
Letters sent from this action center go to Canadian Pacific Railway President & CEO, Fred Green via his assistant.
Instructions:
Action Alert:
Thanks to many letters through the years from concerned citizens like yourselves, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) has taken a substantial step forward in signing and funding an five-year joint research plan with Parks Canada focused on designing short and longer term measures to reduce grizzly bear deaths on the rail line in the Rocky Mountain national parks.
To keep this significant progress moving forward, please take a few minutes to write a thank-you letter to CP Rail President and Chief Executive Officer, Fred Green for taking this major step forward, including:
Please encourage him to do likewise with provincial wildlife agencies for the grizzly bear habitat in the Crowsnest Pass of southern B.C. and Alberta.
Background
Since 1985, deaths along the rail lines in the Rocky Mountain national parks has increased, with the average now being one per year, even though the number of grizzly bears killed for management reasons has, with hard work and engagement of all, declined.
The research program will access and design potential short-term actions, including cutting back vegetation to improve lines-of-sight, installing fences and under-pass culverts in high-risk areas, working with grain terminal operators to encourage loading practices that further reduce grain spillage, provision of escape routes for bears and the use of sound, such as whistle zones and new warning sounds.
Banff National Park Superintendent, Kevin Van Tighem emphasized that tackling known problem sites will not be held up until the five-year research program is completed. He expects to see some additional measures in place along the train tracks within the year as a result of the cooperative program with CP Rail and the funding from them.
It was Canmore resident, Jim Pissot, then with Defenders of Wildlife Canada who first brought the grizzly bear deaths along the CP line to public attention and who publicly persisted through the years to get action from the company.
In the news:
Coverage by Canmore's Rocky Mountain Outlook
CP Rail & Parks Canada News Release
Please remember, personally written letters are the most effective. Please personalized the suggested subject and then use the points in the action alert above to write your own letter in the blank space below. Letters do not need to be long; one or two short paragraphs are good.
- Entering into open cooperation with Parks Canada on approaches for reducing grizzly bear deaths;
- Providing $1 million towards the research program;
- Funding & participating with Parks Canada on the steering committee for the research program;
- Agreeing to an open-minded set of mitigation options for the research, including reduction of train speeds;and
- Following through on completion of CP Rail's program to refurbish 6,300 railway hopper cars to reduce grain on the tracks (currently nearing completion).
- Read the action alert below.
- Subject box for letter - Please amend the suggested wording to your own words.
- Write your letter in the white text-box. (Such personal letters are the most effective.)
- Fill in your information and hit send.
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Protect the Blanding's Turtles
Please help save the Blanding's Turtle in Ottawa!
Nestled on the western edge of suburban Ottawa lies a wetland under threat from urban expansion. This wetland has long been home to a population of threatened Blanding’s turtles as well as a number of other listed species.
Sierra Club Canada has just learned that the City of Ottawa is rushing the approval of a road extension that would cut right through this crucial habitat. To make matters worse, the extension is unneeded by the surrounding community – it is simply an attempt by the City to claim some of the federal government’s economic stimulus funds.
We can and must stop this from happening. Will you help us?
If we are to save these turtles, we need to act quickly. In order to be eligible for stimulus money, the City must get the project started right away. That means that if we can delay or prevent the Province issuing the required permits before the federal grant deadline, the City will have no reason to continue the project and we will have saved these turtles and their wetland home. More info
Our plan is simple, direct and effective -- but it can only work with your help!
A sample letter is provided in the white text box below. Please remember, letters that have been personally written are a lot more effective in getting the attention of politicians. Please include a personalized subject and write your own letter in place of the sample letter or add your own personal comments. Letters do not need to be long, one or two paragraphs will suffice.
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Nova Scotia Pesticide Ban
Help ban pesticide use in Nova Scotia!
Pesticides are among the most widely used chemicals in the world, and also among the most dangerous to human health. They are a leading cause of poisonings here in Canada and have been estimated to account for thousands deaths each year globally.
No matter where in Canada you live, you can help achieve a pesticide ban in Nova Scotia by sending an email through the form below.
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Protect the Blanding's Turtles
Please help save the Blanding's Turtle in Ottawa!
Nestled on the western edge of suburban Ottawa lies a wetland under threat from urban expansion. This wetland has long been home to a population of threatened Blanding’s turtles as well as a number of other listed species.
Sierra Club Canada has just learned that the City of Ottawa is rushing the approval of a road extension that would cut right through this crucial habitat. To make matters worse, the extension is unneeded by the surrounding community – it is simply an attempt by the City to claim some of the federal government’s economic stimulus funds.
We can and must stop this from happening. Will you help us?
If we are to save these turtles, we need to act quickly. In order to be eligible for stimulus money, the City must get the project started right away. That means that if we can delay or prevent the Province issuing the required permits before the federal grant deadline, the City will have no reason to continue the project and we will have saved these turtles and their wetland home. More info
Our plan is simple, direct and effective -- but it can only work with your help!
A sample letter is provided in the white text box below. Please remember, letters that have been personally written are a lot more effective in getting the attention of politicians. Please include a personalized subject and write your own letter in place of the sample letter or add your own personal comments. Letters do not need to be long, one or two paragraphs will suffice.
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Northern Gas Should Not Fuel Tar Sands Development!
We need your help to stop the Government of Canada from allowing the use of northern gas to fuel dirty tar sands development.
Email federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice TODAY and tell him that natural gas from the Mackenzie Valley should replace, not augment, the development of polluting tar sands projects and coal mines.
Tell Minister Prentice that northern gas should be used only as a transition fuel to a low-carbon Canadian economy.
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Alberta's Threatened Grizzly Bear Needs Protection Now
Letters sent from this action center go directly to Honourable Mel Knight, Alberta's Minister of Sustainable Resource Development.
Instructions:
- - Read the action alert below
- - Write your letter in the white text box (or add personal comments to the beginning of the sample letter provided).
- - Write your subject in the subject text box.
- - Fill in your information and hit send.
- - Also, please send a copy of your letter to your local MLA. Click here to find your MLA and their contact information
Action Alert:
No More Delays. Alberta's Threatened Grizzly Bears Need Protection Now.
The letter ‘E’ in the B.E.A.R.S. Essentials for Recovery stands for Endangered Species Listing and it is one of the primary objectives of Action Grizzly Bear.
Alberta’s grizzly bear is a threatened species that needs special protection. In 2002, Alberta’s Endangered Species Conservation Committee (ESCC), representing scientists, universities, First Nations, industries, hunters, conservationists and ranchers, recommended that the grizzly bear be listed as a Threatened species under Alberta’s Wildlife Act. Unfortunately, the government so far has failed to implement this recommendation and Alberta’s grizzlies continue to suffer from a wide array of threats.
Rather than taking action to protect bears, the province has embarked on a further status review and, eight years later, it will ask the ESCC once again to re-examine whether the grizzly bear should be listed as a protected species. Barring any government delays, we expect the status review to be complete in a few weeks time.
Once the status review is complete it will be up to Mel Knight, the newly appointed Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, to decide if the grizzly bear will be listed as Threatened and given legal protection. Help Minister Knight make the right decision!
In the eight years since the original recommendation to protect the bears under the Wildlife Act, grizzly habitat has continued to be lost or damaged due to industrial and residential development and motorized backcountry access. At roughly 600 bears, Alberta’s grizzly population remains far below provincially and internationally recognized thresholds. The IUCN, an international organization of government and non-government members with expertise in endangered species recovery, identifies 1000 adults (which generally means 2000 animals in total) as a healthy population, beneath which a threatened or endangered listing is necessary.
The government must act NOW to recover this iconic species. Leading up to Minister Knight’s decision, it is crucial that we demonstrate strong public support for government action on grizzly bear recovery, including legal listing and habitat protection.
Please take a moment to contact Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight. Let him know you fully support grizzly bear recovery and stress the importance of:
- Listing the grizzly bear as Threatened under the Alberta Wildlife Act
- Changing land use practices to maintain an adequate amount of habitat where bears are secure from industrial and motorized intrusion, including: legislated protection of critical habitat; reducing roads, seismic lines, pipelines and other linear features; and enforcing access restrictions for motorized vehicle access.
Please remember, letters that have been personally written are a lot more effective in getting the attention of politicians. Please include a personalized subject and write your own letter in place of the sample letter or add your own personal comments to the beginning of the sample letter. Letters do not need to be long, one or two paragraphs will suffice.
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