The Environment in Canada Podcast

We respond to the Pipeline MOU between the Federal Government and Alberta Government -  which scrapped the emissions cap in a betrayal of Canadian climate survivors so that U.S. shareholders could profit. Then we chat about advice on controlling - not appeasing - the centre of a debate without sacrificing radical action or succumbing to scapegoating.

Actions:

• Call Your MP, Oppose the MOU and Call for Renewable Ambition: https://w...

Conor talks with Ole Hendrickson, the Chair of Sierra Club Canada’s Conservation Committee and a columnist among many other roles, about the ongoing fight to to defend the Kichi Sibi / Ottawa River and our watershed from a nuclear waste megadump. 

The Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, Kebaowek First Nation, Sierra Club Canada and the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility took Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) ...

Oil & Gas interests want to increase Canada's reliance on the United States - sabotaging Canadian sovereignty. So why is the Alberta Government talking about a west coast oil pipeline MOU with the Federal Government - especially since the economics of such a pipeline are terrible? Because the MOU on an imaginary pipeline is actually cover to weaken Canada's climate regulations and slow the growth of renewable energy -...

We talk with Danielle Romaine of our Sierra Youth Chapter about some of the amazing projects Sierra Youth is starting, how to get youth into hopeful spaces, food security and sovereignty, and what you can do to help. 

You can find out more about Sierra Youth on our website here: https://www.sierraclub.ca/chapters/sierra-youth/about-sierra-youth/

And on their Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sierrayouthcanada/

Be sure to send ...

We describe why, even though things may seem dire, the climate movement will ultimately win and what you can do to help, PLUS how Trump pressured the IEA into publishing a ridiculous oil demand scenario, AND how our sister organization south of the border, Sierra Club U.S., has filed a new lawsuit against the Trump Administration after its Department of Government Efficiency refused to release records about its ties to polluters an...

Mark Carney is due to announce another round of 'nation building' projects and likely to be among them is the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas (or LNG) project in British Columbia: the entity that will construct, own and operate the assets of the Ksi Lisims LNG project is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Texas-based Western LNG, funded by U.S. private equity firms with ties to the U.S. Administration. 

We discuss at length why...

We have a new action you can take to call for Canada's anti-greenwashing legislation to be restored, updates on events and protests (including some climate change adaptation training sessions) you can attend in November 2025, and a Rerun of an interview we published last year in November 2024 with survivors of wildfires and floods in Canada who are calling for an emissions cap on wealthy oil and gas corporations.

Take Action an...

To stop oil and gas lobbyists and wealthy interests (the REAL deep state) from undermining democracy and the environment we need to learn to use their strategies and mindset to democracy's advantage (every crisis is an opportunity) - without succumbing to apathy or scapegoats. We look at Budget 2025 and the government's 'climate plan' in terms of corporate influence.

Sources for today's Sovereignty Saturdays...

Co-host Diktshya Sharma asks Dr. Enoch Tse what does it mean for climate research in Canada to be reciprocal rather than extractive? How do worldviews about the human-nature relationship shape the kinds of questions researchers even think to ask? What would it actually look like for a research project to give back, instead of just taking?

Dr. Tse is a Professional Engineer, is co-chair of the Anti-Racism and Respectful Workplace Adv...

Should you stay on platforms like X or Meta or leave? We explore ways to misuse these oligarchical propaganda platforms to actually get more people onto better platforms and spaces: examining the tactics and strategies of climate denialists for lessons in how to be more effective online in advocating for environmental and social justice. No matter what you choose to do, stay or leave, it's about how you do it. 

Resources and fu...

Jessica talks with Dr. Soren Brothers, the Allan and Helaine Shiff Curator of Climate Change at the Royal Ontario Museum about curating climate change, how climate scientists experience emotions like everyone else, and a recent Planet in Focus film festival Climate in Therapy screening.

A reminder also to fill our out communications survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeSsQcSg2Y9LUMXpfImmTrTMtrB2epk0682ddmppj49yuq...

Canada defeating the aggression of the U.S. oligarchy, & their oil & gas-interest friends, will require all of us learning how to communicate more effectively, strategically, & rapidly to counter disinformation. When it comes to disinformation going ‘straight at ’em’ will also require dealing with the extreme inequality that led us to this point, as we covered in last week’s episode: https://www.sierraclub.ca/no-kings-i...

What lies beneath the waves… shapes everything above them: Exploring the vital links between water ecosystems, climate change, biodiversity, and the Rights of Water. Chevaun Toulouse, Steven J. Cooke, Julie Reimer, Kriss Kevorkian joined host Aishwariya Ravi Shankar for an event on Oct. 1st, 2025. Listen to their conversation here.

Pledge to respect, protect, and uphold the rights of water here: https://www.sierraclub.ca/action-item...

How extreme inequality & environmental deregulation lead to the rise of authoritarianism & what we can do to stop it from happening here. Part of our Sovereignty Saturdays sub-series, find additional resources and sources below:

• Regulation saves money and lives by Ole Hendrickson: https://rabble.ca/columnists/regulation-saves-money-and-lives/
• A New ‘Fundamental Fairness’ Can Save Democracy, the Environment, and Canada (on...

If you’re worried about what’s happening in the U.S., and where it will end, that’s very understandable. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. But beyond the shock there’s work to be done right now to make sure things do - one day - get better. Our new sub-series, Sovereignty Saturdays looks at the environmental and energy dimensions of Canadian sovereignty and what you can do to help.

Resources:

• Renewable E...

Dr. Sarah (Sally) Otto, Dr. Peter Thompson, and CPAWS-BC Campaigner Brynna Kagawa-Visentin talk about a recent report that looks at the changing status of imperiled species in British Columbia over the last 15 years — in the absence of a dedicated provincial species at risk act (or law) — and reveals that species at risk in BC have risen, with most changes in status not reflecting genuine recovery: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/1...

Jessica talks with youth tribal activist Gracie Waukechon about Enbridge's dangerous Line 5 pipeline and Indigenous sovereignty. Gracie came to Canada recently to speak at screenings of the Bad River Film in Toronto and Montreal and is calling on all of us to raise our voices. 

Be sure to send us your questions at info@sierraclub.ca and sign up for email updates from us here: https://www.sierraclub.ca/subscribe-for-updates/

If you’re listening after September 2025 then check out our general Take Action Page for up to date action items here: https://www.sierraclub.ca/take-action/

Ways YOU can take action in September 2025 listed below:

• Send a message to Prime Minister Carney to stand up for community-based renewable energy, oppose LNG, and pledge to advocate for renewables in your community: https://www.sierraclub.ca/action-item/carney-support-renewa...

Oil & Gas interests, & their friends in the U.S. Administration, want to stop Canada from developing wind power & EVs, because both are part of how we gain more energy independence. We released a series of fact sheets on wind power & electric vehicles (below) & go over the basics in this podcast. Facts & sources:

• Wind Power & Solar Power Facts: https://www.sierraclub.ca/canada-wind-power-facts/
• Electri...