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This week’s newsletter is full of energy, but then again, so is Sierra Club Canada. Below are renewable energy training events we are hosting, a podcast on our court case alongside Kebaowek First Nation and others against an ill-planned nuclear waste megadump in Ontario, autres épisodes de notre balado, a nation-wide Re-weaving from Sierra Club Ontario and Sierra Youth. We’ve heard from you on what projects of national interest YOU’d like to see, like a national east-west electrical grid, wind and solar power, and high-speed passenger rail, and summarized them below. Also below are insights from the communications survey you filled out.

Sierra Club Canada was recently featured in the news by The Energy Mix, The Narwhal, and The National Observer, on the Government of Canada’s erosion of climate policies and endorsement of a West Coast oil pipeline. As we point out in the latest edition of our Sovereignty Saturdays Podcast the MOU on an imaginary west coast pipeline is actually cover to weaken Canada’s climate regulations, create room for oil and gas corporations to ‘strengthen ties’ with the U.S., and slow the growth of renewable energy in Canada  – renewable energy that is Canada’s best bet for continuing our sovereignty. Listen to the podcast for more. There is no business case for new oil and gas infrastructure, but oil and gas corporations will use all sorts of theatre to stall renewable energy, so we've signed a letter with 41 other organizations opposing this ridiculous pipeline.

We also have a special early release for you of a video interview we did with our Development Manager Taylor Farrugia (pictured above), on the behind the scenes work (by a very small team) that goes into fundraising and answers to some common questions about Sierra Club Canada.

On that note, let me talk for a moment about our unique approach at Sierra Club Canada. We work to bring together the environmental movement. It’s true that sometimes the environmental movement can be a bit ‘big plan’ without enough community involvement, it’s also true the movement sometimes ends up in silos working on overlapping problems - but not working together to solve them. That’s where Sierra Club Canada comes in: we bring the movement together, connecting the national and the local. That’s the strength of a national organization with the grassroots focus: we know what communities are saying and how it connects to other communities and broader issues. That’s why, earlier this year, we could see the connections between energy issues, democracy, and sovereignty and raise the alarm early on.

It’s not flashy work, it’s gritty work. Sometimes the best way to start conversations in a community on climate action is not to lecture people but to host a tree planting event first - and in doing so reach beyond the bubble of people who are normally interested in climate issues. Our work means doing things like running a podcast to feature the voices of people that should be heard more. 

YOUR issues of concern are definitely cross-cutting! For example, in our recent communications survey:

• 92% of you see nature and endangered species as an important issue.
• AND 92% of you also see social and environmental justice as an important issue.

And we hope we’re doing a good job bringing those issues together: 60.8% of you said our communications have gotten better or a lot better over the past year, 36.2% of you said they had stayed about the same, and we’ve made a note about all your recommendations in planning for the year ahead. You also let us know a message of hope really resonates and, as I say, we have a summary below of the ideas for national projects of interest you’ve told us you want to see.

We can only do this work because we have a team whose personal stories led them to want to defend the nature they love and because we have your support! If you want to get to know our team you can also watch another short video with our Executive Director Gretchen Fitzgerald - be sure to stay tuned for some funny bloopers at the end that will give you a sense for what our meetings really look like. And be sure to spread the word!

For our action item this week please remind the Federal Government that oil and gas is not a sound investment and that we need real renewable solutions. Renewables are a better investment and that's why we are running events to help people train in renewable energy, especially as a November 2025 report shows a stark picture of the revenue losses provincial governments will face in the next decade as “oil and gas demand dries up:

• By 85% in Alberta, from $153 billion to $23 billion;
• By 72% in British Columbia, from $47 billion to $13 billion;
• By 78% in Saskatchewan, from $16 billion to $3.5 billion;
• By nearly 100% in Newfoundland and Labrador, from $4.4 billion to $300 million.”

You can also listen to the episode on The Harbinger Media Network, IHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or on our website.

It's a fight to protect a vital watershed from an poorly planned and located 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) to court and WON on this matter… but CNL has appealed. And so on November 12th as CNL’s appeal was heard, they held a rally outside.

After the interview with Ole we’ll be playing some audio from the rally of a speech by Justin Roy, a Councillor at Kebaowek First Nation. This audio was kindly provided to us by Peter Stockdale who took the recording.

Send your questions about the podcast or this newsletter to communications@sierraclub.ca and we will try to respond in a future newsletter or podcast.

Each will inform how we go forward in the year ahead. They do fall into categories though and so here is what you, generally, wanted to see:

• A massive national renewable energy and electrification program including a national, east-west, electric grid along with localized renewables like wind power and rooftop solar, as well as more resilient and locally-controlled grids and infrastructure and easier access to electric vehicles (these are all complementary).
• The centring of Indigenous voices in regard to any projects.
• Support for workers in the trades going into the green economy
• An end to oil and gas expansion and subsidies for oil and gas projects, preventing further coal mining, and the winding down and decommissioning of existing oil and gas infrastructure.
• Affordable green housing that is non-profit driven or community-owned and takes up less land, as well as greener building rules in general.
• Protecting and restoring national, provincial, and regional parks, forests, pollinators, birds, and biodiversity, and natural areas in general - especially water areas - and implementing nature-based solutions.
• A rapid shift to a circular and less extractive economy with more sustainable agricultural, shipping, and industrial practices and more tree planting.
• High speed passenger rail and public transportation that is accessible to all.
• The spending of federal defence funds on community climate resilience and adaption: like buying more water-bombers and building up teams in communities that can help with adaptation.
• A more progressive tax system and better equity among people, stronger public services like childcare and more representative voting systems, as well as clean water to every community.
• A combined approach to increase Canada’s digital and communications sovereignty with Canadian-owned digital and communications infrastructure as opposed to American-owned. 

We’re going to keep advocating for YOUR projects of national interest at the Federal and provincial levels and we’re going to keep putting together resources that will help communities carry out these sorts of projects locally - see below for renewable energy training sessions! If you haven't yet, you can still add your project to the list here.

Renewable Energy Training, Climate Adaptation, and Other Events!

Register here for the Nov. 28 & Dec. 10 Information Sessions.

"Through mindfulness and meditation, and the practice of our moral imagination, we offer our voice and beings in all directions: sideways through now, and forward and back in time.... Come as you are. Bring your tangled threads, heavy hearts, half-formed questions. This is an hour to resist urgency, to stretch, and unfurl." These sessions are drop-in friendly, and are on a bi-weekly rhythm.

• Un jeune environnementaliste néo-brunswickois engagé dans la lutte contre les changements climatiques, épisode 61.
• ​​Le programme Éco-quartier célèbre 30 ans d’initiatives environnementales à Montréal, épisode 63.
• Mulo, le nouveau service de vélo-cargo électriques à Montréal, épisode 65.
  L’environnement, c’est intersectionnel avec Lourdenie Jean, épisode 69.

Future on the Edge brings together community leaders, researchers, and innovators from across Canada to explore how small-scale renewable projects can reshape energy access and affordability in coastal and rural regions."

• "With Pipeline Deal Coming Soon, New Analysis Shows Big Risks for Investors, Crushing Losses for Provinces" by Mitchell Beer:

“With the federal and Alberta governments touting an imminent deal on a new oil pipeline to British Columbia’s northwest coast, [a new analysis] concludes that investors in Canadian oil and gas will face serious financial risk—and provincial revenues from the industry could fall 82%—as the global energy transition unfolds through the 2030s"

• "Eastern Ontario Township Breaks Ground on 411-MW/1,560-MWh Battery, Canada’s Largest" by The Energy Mix staff:

"The Eastern Ontario township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal will become home to Canada’s largest battery energy storage system to date after a groundbreaking ceremony last week.... Skyview 2 is expected to go into service in 2027. Construction on the lithium-ion battery is set to begin in the next couple of weeks, and the province says that activity will create 300 jobs."

• "Canada Signs COP30 Pledge on Climate Disinformation After Diluting Anti-Greenwashing Law" by Chris Bonasia:

"Disinformation is a major focus at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, with countries formally committing to information integrity for the first time. While Canada has signed on to that pledge, the Carney government still struggles with how to manage greenwashing on its home turf.

'In the era of disinformation, obscurantists reject not only scientific evidence but also the progress of multilateralism,' said Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in his opening address at the conference. 'They control algorithms, sow hatred, and spread fear. They attack institutions, science, and universities. It is time to once again defeat the denialists.'"

• ICYMI: "IEA Puts ‘Poison on the Menu’ But Maintains Net-Zero Scenario Despite Pressure from Trump" (pictured) by  Mitchell Beer:

"Under intense pressure from the Trump administration, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued a carefully-hedged analysis that still shows fossil fuel demand peaking within years, but also portrays an alternate universe of sustained consumption where average global warming approaches 3°C."

More newsletter content below! But first, please consider a donation to help us continue to run projects like renewable energy training sessions for communities. Even five dollars a month, or as a one time donation, makes a huge difference.

Have questions for us? Be sure to send us your questions for this newsletter and the podcast to communications@sierraclub.ca and if you want we can respond in an upcoming newsletter with our response.

"Water connects us all, flowing through our lives, our stories, and these photos are proof that no matter where we are, we’re all part of one shared current." - Aish Ravi Shankar

Photo above from Pamela Perrault.

Resources on how to communicate with others:

• How to Talk to Family & Others About Climate Change.
• More on talking with neighbours, friends, and family on climate issues (webinar recording).
• Effective Communications on Climate Change (podcast).
• Visual communications advice on wildfires (webinar recording).

Facts Sheets:

• Wind Power Fact Sheet.
• Electric Vehicle Fact Sheet.
• Why Canada Can Go 100% Renewable.
• Emissions Cap Fact Sheet.
• Wildfire fact sheet on causes and links to the oil and gas industry.
• Carbon Pricing Fact Sheet.
• How the Carbon Tax Got Alberta Off Coal and Could Reduce Future Wildfires (Podcast).
• Facts on Heat Pumps.
• Canada’s forests haven’t absorbed more carbon than they’ve released since 2001.
• It isn’t arson: untangling climate misinformation around Canada’s raging wildfires & climate crisis made spate of Canada wildfires twice as likely, scientists find.
• CO2 is a pollutant in the case of climate change and human caused CO2 causes climate change – it’s not just 'plant food.'
• More on other common climate myths.

Talking with others is the biggest impact you can have but be sure to prioritize talking to those on the fence about the seriousness of the climate crisis (unfortunately not everyone is open to listening). Call out oil and gas CEOs in the process!

We're stronger together. Go cause trouble.

Conor