Please note: Microsoft and U.S. tech firms are blocking our newsletters to some recipients, please see our recent update about what you can do.

,

Below we have a podcast with students from Bur Oak Secondary School who did a fundraiser for us that also raised awareness of environmental issues, news coverage of Sierra Club Canada in The Telegram, Tantramar gas plant resistance news, and a heads up about an Outdoor Leader Training program.

But first... The Federal Government has guaranteed to subsidize up to $1 BILLION in fees for Equinor and BP on their proposed Bay du Nord oil project. This massive subsidy promise comes as these, already wealthy, companies are set to make even more money off of oil speculation and price increases - at the expense of consumers worldwide. But that such a large subsidy was needed just to keep them considering Bay du Nord speaks more to the project's lack of viability, and if it did go ahead it's important to remember what we would be paying for (apart from more climate disasters): 

Equinor & BP’s Bay du Nord oil project in Canada has a 16% chance of an extremely large spill over the course of the project (PDF). In the case of an uncontrolled blowout, Equinor estimates it will take from 18 to 36 days to cap it – during which time oil would flow into the North Atlantic. These aren't exactly the most responsible companies: When Equinor did oil spill modelling in Brazil, THEY DIDN'T CONSIDER THE TIDES.

Price shocks in oil and gas (caused by the Iran war) UNDERMINE the case for more oil and gas projects in Canada, as they drive other countries to go renewable & electrify FASTER and that means LESS future demand for oil and gas. Credible analysts are already now saying global peak oil demand could resultantly arrive SOONER than 2029. Bay du Nord optimistically would start production in 2031: it is not viable and planned reliance on it sets the NL provincial economy up for a collapse. NL was also absent from a Pan-Canadian framework on a national electricity corridor which could be part of a real economic solution for the province (all the eggs could wind up in the oil and gas basket).

Claims the Federal Government has to appease oil and gas reliant provinces are unfounded, 79% of people living in Newfoundland and Labrador would feel more pride in us becoming a renewable energy superpower than an oil and gas one. In fact, somewhere between 56% and 72% of Albertans are now stronger advocates for climate action than our Federal Government.

We know that one of the most impactful things you can do is pick up the phone and call your MP: just that simple act of actually calling shows your dedication.

There are those who play at pragmatism - abandoning notions like climate justice the moment they think it makes them look practical - and those who actually practice pragmatism. All the pragmatism in the world will do you no good if there are no values to guide that pragmatism to the right targets. Without values any corporate lobbyist in a suit sounds convincing. We make progress by framing values as rational, not abandoning them in favour of big oil's definition of 'rational'.

If any 4D (or 5D etc.) oil-project-chess is being played by the Federal Government, then it is not intended to fool oil companies while secretly protecting the environment. It's a game to fool the vast majority of Canadians who care about the environment into thinking there's 4D chess happening - while really oil and gas companies are being given free rein to profit at our expense.

Just as likely though, is that our government is playing 1D checkers: tricked by oil corporations - who have been lying for decades about climate change - into thinking that green oil and gas is a real and demand will continue to rise past the early 2030s (not going to happen, especially now). Thing is, without climate justice you can't see the board, much less master a 4D game.

On a personal level, being from Newfoundland and Labrador myself, I am angered to see that the Federal Government is helping to set the stage with it's messaging for a repeat of the cod fishery collapse.

What does this mean pragmatically for us? Same old story. If the government isn't smart enough to do the right thing themselves we have to push them to act and undertake what solutions we can without them. Remember, every good thing achieved so far was not by the virtue of leaders, but by the hard work and advocacy of caring people like YOU who pushed for better and who stood by values.

It's time to start talking about climate justice again, especially as another oil-connected war again brings humanitarian disaster. Our values are our most powerful line of defence: in a struggle defined by communications values are what truly protects us from U.S. Government influence.

Canada cannot resist the U.S. by becoming more like an earlier version of the U.S. - a version that led to what we see south of the border now.

Thrift Shopping, the Environment, Social Media, & Youth Supporting Sierra Club Canada at their School

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

As Taylor writes: "Beyond fundraising, the project encouraged students to think critically about consumerism and the impacts of social media. By giving second-hand items new life, the class highlighted how small actions, like choosing to reuse rather than discard, can make a meaningful difference."

In the ‘Q&A’ section we talk about the difference between post reactions on social media and public opinion – as well as how advertisers re-target those who engage with their content.

Be sure to send us your questions for this podcast or the newsletter to communications@sierraclub.ca.

This free 1-day program is exclusive to Sierra Club Canada members who want to build their outdoor group leadership skills. We will be announcing the official poster, sharing more information on the program, and opening our registration portal very soon. Spaces will be limited so if you’re interested in attending, don’t hesitate to sign up! We can’t wait to see you there. Please note: the sign up link will be in an upcoming newsletter.

... that would be made each year to the site through fishing areas, migration routes for Atlantic salmon and whales and ecosystems containing vulnerable marine species."

Read more in The Telegram from Gary Kean here.

Also featuring:

• Landscape Designer Sean James
• The Wellington Turtle Guardians
• Bird Safe Guelph

• New Brunswick Gas Plant Faces Growing Backlash Over Costs, Climate Impact by Chris Bonasia:

"Opposition is mounting in New Brunswick—and spreading to Ottawa—over a proposed 500-megawatt gas-and-diesel power plant in rural Tantramar, a multi-billion-dollar project that could push utility bills up by almost 5%.”

Read our related fact sheet on why batteries make new gas plants obsolete.

• EVs Offset 70% of Iran Oil Exports as Crisis Speeds Up Energy Transition (pictured) by Mitchell Beer:

"Electric vehicles enabled drivers to avoid oil consumption equivalent to 70% of Iran’s exports in 2025, and scaling up the full range of electrotech options would reduce fossil fuel importing countries’ dependency by the same margin, the UK’s Ember clean energy consultancy concludes in a report issued Wednesday morning."

• No One Goes to War Over a Solar Panel :

"Fossil fuels aren’t a shield against chaos, they are a conduit for it, writes Peter McKillop at Climate & Capital Media."

• Alberta Won’t Recover $250M in Property Taxes from Deadbeat Fossils, Minister Admits, compiled by The Energy Mix staff:

"The Alberta government is admitting that it won’t likely recover $250 million in property taxes that oil and gas companies owe rural municipalities."

This space is evolving with new co-facilitators from all over our beautiful planet. Rooted in The Work That Reconnects, inspired by Hospicing Modernity, and the decolonial philosophy of Bayo Akomolafe, we hold space for what’s breaking down: in our systems, in the world, in ourselves—without rushing to repair. We stretch into grief, complicity, and curiosity. We offer our presence in all directions: sideways through the now, forward and back in time.

Bring your tangled threads. Come soften performance. Compost in good company.

Resources on how to communicate with others:

• How to Talk to Family & Others About Climate Change (updated for 2026).
• 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