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The deadline for an agreement on industrial carbon pricing with Alberta (which was coincidentally April Fools' Day) came and went with no agreement. Again, somewhere between 56% and 72% of Albertans are now stronger advocates for climate action than our Federal Government. But the Federal Government sounds increasingly non-committal on the strength of industrial carbon pricing (pricing which is not driving up food prices, just FYI). As for the agreement on methane, 'just hours after signing an agreement in principle with Ottawa that already trades away the equivalent of 53 million tonnes of climate pollution, the Alberta government released new methane control regulations that undercut the new plan.'

All of this backsliding on climate action will be framed as the 'pragmatic' thing to do. But it isn't pragmatic, it's only being framed that way: letting U.S. fossil fuel corporations expand in Canada hands the U.S. 'playing cards' - not us. It needlessly undermines our sovereignty giving power to U.S. oil and gas interests and potentially negating the potential benefits of a Nature Strategy. 'New oil and gas projects also heighten the financial risk for Canada' an updated analysis shows.

In the full newsletter below we have news coverage of Sierra Club Canada in The Energy Mix and National Observer on Canada's new Nature Strategy. We were also on CBC News Here and Now to talk about how oil prices are accelerating the renewable transition globally and make oil and gas expansion in Canada even LESS likely to find a market.

You'll likely have some interesting conversations in the next few days on all this. We have a new video to help you re-frame pragmatism to reflect the truth - to shift the centre of the climate 'debate' (because appeasing the centre does NOT work).

As we wrote to media, while we hope the new Nature Strategy will do some good: "The announcement today is at odds with the Federal Government’s recent decision to subsidize Equinor’s Bay du Nord oil project to the tune of up to $1 billion. Bay du Nord is a project with a 16% chance of an extremely large oil spill according to DFO research (PDF) where capping a well blowout would take 18-36 days (during which time oil would flow into the North Atlantic and thus somewhat defeating the purpose of any affected Marine Protected Areas)." It is also at odds with Federal Government cuts to keeping Canadians safe from wildfires and cuts threatening Canada's 'capacity to contain oil spills' and 'ensure dangerous goods move safely on railways.'

There are likewise concerns about relying on market-based approaches, and as “The Ontario government is well on its way to dismantling key community-based protections for nature" the Federal Government needs "to create trust that fast tracking projects does not mean paving paradise,” Heather McKinnon, our Ontario Director says.

Again, the benefits of the Nature Strategy could also unfortunately be cancelled out if the Federal Government goes ahead with its plans to ship gas to U.S. billionaire's AI data centres and to subsidize U.S. oil corporations in Canada. A failure to stand up to big polluters makes it hard to trust government environmental initiatives in general.

Fake 'pragmatist' framing has an inherently toxic effect on our discourse, causing a idolization of the false appearance of progress over truth and justice. The Prime Minister commented this week “I can outlast her” in response to member of Grassy Narrows First Nation living with mercury poisoning who was trying to raise awareness of the contamination of Grassy Narrows and nearby First Nations (as well as ongoing serious health impacts). That that was the default response to a protest - but U.S. Government-aligned corporate lobbyists are free to fill positions of power - is deeply concerning.

Canada Supports U.S. Energy Dominance? 'Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better...'

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

Send us your questions for the podcast and this newsletter at communications@sierraclub.ca an we will try to get back with answers in future editions.

Sierra Club [Canada] said in a news release reacting to the nature strategy. It noted the project runs a 16 per cent chance of having an "extremely large” oil spill, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ review of Equinor’s environmental impact assessment."

Read more from Natasha Bulowski in Canada's National Observer here.

"'Frankly, it did feel before the last 24 hours that maybe nature was literally going to fall through the cracks,' Sierra Club Canada Executive Director Gretchen Fitzgerald told The Energy Mix...

Fitzgerald too expressed support for the strategy’s new level of investment. The plan to establish new urban parks is exciting as an approach for 'connecting people to nature in their community,' as well as co-benefits for livable, walkable, breathable communities, she added.

But she cautioned against the government’s Bay du Nord commitment while also warning that the new strategy could come into conflict with priorities of the Building Canada Act. 'I’m just a bit concerned that we’re not having a comprehensive approach here with climate and nature, and the two are very interrelated,' Fitzgerald told The Mix."

Read more from Chris Bonasia in The Energy Mix here.

Watch also our video interview with CBC News' Here and Now here (at 5 minutes and 15 seconds in).

• Up to $220B, 80,000 Jobs At Risk if Canada Can’t Deliver on Clean Power Grid by Mitchell Beer:

"Canada could be in line to lose $110 to $220 billion in new investment and 40,000 to 80,000 direct jobs if it fails to deliver a clean power grid “at the scale and speed that industry and investors need,” a recent report concludes."

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

• ‘Would You Want a CO2 Pipeline in Your Backyard?’ New Coalition Asks by The Energy Mix staff:

"A coalition of concerned landowners, farmers, and Indigenous communities, No CO2 Pipelines Alberta, has opened a grassroot campaign against the $16.5-billion carbon capture and storage (CCS) hub proposed by the Oil Sands Alliance, the recently-rebranded industry lobby previously known as the Pathways Alliance."

• Alberta Regulator’s Email Error Sparks Outrage, Frustration, and Some Thanks (pictured) by Lella Blumer:

"The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) last week exposed the email addresses of nearly 600 individuals who submitted comments about a controversial coal mine project proposed for Crowsnest Pass."

• ICYMI: Small U.S. Charity Ramps Up Efforts to Deliver Portable Solar to Ukraine by Gaye Taylor: 

"As Ukraine seeks to insulate itself from Russia’s attacks on its centralized energy system with rooftop solar and wind turbines, Hope for Ukraine is working to provide immediate energy security to the country’s most vulnerable households, one solar resilience kit at a time."

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 (EVs will NOT overwhelm the grid).
• Why Canada Can Go 100% Renewable.
• Renewable Energy Does NOT Need Baseload Power: why batteries make new gas plants and nuclear power obsolete.
• Industrial Carbon Pricing is NOT Driving Up Food Prices.
• 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