Action Alerts
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Today we're launching our NEW Strategic Plan for Nature, Justice, and Democracy - including ways you can take part in it. We also have a new action item by which you can send a message to New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt to oppose fracking.
Our new strategy could not be ready at a more vital time. As we wrote last week the true struggle we face is the Many, and nature and justice, versus the Money:
"The U.S. Government works FOR the same wealthy interests that were at the Canada Investment Summit [U.S. aggression is not about benefiting the U.S., but about benefiting the 1%]."
Today we're launching our NEW Strategic Plan for Nature, Justice, and Democracy - including ways you can take part in it. We also have a new action item by which you can send a message to New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt to oppose fracking.
Our new strategy could not be ready at a more vital time. As we wrote last week the true struggle we face is the Many, and nature and justice, versus the Money:
"The U.S. Government works FOR the same wealthy interests that were at the Canada Investment Summit [U.S. aggression is not about benefiting the U.S., but about benefiting the 1%]."
If our Federal Government were actually doing anything it is doing for the sake of sovereignty, then why - after one and a half YEARS - have they done almost nothing to address Federal Government reliance on U.S. tech (a massive, well known, national security risk). Why are U.S. corporations benefiting from the public financing of gas plants to build their data centres, in Canada, with little public input and without binding regulation. Why has Palantir been given military contracts (after all what defence benefit does other military expenditure bring to Canada if the U.S. has access to every detail).
The Federal Government tabled an omnibus bill yesterday that "gives government the new and expanded power to end a legal strike," they've given wealthy U.S. interests control of airport privatization (it IS privatization) and - as we warned last week - resulting cost increases for Canadians will not be regulated in any serious way. As Althia Raj writes:
"[the new bill allows] the Carney government to do the same run around [of] Canada’s environmental protections for species at risk, like the orcas [that they had previously had to walk back on due to public outcry], just without the public closely watching."
While the PM talks about closer ties to the EU, our domestic policies become further from the EU's (and more American) every day. Our defence minister celebrates U.S. deals on Greenland after Canadian oil corporations had offered to aid in U.S. aggression there. Perhaps the PM has a point when he said: EU partnership would make Canada "a better partner" for the U.S. - it certainly will if we pass on pressure to the EU and Greenland to enact similar U.S.-style policies, as we already arguably have, adding to the EU's existing problems in that regard.
Nature, justice, and democracy are our strengths in this moment of crisis, not things to 'throw out the window' as Gretchen Fitzgerald noted in our podcast about our new Strategic Plan. As Julie Rennick puts it, nature is 'literally' what connects us. As both point out it is time to move past fear-based responses to the crises of nature-degradation, U.S. aggression, and democratic erosion to instead understand how they are linked. Only by understanding the connections can we develop functional plans to address those issues.
Connection is thus at the heart of Sierra Club Canada's new mission:
- To unite people and communities to defend nature through justice-driven, democratic action.
- To cultivate hope, belonging, and leadership by boldly pursuing new strategies and amplifying unheard voices.
Hope for the Future from the Larger Picture of Environmental History
There's something about our new plan that makes me particularly hopeful for the future, despite the above. In historian J. R. McNeill's Something New Under Sun the author makes the argument that the origin of politics itself rests in human decisions about the distribution of surplus energy (literally starting at first with the muscle-energy of humans but later energy from coal, oil, and gas). Politics is also about how elites benefit from that distribution. I hope to get more into this subject in a future newsletter but, if that argument has some truth to it, then I leave you with these questions to ponder:
- What happens to politics if every community's energy is generated and stored locally with solar panels and wind power and batteries? (No wonder big oil and gas want data centres, perhaps).
- What happens to the distribution of surpluses that wealthy corporations and the ultra-rich currently benefit from in that case?
McNeill also argues that a major part of the reason pollution has been successfully reduced in many cases after the 1950s was citizen activism and strong regulations combined with technological innovation (not innovation alone). But he argues that a major reason attempts to address climate change have often stalled (in comparison to issues like saving the ozone shield) is the entrenched monetary interests of the fossil fuel industry. Which leads to more questions for us to ponder:
- What happens if economic justice is empowered and that imbalance of power lessens as factors like wealth inequality are addressed? If nature once again starts to make progress in its recognition in regulation and law as citizens gain the leverage to advocate for nature?
Because if plans like ours succeed that's what will happen: a fundamental restructuring of energy and political power (but not without historical precedence) that puts control back into the hands of the many and nature itself.
Public Review of Draft Regulations: Amendments to the Air Quality Regulation under the Clean Air Act
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Draft regulations are available for public review and input. This is part of government efforts to increase transparency.
The regulations listed below are drafts and have been posted publicly to permit individuals and organizations an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed law.
Comments on the draft should be directed to the responsible department, using the e-mail address, telephone number and/or fax number provided. All comments received on or before the deadline date will be considered.
Upon consideration of the feedback, decisions will be made on which changes are required, if any, before the regulation becomes law. Unless significant changes result in major alterations to the draft regulation, the final version of the text will not be re-posted for comment prior to becoming law.
The Government of New Brunswick appreciates the involvement of individuals and organizations in the decisions that affect them. Thank you for your interest and participation.
Link to Draft Regulation:
Contact For Input:
- Environment and Local Government
- Email:[email protected]
Deadline:
- September 18th, 2026
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The vote is scheduled for March 26. Please contact your MLA today.
On March 26, the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly will vote on Bill 23 – An Act Respecting the Right to a Healthy Environment.
Some MLAs have suggested that the bill may be redundant because New Brunswick already has environmental laws. Those laws regulate pollution and rely on government enforcement. However, residents do not currently have a statutory right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment that they can assert in court.
Bill 23 would recognize that right and provide a rights-based foundation for environmental protection in the province.
For additional background, see the following articles by Jean Louis Deveau, a recent graduate of the Université de Moncton Faculty of Law who writes on environmental and Indigenous law:
- https://nbmediacoop.org/2026/03/04/debating-bill-23-an-act-respecting-the-right-to-a-healthy-environment/
- https://www.acadienouvelle.com/mon-opinion/2026/03/05/pourquoi-un-droit-statutaire-a-un-environnement-sain/
Your voice can make a difference.
MLAs say they pay the most attention to short personal messages from constituents.
Please take two minutes to contact your MLA and ask them to support Bill 23.
Step 1 – Write a short personal message
Write 2–4 sentences in your own words.
If possible, include:
- that you live in the MLA’s riding
- your community and postal code so the MLA knows you are a constituent
- why environmental protection matters to you
- a request to vote in favour of Bill 23
Example (please adapt in your own words):
I live in Fredericton in your riding and I’m writing to ask you to support Bill 23. New Brunswick regulates pollution, but residents do not yet have a legal right to a healthy environment. Recognizing that right would strengthen environmental protection for future generations. I hope you will vote in favour of Bill 23 on March 26.
Step 2 – Send your message to your MLA
Find your MLA’s email address here:
New Brunswick Legislative Assembly – MLA contact list
https://www.legnb.ca/en/members/current
Step 3 – You can also call your MLA
Short calls are also helpful.
Example:
Hello, my name is [Name] and I live in [community]. I’m calling to ask the MLA to support Bill 23 and recognize the right to a healthy environment in New Brunswick. Thank you.
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We all agree: healthcare, affordable housing, education, and safe roads are essential. But a healthy environment underpins all of it.
- Clean air and water reduce healthcare costs.
- Protected watersheds safeguard drinking water for communities.
- Healthy ecosystems support tourism, fisheries, and local economies.
- Outdoor spaces improve mental health, recreation, and quality of life.
Environmental programs in New Brunswick are often delivered through community organizations and local partnerships, leveraging volunteer time, matching funds, and local expertise to multiply every public dollar invested.
The provincial survey includes questions about government spending priorities, including whether grant programs for non-profits should be reduced.
If you care about clean water, thriving rivers, and strong communities, we encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the survey and ensure the environment remains part of the conversation.
Complete Survey by February 20th:
🔗 https://survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50517241/Prebudget-EN
Budgets reflect values. Let’s make sure nature has a voice!
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The provincial government has promised to protect at least 15% of the province for nature, but that promise is now under threat. Powerful industry interests are pushing to weaken this protection and make future protected areas smaller and fewer.
We need your help to make sure this important promise is kept. Join CPAWS NB’s call for strong protected areas in New Brunswick.
We have a responsibility to protect the places that sustain us. We need you to show the government you want them to act now, to safeguard the wild spaces and wildlife our communities rely on.
Two-thirds of New Brunswickers want the provincial government to protect 30% of NB’s lands and waters by 2030 — we know that people here care deeply about nature.
Meaningful conservation takes leadership, hard work, and real commitment to keep NB’s natural life-support systems intact, with strong legal protection for nature and climate resilience. Because …. when nature thrives, so do we!
Take action now by sending this letter to show the provincial government that you want nature to be strongly protected from industrial development. They need to hear from you at this moment!
*We know that when letters are personalized by you, they have greater influence on decision-makers. Please consider adding a couple of sentences, to tell them why protecting nature matters to you and your family.
