The Activist Fall 2022
National
A Message From Ole Hendrickson, President of the Board Of Directors, Sierra Club Canada Foundation
It is humbling for me to be a part of an organization with such a long and proud history of working for people and the environment. Some of us first became involved through a passion for social justice and equity, others from a love of nature and the outdoors. All of us with Sierra Club Canada Foundation want this to be a decade of positive change.
In these troubled times the need for collective action by organizations such as ours has never been more evident. Canada’s then Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson said it well in a column (Protecting Mother Earth on the Road to Reconciliation) that he wrote while on a plane to Moosonee, Ontario in 2021:
“As I gazed at the vastness of Canada passing below, I was also struck by a statement made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – which underlined there can be no reconciliation among people until there is reconciliation with Mother Earth.”
Photo by / par Barry Stemshorn
There is a long way to go to recognize truth and seek reconciliation as conveyed in this statement.
We hope these stories from our programs, chapters, and national office inspire you with a sense of what is possible when people work together for the common good. We wish you well, and we are grateful for your continuing interest and support.
Youth Chapter Searches For Volunteers, Celebrates Podcast
Sierra Youth is looking for dedicated, empowered, and proactive young people to apply to volunteer with their chapter of the Sierra Club Canada Foundation. They also celebrate the completion of Season 2 of their podcast, which included interviews with major Canadian political leaders…
Québec Chapter Fights Line 5 Oil Pipeline, Champions Conservation
Chapter members participated in the mass climate rally in Montréal on the 23rd of Sept., wrote in La Presse against Line 5, hosted a walk in Terrebonne on local projects protecting migratory birds, and celebrated and acted on World Environment Day…
Wild Child Across Canada and in the Wake of Hurricane Fiona
Our Wild Child programs in Alberta, PEI, and Nova Scotia continue to educate youth in outdoor classrooms. Hannah Gehrels also writes about Fiona’s aftermath: “We walked through 2 of 7 of our wild child sites, and I spent the rest of the day crying…”
Prairie Chapter Plants 600 Square Foot Garden, Walk Planned
Fourteen volunteers, with the help of community groups, local partners and the City of Winnipeg city naturalists, came together to plant over 500 native species in a garden plot on Churchill Drive. A walk in Edmonton is also being organized on October 16…
Atlantic Chapter Fights Against Coal and for Natural Spaces
Our Sierra Club Canada Atlantic Chapter continues to champion a myriad environmental issues affecting the maritime provinces through thoughtful action, education, and demonstration…
Ontario Chapter Wins on Plastic Ban, Holds Land and Water Cleanup
Our Sierra Club Ontario Chapter held their first ever joint water and land cleanup in Toronto, celebrated their 3rd annual Plastics Free July, and forced the federal government to expand its plastic ban…
Celebrating Hiking Hero
Photo by / par Ole Hendrickson
This summer, our annual National Hike for Nature saw 6 hikes hosted across the country! With a total of 64 people attending, we raised over $6,000 for our local Sierra Club Chapters. All of your hard work will help us continue protecting our beautiful wilderness areas, long into the future. Thank you to all of our Hiking Heros!