Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow will begin an eight-city tour in defence of the Great Lakes this Tuesday in Toronto.
Advance media on the tour has been good:read more

On Tuesday May 15, the Council of Canadians will formally launch the Great Lakes Need Great Friends speaking tour in Toronto.
Maude Barlow, the National Chairperson for the Council of Canadians, will be joined by special guests in eight cities in the G…

On Sunday, I had the honour of speaking at the Earth Day Every Day event organized by the Earth Mothers and the Foundation for the Great Earth Peace. Despite the chilly weather, up to 50 people gathered on Petrie Island just outside of Ottawa to hear a…

The federal budget is expected to start a series of cuts to critical public services as well as public service jobs. Here’s what to look for in some water-related areas.
Drinking water for First Nation communitiesread more

Yesterday, the Council of Canadians landed a large toy F-35 fighter jet on Parliament Hill to demand that the federal government completely back out of plans to purchase the fighter jets and invest needed funding in critical water services. In the Alte…

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) is poised to decide whether to begin issuing permits for hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” within the state of New York. Fracking is a controversial drilling process used to extract natura…

Bruce Power will not be able to ship 16 radioactive steam generators until they renew their permit with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).read more

On Tuesday, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) Gord Miller released his 2010/11 annual report entitled Engaging Solutions. The ECO report begins by framing the discussion with commons and public trust principles and examines pressing issues in…

There is a new threat coming to our Great Lakes, North America’s most precious water source: toxic wastewater from fracking. The Niagara Falls (NY) Water Board (NFWB) is working on a feasibility study to treat this waste. They want to experiment with t…

On Monday, Oct. 31, Niagara-on-the-Lake Councillor Jamie King will introduce a resolution calling for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing and the treatment of fracking wastewater within the Great Lakes Basin. To read a copy of the resolution, visit th…

Blooming Lake Erie. Photo Credit: NASA EO

Pure Michigan is a slogan used in the Great Lakes State, to bring in tourists and celebrate the beauty of nature. You probably won’t be seeing these images in any Pure Michigan ad campaign. They’re of algae, …

A U.S. architectural firm best known for creating some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world has turned its creative eye to the Great Lakes, advocating for a new economic and environmental vision that spans borders. The bi-national blueprint from Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings and Merrill is still in its infancy, but the concept has garnered [...]