https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/green-party-headquarters-insolvency-1.6271510
Threatened with insolvency, Green Party considers closing its head office
Party’s financial arm says threat of insolvency became 'very real' in the spring
As it looks for ways to cut its costs and avoid insolvency, the Green Party of Canada is considering ditching its Ottawa party office.
A report from the party's financial arm, presented to party members at last weekend's virtual general meeting, says the cash-strapped party is considering all of its options, including shutting down the office.
Donations to the Green Party fell off a cliff in June as efforts by members of the party's executive council to oust leader Annamie Paul spilled over in public. The drop in donations also coincided with the recent federal election.
"This past year has been challenging for the Green Party of Canada Fund. The threat of insolvency became very real in the spring and the summer," the party's financial report says. "That threat continues to this day."
The fund administers the Green Party's finances and holds its assets. It incurs all party expenses, negotiates contracts and deals with legal matters within the party.
According to the latest numbers released by the party's financial arm, the Greens have lost 1,722 monthly donors since January 2020 — 499 since July.
The report also says the party has lost roughly 6,259 members since July. Membership in the Greens stood at 35,000 nearly a year ago, after the party's last leadership race.
The last several months have been tumultuous ones for the Greens — marked by MP Jenica Atwin's defection to the Liberals, attempts to oust Paul from the leadership, legal proceedings and accusations of racism and sexism.
Paul officially resigned the leadership last month and gave up her party membership.
"This was not easy. It has been extremely painful. It has been the worst period in my life, in many respects," she said during her final news conference as Green leader in September.
"The downward trend in the number of monthly donors and total monthly donations is a very serious concern," the fund's report states. "We are now considering other ways to reduce costs, including a reduction in the leader's office budget and possible termination of the Ottawa office lease in 2022.
"These reductions may be avoided if fundraising increases, particularly in the critically important December 2021 fundraising period."
Losing the Ottawa office would not affect the work of the party's two MPs, whose offices and staff in Ottawa are funded by the House of Commons.
The party has tried to economize in other areas. It launched a round of layoffs in July and October, cut contracts and renegotiated its Ottawa lease.
Paul's exit blamed for 'significant legal costs'
The fund report says that legal proceedings involving the former leader consumed a lot of time and money, as did its collective agreement with newly unionized staff.
"Negotiations over [Paul's] departure as leader of the party and as an employee of the fund have required the fund to incur very significant legal costs over the past year," the report says. "Almost the entirety of the funds were spent defending the GPC and the GPC Fund in the arbitration or negotiating the terms of her departure.
"Contrary to media reports, no final judgments were made in her favour."
WATCH: Annamie Paul resigns as leader of the Green Party
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/89/711/Annamie-Paul-resigns.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:* 510w")
Paul had been leader of the Green Party for just over a year when she quit. After Atwin crossed the floor in July, the party's federal council began trying to remove Paul from the leadership through an early confidence vote. Paul took her party to arbitration and an adjudicator ruled in Paul's favour, preventing the party from proceeding.
Paul led the Greens into the election, which saw the party lose ground in the national vote. Paul blamed the party's dismal results on unnamed party members who she said "took great pleasure in attacking me." She also accused some federal council members of writing a list of allegations against her that were racist and sexist.
At a news conference on Parliament Hill Wednesday, the party's new interim leader said they did not know how much the party paid Paul on her way out. Amita Kuttner acknowledged the infighting over Paul's leadership affected donations.
"If you are looking to support a party, you'd hope to be getting something out of it. And if you're not getting the sense that you're going to get a return on your investment, you certainly wouldn't be donating," Kuttner said.
The report says the fund is taking steps to get its finances in order. It's launching consultations on re-organizing the fund management team and changing the scope of the party's executive director position, harnessing the work of volunteers and focusing on fundraising.
"We hope that better fundraising results in December will enable us to build a more sustainable financial future for our party in 2022," the report says.
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Annamie Paul hands in resignation as Green leader, and quits the party
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/politics/2021/11/10/annamie-paul-hands-in-resignation-as-green-leader-and-quits-the-party/2021111013110-618c0914e70a5addc2ca7392jpeg.jpg)
Paul sent in a resignation letter to the Green Party on Wednesday, which follows her announcement in September of her plans to step down.
The Green leader, the first Black and Jewish woman to lead a major political party in Canada, said a week after the election that leading the Greens had been the worst period of her life — due in part to the shattered glass ceiling.
“I had crawled over that glass, I was spitting up blood but I was determined to be there,” she told reporters on Sept. 27.
The Greens returned only two MPs in the Sept. 20 election and Paul failed to win her Toronto Centre riding, placing fourth in her third run at the Liberal stronghold.
The party’s puny showing at the polls — it won 2.3 per cent of the popular vote versus 6.6 per cent in 2019 — followed a period of infighting and sniping at Paul. She faced slurs by Green Party members on Twitter and claimed the party executive did not do enough to protect or support her.
Earlier this year, Paul drew criticism from a number of Greens, including MPs, for not publicly condemning Israel in stronger terms following a fresh outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. At least 230 Palestinians and 12 Israelis were killed in the 11-day war.
In a May 10 tweet, Paul called “for an immediate de-escalation in the violence and a return to dialogue as a means to seeking a peaceful resolution.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/annamie-paul-quits-green-leader-1.6244217
Annamie Paul formally resigns as Green leader, will end membership in party
'It was an honour to work for the people of Canada and I look forward to serving in new ways'
"It was an honour to work for the people of Canada and I look forward to serving in new ways," she said today in a social media post.
Party sources told Radio-Canada and CBC News Paul sent a resignation letter to the Green Party Fund triggering a termination clause under her contract that will take effect in 30 days. If the fund opts to terminate Paul immediately, it will owe her salary for the 30 days, the sources say.
Paul announced on Sept. 27 that she would be stepping down as Green Party leader after a poor showing in the summer federal election.
She ran for a seat in the Liberal stronghold of Toronto Centre, where she finished a distant fourth. Her party won two seats in September.
Paul was facing a leadership review despite announcing she was stepping down as leader.
"I just asked myself whether this is something I wanted to continue, whether I was willing to put up with the attacks I knew would be coming, whether to continue to fight and struggle just to fulfil my democratically elected role as leader of this party," Paul told reporters in Toronto days after the election. "I just don't have the heart for it."
Paul's departure was delayed because her lawyer was negotiating with party lawyers to settle a legal conflict, sources told CBC News last month.
Internal conflict over Israel
Paul was chosen to lead the party last October, making history as the first Jewish woman and Black person elected to lead a major federal party.
At her post-election press conference, she described her time as leader as "the worst period in my life" in many respects.
"What people need to realize is that when I was elected and put in this role, I was breaking a glass ceiling. What I didn't realize at the time was that I was breaking a glass ceiling that was going to fall on my head and leave a lot of shards of glass that I was going to have to crawl over throughout my time as a leader," she said.
Watch: Annamie Paul announces she will step down as Green Party leader
Sources told CBC News last month that Paul and the party were negotiating compensation for legal costs she incurred fighting a bid to remove her as leader last summer.
Some members of the Greens' federal council tried to trigger a leadership review in July after Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to the Liberals.
Atwin joined the Liberal benches shortly after criticizing Paul's response to violence in the Middle East as "totally inadequate" and going on to accuse Israel of pursuing a policy of apartheid.
Paul had issued a statement in May calling for a de-escalation and return to dialogue.
Paul's then-political adviser, Noah Zatzman, took to Facebook to accuse politicians, including some unspecified Green MPs, of discrimination and antisemitism.
"We will work to defeat you and bring in progressive climate champions who are antifa and pro LGBT and pro indigenous sovereignty and Zionists!!!!!" he said in a May social media post.
Paul did not comply with a demand from the party's federal council that she publicly repudiate Zatzman's remarks.
Paul told reporters after the election that unnamed senior party members "took great pleasure in attacking me" and suggested that was the reason the party performed poorly. She also said the national council held back financial resources she needed.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when you head into an election without funding for your campaign; when you head into an election without the staff to staff your campaign; when you head into an election without a national campaign manager; when you head into an election being again under the threat of a court process from your party; it's going to be very hard to convince people to vote for your party," Paul said.
Her exit will clear the way for the Green Party to choose an interim leader and plan a new leadership race.
With files from David Thurton, John Paul Tasker
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/annamie-paul-green-party-1.6228402
Green Party members are voting on Annamie Paul's leadership — weeks after she said she would quit
The vote is going ahead while Paul and the party negotiate the terms of her exi
Green Party of Canada members have started voting on whether to remove Annamie Paul as party leader — roughly a month after Paul herself announced her resignation.
"Yes, the leadership review is underway," Green Party communications director John Chenery said in an email to CBC.
Voting on Paul's leadership review began yesterday and will end on Nov. 25, the day before the party's next scheduled virtual general meeting. It's the second attempt to eject Paul from the leadership since the summer.
The Green Party of Canada is moving ahead with the leadership vote despite Paul announcing on Sept. 27 that she would be stepping down. The Toronto Star first confirmed party president Lorraine Rekmans launched the leadership review days after the federal election.
Paul personally failed to secure a seat in that election and the Green Party saw its share of the national vote diminish. Such leadership reviews are considered routine and follow an election loss, but the speed with which the party moved to launch the review reportedly caught some of Paul's supporters off-guard.
Paul's departure delayed
According to an email obtained by CBC, Paul first learned of the leadership review on Sept. 26. One day later, Paul announced her resignation — a move that should have made the leadership review moot.
But Paul's departure is moving slower than many in the party expected. She was supposed to leave earlier this month, following exit negotiations with the party.
Paul and the party are negotiating compensation for the legal fees she incurred taking the party's top brass to arbitration to block their last attempt to remove her from the leadership. In July, some on the Greens' federal council attempted to trigger an early leadership review after one of the party's MPs, Jenica Atwin, crossed the floor to the Liberals.
The arbitrator ruled in Paul's favour, telling federal party council members they could not proceed. Unsatisfied with the ruling, the party executive filed a notice of application for leave to appeal in the Ontario Superior Court that argued the arbitrator erred.
One person connected to the party, but not authorized to speak publicly, told CBC News that court application has been withdrawn. The Ontario Superior Court indicates it is still an active case.
It's not known how much compensation Paul is seeking. Green Party sources tell CBC that while the party isn't opposed to paying for Paul's legal fees, it's struggling with fundraising. Last week, the party laid off 11 staffers.
"We have been running large monthly deficits since February of this year, and our financial situation is not sustainable," says an internal party memo from the party's financial arm, the Green Fund.
"These layoffs are vitally important to avoiding insolvency and putting our party on secure financial footing heading into the next election — keeping in mind the minority nature of our current government."
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CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/annamie-paul-green-party-2021-election-1.6208384
Legal talks are dragging out Annamie Paul's departure from Green leadership
More than two weeks after announcing that she was stepping down, Paul is still party leader
Annamie Paul's resignation as leader of the Green Party of Canada — which was expected to take effect this week — still isn't complete because her lawyer is negotiating with party lawyers to settle a legal conflict, sources tell CBC News.
Paul told a press conference in Toronto in late September that she was calling it quits after a poor election performance and weeks of infighting within the party over her leadership.
But more than two weeks later, Paul's resignation still has not been finalized and she remains party leader, Green spokesperson John Chenery told CBC News.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation — who were not authorized to speak publicly — told CBC News that two factors are delaying Paul's departure.
First, both sides are negotiating compensation for legal costs Paul incurred fighting a bid to remove her as leader before the September general election.
The second unresolved issue has to do with a pre-election legal conflict between Paul and the party. Paul took her party to arbitration in July to challenge a bid by some within the party to remove her as leader.
The arbitrator ruled in her favour. Then the lawyers for the Greens filed notice of an application for leave to appeal in the Ontario Superior Court that argued the arbitrator erred in his judgment.
Chenery declined to comment on the negotiations and Paul has not replied to CBC's request for comment.
Green Party sources told CBC News the leave to appeal application is moot and shouldn't delay exit negotiations. The sources said that the application will be withdrawn at some point — but not immediately, because the party is wary of incurring unnecessary legal fees.
The Green Party Fund has said the party is facing dire financial issues after monthly costs outpaced gross income by $105,000 in May and $103,000 in June. The party reported it spent about $100,000 on legal fees in July alone during arbitration proceedings.
Last week, the Ontario Green Party issued a statement rebuking its federal sibling over its rocky relationship with Paul.
"We are deeply disappointed by Annamie Paul's painful experience as leader of the Green Party of Canada," says the statement from the Ontario Greens.
"Annamie's election as the first Black Jewish woman to lead a major Canadian political party was a historic milestone, with great potential to draw more under-represented Canadians into public service. Unfortunately, what happened may do the contrary."
Leadership tainted by infighting, policy disputes
Paul, a relative moderate in Green circles, came to the leadership promising aggressive action on climate change and policies to address systemic discrimination.
But Paul was hampered by party infighting and a dispute over the party's policy on Israeli and Palestinian issues.
During the last Middle East crisis in May, Paul called for de-escalation and a return to dialogue. That response was seen as insufficiently critical of Israel by some in the party — including one of its then MPs, Jenica Atwin, who later crossed the floor to join the Liberals.
Fredericton
MP Jenica Atwin, elected as a Green, crossed over to the Liberals after
a conflict with leader Annamie Paul over Middle East policy. (Jon Collicott/CBC)
Sean Yo, who ran the campaign that elected Ontario's first provincial Green MPP, Mike Schreiner, called for an end to the legal action over Paul's leadership.
"From my perspective, this is moot," said Yo, Paul's former byelection campaign director. "We'd be all really better off getting on with the really important task of coming together and deciding how we are going to move forward as a party."
Daniel Green, a former federal councillor and a vocal critic of Paul, confirms that he's heard negotiations are underway. Green said he hopes both sides come to a resolution and added he hopes Paul receives compensation for her legal fees.
"Yes, I do believe Annamie should get some compensation of her legal fees," he said. "The question is how much and how much can the party afford. I mean, you can't squeeze blood from a stone."
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/comeau-quits-green-party-council-1.6201997
New Brunswick rep quits federal Green Party council over infighting
Louise Comeau was elected to the post just two months ago
Louise Comeau was elected to the role in August, in the midst of internal turmoil over the future of leader Annamie Paul.
She says she went in knowing the party was in a crisis but believed she could make a difference.
"I didn't anticipate the one thing that really brought this to a head for me: my inability to actually make the professional contribution that I wanted to make," she told CBC Radio's Shift New Brunswick.
Annamie
Paul announced she was stepping down as the Green Party’s leader on
Sept. 27 in Toronto. Comeau said the turmoil around Paul's leadership
made being a member of the national council stressful. (Sam Nar/CBC)
Comeau said Paul had "engineered a tone and a set-up" on the federal council, the party's governing body, that made it difficult for members to perform their oversight role.
"I felt I just was unable to bring the kind of thoughtfulness I had hoped to bring to the decision-making processes of council."
That included going two months without any briefing on the party's legal and financial status, she said.
In a Twitter exchange with another Green supporter this week, Comeau wrote that she was resigning "because the stress was unbearable. I have more important work to do than waste time with this kind of baloney."
She added: "Play your games. The rest of us will try and keep the planet from burning."
Comeau is a climate change researcher at the University of New Brunswick and she says another challenge she faced was trying to speak independently about climate policy when it was at odds with the party's partisan interest.
The weekend before the federal election in September, she tweeted a link to a newspaper column that argued the federal Liberals had a better climate change plan than the Conservatives.
"I was simply commenting on the accuracy of the evaluation, which I agreed with," she said. But "I was personally attacked by many Greens for having stated my professional opinion."
She calls that an "infringement" on her professional independence.
"I am bigger than that because I think climate change is bigger than that," she says. "If I had to make a choice, climate change absolutely comes first."
An assistant to Annamie Paul, Victoria Galea, said Paul would not comment on Comeau's remarks and has not been doing interviews since "starting the process" of resigning as leader on Sept. 27.
The Green popular vote dropped from 6.5 per cent in the 2019 election to 2.3 per cent last month. The party lost one of its three seats in the vote, and had seen Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin defect to the Liberals in June.
The Greens gained one Ontario seat in the election and now has two MPs.
Comeau says even Paul's departure is contentious. She referred to the Sept. 27 announcement as "what we thought was the resignation of the leader" but says it hasn't officially happened yet.
She says Paul told her during a meeting that "until we negotiate her release, she enjoys all the rights and privileges of being a leader."
Fredericton
MP Jenica Atwin announced in June that she was leaving the federal
Green Party to sit as a Liberal. She successfully campaigned to win the
seat for the Liberals in the September election. (Guy LeBlanc/Radio-Canada)
Galea said because the party council is in a legal dispute with Paul over attempts to review her leadership before the election, Paul won't formally step down without a resolution of that dispute and some financial loose ends connected to it.
"She can't resign until they drop their court case against her."
Comeau also said council members who questioned Paul's decisions and approach were confronted by what she calls "identity politics."
Paul is the first Black woman to lead a major national political party, and Comeau says when council members like her pushed for "values like honesty, integrity, fair dealing and leadership," they faced a backlash.
Felt vulnerable
"It was almost as if they were used as weapons. If you challenged at all and said 'No, this is too much, you can't do that' or 'That is not actually accurate,' then we were into these accusations. People were feeling quite vulnerable to that," she says.
"Not everything is about identity politics. Sometimes it's just about good character."
In June, Paul said allegations against her by the previous federal council "were so racist, so sexist, that they were immediately disavowed by both our MPs as offensive and inflammatory."
Galea says that Paul has never made similar accusations against the new council members elected in August. "She's never said that and it's never been implied."
With files from CBC Radio's Shift New Brunswick
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/elizabeth-may-reaction-oct-5-1.6201051
Greens' Elizabeth May speaks out after 'terrible election result'
May says she remained silent out of respect for Leader Annamie Paul
"I knew I'd get more criticism by saying something about what's going on than by staying quiet," said May, who was re-elected in her riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands in the Sept. 20 federal election.
"I feel awful about it. I know this puts me in a bad situation but it's important for Canadians to know that there is a Green Party. It's important for people to know the Green Party exists. We're not going away. We will rebuild."
The Greens, which ran just 252 candidates across Canada's 338 ridings, dropped from 6.5 per cent of the national vote in 2019 to 2.3 per cent of the national vote in the 2021 election. May and one other MP — Mike Morrice from Kitchener Centre — are the only two representatives of the party in Parliament, compared to the three seats it had prior to the election.
May says Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, who announced on Sept. 27 she was stepping down as the leader, hasn't actually officially resigned and still controls party communications.
"Someone needed to explain that the reason they weren't hearing from the Green Party is that the communications are controlled by Annamie Paul," May told CBC News.
May says she had been asked to refrain from speaking about internal party politics, but decided she had to speak out after Lorraine Rekmans, the president of the party's federal council and a member of the Serpent River First Nation, was unable to send out a statement through the party for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation last Thursday.
Annamie Paul announced Sept. 27 she was stepping down as Green Party leader. (Sam Nar/CBC)
"She wanted to make a statement on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and the communications staff informed her, 'We only take instruction from Annamie Paul and you will not be making a statement,'" said May.
However, Victoria Galea, Paul's executive assistant, told CBC News that Rekmans was able to send a letter directed to Green Party members on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Galea said a separate statement from the party on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was also posted on the Green Party website last Thursday.
CBC reached out to Rekmans for further clarification. Rekmans said she was unable to respond at this time.
Disappointing election result
On Sept. 20, Paul came in fourth place, her third defeat, in the riding of Toronto Centre. Galea said the Green Party leader had been set up to fail and placed a lot of the blame on May's lack of support.
"Every single day, the party has set her up for failure, and that includes the former leader of the party," Galea told CBC News.
May denied that she hadn't supported Paul. She said that she had even offered Paul her seat in Saanich-Gulf Islands.
"I was heavily criticized for not offering it, but I had, in fact, offered it to Annamie. At the time, she said she was not interested in trading seats," May said.
She said she fundraised for Paul, and the party had more than adequate resources for a national tour.
"The fact [is] that Annamie Paul as new leader was granted far more resources, far more authority than I ever had," May said.
Galea disputes May's account, including the offer of a seat.
"The party ultimately provided Mme. Paul with no support, with zero staff, no budget, no National Campaign Manager, and zero dollars sent to Toronto Centre to help with her campaign," she said in an email to CBC News.
May says her focus now is on supporting whoever ends up becoming the next leader of the party and she will not be considering a return to the position.
"We have a lot of very talented people in the Green Party," she said. "If people turn to me, it'll look like, 'Oh, they had nobody but that poor old lady. And there she goes again.' So I think I want to focus where my energies feel most beneficial."
With files from On The Coast, On The Island
Incoming Green MP Mike Morrice respects Annamie Paul's decision to resign as party leader
Morrice 'open minded' about potential leadership run, but says focus is on new MP duties
Morrice is one of two Green MPs elected in last week's federal election. The other is former Green leader Elizabeth May in Saanich–Gulf Islands in B.C.
Morrice, who will represent the Ontario riding of Kitchener Centre, was attending orientation sessions for new MPs in Ottawa when he heard of Paul's announcement.
"I respect her decision," he said in an interview Monday afternoon. "There was a leadership review process that the party has in their constitution and I respect that Annamie has chosen to resign in advance of that."
Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner released a statement saying Paul "is an important voice in Canadian politics."
"I was proud to campaign with her," he added.
In June, Paul accused a "small group" within the Green's governing body of trying to push her out.
Paul said the allegations made against her during a meeting that month "were so racist, so sexist, that they were immediately disavowed by both our MPs as offensive and inflammatory."
WATCH | Annamie Paul talk to CBC The National about allegations of racism, sexism in politics:
Schreiner said she had a strong performance in the leaders' debate during the election campaign, and her unique challenges as leader means "many people will be asking some important questions today."
"I'm sad that systemic barriers exist in all parts of our society, including political parties," he added.
"As leader of the Ontario Greens, I cannot speak for the federal party, but I do recognize that the party I lead has more work to do to combat systemic racism. I am committed to doing the hard work to build a party that is diverse, inclusive and welcoming."
Paul faced leadership review
Paul said on Monday that on election day, the only email she received from party officials was one calling an emergency meeting to launch a leadership review.
On Saturday night, there was an announcement sent to all members of the party saying a leadership review had been launched, she said.
"I just asked myself if this is something that I wanted to continue, whether I was willing to continue to put up with the attacks I knew would be coming, whether to continue to have to fight and struggle just to fulfil my democratically elected role as leader of this party, and I just don't have the heart for it," she said.
Paul said she broke a glass ceiling by becoming leader of the Green Party of Canada, but "what I didn't realize at the time was that I was breaking a glass ceiling that was going to fall on my head, and leave a lot of shards of glass that I was going to have to crawl over throughout my time as a leader."
Morrice 'open minded' about future
Morrice said he disagreed with calls earlier this year for Paul to step down or be removed as leader, and agreed with Schreiner that she faced barriers and systemic racism where others do not.
Looking ahead, Morrice said, new people joined the party's federal council in August, and he's optimistic there will be a chance for them to speak up and unify the party. He said he'd like to see the council focus on priorities like the climate crisis, addressing the lack of affordable housing and providing mental health services to people.
"They need to ensure that the newer voices on the council do more to support whoever it might be that steps into that role," he said.
When asked if he might consider running for the Green leadership, Morrice said he's "open minded," but his focus is on his new role as a member of Parliament.
"My focus needs to stay there, on our community, on the priorities from right across Kitchener Centre," he said. "That work is just beginning and that really is my focus."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/annamie-paul-stepping-down-green-leader-1.6190793
Annamie Paul is stepping down as Green Party leader
Paul's time as leader was hampered by internal squabbling
Paul said she is leaving now because she can't bear to go through a fractious leadership review, a process that was formally launched Saturday by members eager to replace her after the party's poor showing in the 44th general election.
"I just asked myself whether this is something I wanted to continue, whether I was willing to put up with the attacks I knew would be coming, whether to continue to fight and struggle just to fulfil my democratically elected role as leader of this party," Paul told reporters at a Toronto press conference. "I just don't have the heart for it."
Paul, a bilingual former diplomat, was picked by members to take the reins of the party last October, becoming the first Jewish woman and Black person to lead a major federal political party.
She pushed to make the party more diverse and reflective of contemporary Canada but her time at the top will be remembered most for the internal squabbling that undermined her leadership and the party's electoral fortunes.
After posting its best result ever in the 2019 election, the resignation of its former leader Elizabeth May prompted soul-searching among the party's ranks as an ethnically and ideologically diverse group of candidates lined up to replace her.
Paul, a relative moderate, narrowly beat out an opponent who described himself as a "radical" and an "eco-socialist." Paul promised aggressive action on climate change and policies to address systemic discrimination.
Leadership tainted by infighting, policy disputes
But Paul was hampered by party infighting and a dispute over the party's policy on Israeli and Palestinian issues.
During the last Middle East crisis in May, Paul called for de-escalation and a return to dialogue — a response that was seen as insufficiently critical of Israel by some in the party, including one of its then MPs, Jenica Atwin.
Atwin, who eventually joined the Liberals and won re-election under that party banner last week, said Paul's response to what she called an ongoing "apartheid" was "totally inadequate."
WATCH: Annamie Paul resigns as Green leader:
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/314/811/green-leadership-thurton-270921.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:* 510w")
Annamie Paul resigns as Green Party leader
Another then-Green MP, Paul Manly, said the planned removal of some Palestinian families from East Jerusalem amounted to "ethnic cleansing."
An Israeli court has since ruled that Palestinians living in the contested neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah can stay in their homes, with some conditions.
The caucus pushback led one of Paul's advisers, Noah Zatzman, to accuse politicians, including some unspecified Green MPs, of discrimination and antisemitism.
"We will work to defeat you and bring in progressive climate champions who are antifa and pro LGBT and pro indigenous sovereignty and Zionists!!!!!" he said in a May social media post.
Green
Party Leader Annamie Paul walks away with her son, Malachai, after
conceding defeat in her riding of Toronto Centre on election night in
Toronto, on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)
Paul did little to distance herself from Zatzman, which angered some members who saw the leader's inaction as a sign that she endorsed her adviser's call to replace two incumbent Green MPs. The Zatzman post and Paul's reaction prompted Atwin's floor-crossing — a devastating blow to a party that had only three MPs.
Paul then faced several calls for a leadership review. At one point, party executives even tried to rescind her membership — an extraordinary move only weeks out from a widely expected election call.
Paul blamed the party's poor showing on unnamed senior party members who, she said Monday, "took great pleasure in attacking me." She said the party's national council stymied any chance of her doing well in the election because it held back some of the resources needed to run a winning campaign.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when you head into an election without funding for your campaign, when you head into an election without the staff to staff your campaign, when you head into an election without a national campaign manager, when you head into an election being again under the threat of a court process from your party, it's going to be very hard to convince people to vote for your party," Paul said.
'It has been the worst period in my life'
Paul said she had thought of quitting before all the votes had been cast because her time as leader has been such a miserable experience.
"What people need to realize is that when I was elected and put in this role, I was breaking a glass ceiling. What I didn't realize at the time was that I was breaking a glass ceiling that was going to fall on my head and leave a lot of shards of glass that I was going to have to crawl over throughout my time as a leader," she said.
"This was not easy. It has been extremely painful. It has been the worst period in my life, in many respects."
Paul spent nearly all of the recent campaign in the riding of Toronto Centre, where she was running for a third time.
Paul justified the limited itinerary by saying some Green candidates didn't want her in their ridings during the election. She ultimately finished a disappointing fourth place in her bid to become an MP.
Under Paul's leadership, the party's vote dropped from a high-water mark of 1.1 million votes and 6.5 per cent of the national vote in 2019 to less than 400,000 votes and 2.3 per cent of the vote share in the most recent contest.
'Set up for failure'
In an interview with CBC News, Victoria Galea, Paul's executive assistant, said the leader was "absolutely pummeled" by the national council and other party brass during her time at the top.
"She was not set up for success in this election. She was absolutely set up for failure," she said, adding that Paul was "not given a single penny for the Toronto Centre campaign, which is wildly unprecedented."
Galea said some of the party's national council members are holdovers from May's time at the helm — and they're still loyal to the former leader.
"Every previous leader has a responsibility to a new leader, to allow them to grow in their new roles and allow them to have a smooth transition," she said, adding May bears some responsibility for the internal disputes.
"Every single day the party has set her up for failure, and that includes the former leader of the party."
Green
Party Leader Annamie Paul holds a news conference alongside former
Green leader Elizabeth May in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. May led
the party for more than 13 years. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Lori Turnbull is an associate professor of political science and the director of the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University. She said it was always going to be difficult for May's successor to put her stamp on a party still so closely tied to the woman who led it for more than 13 years.
"For so long, it was really Elizabeth May's party and her brand was the party. People built trust in it largely because of how she performed. She was the face of the thing," Turnbull told CBC News.
"They're a small party. It's really difficult to try and manage a transition when you don't have the machinery, the institutional memory, the money and all the rest of it."
As for who the Greens should pick as their next leader, Turnbull said it would be a good idea to pick someone who has a seat in the Commons. While the party under-performed nationally, Green candidate Mike Morrice won his race in the Ontario riding of Kitchener Centre.
"There is some forward momentum to build on," Turnbull said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from the CBC's David Thurton
Senior Federal Court judge under fire for objections to Indigenous principles and land acknowledgments
A senior judge of the Federal Court of Canada has strongly objected to showing respect for Indigenous people by acknowledging their unceded traditional lands in courtroom proceedings, a common practice at the Supreme Court of Canada as well as government and corporate events.
Justice Richard Bell was also critical of the Mi’kmaq concept known as “two-eyed seeing,” which encourages courts and other Canadian institutions to examine environmental and social issues from both Indigenous and Western perspectives.
Justice Bell made the remarks while hearing a judicial review case in Halifax in late May, challenging the federal government for failing to properly assess the risks of exploratory drilling for oil and gas off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Sierra Club Canada, World Wildlife Fund and Ecology Action Centre were urging the court to quash a ruling by Ottawa to exempt the drilling from an environmental assessment.
“Aren’t we being a bit stereotypical toward the European version of the world in this two-eyed vision?” Justice Bell asked when the concept was raised in court. “Well, I don’t think my forebearers were very short-sighted about anything ... I don’t buy into any of that.”
As the case got underway on May 25, Justice Bell addressed lawyer James Gunvaldsen-Klaassen, who represents the three environmental groups, after he said: “I want to gratefully acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, also known as Halifax, Nova Scotia.”
Justice Bell stopped Mr. Gunvaldsen-Klaassen and criticized him for making such an acknowledgement.
“This regard to the territory creates a problem for the court – any court – because we are called upon to decide territorial issues on a daily basis. So, what is the court supposed to respond when you do that?” Justice Bell said. “Do you understand the dilemma that puts judges in when they are faced with such an acknowledgement and we are supposed to sit there and say ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ [or] nothing. What do judges do, sir?”
It is standard practice before the Supreme Court of Canada and other courts to acknowledge unceded traditional Native lands in opening sessions or when governments or public institutions make announcements.
Mr. Gunvaldsen-Klaassen responded that he was expressing his “own personal conscience” and wasn’t seeking a finding from the court.
However, Justice Bell told Mr. Gunvaldsen-Klaassen that if he felt strongly about acknowledging traditional Indigenous territory, he should seek permission from First Nations leaders that he is coming on to their lands.
“Write the chiefs of the appropriate First Nations and get their permission, and then if you get their permission, then the Court will hear you,” he said. “In the future, you ask the permission of the First Nations you are concerned about.”
Canada’s first Indigenous justice minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, would not comment directly on the case, but said recognizing First Nations territory at the outset of proceedings “in some ways complements the symbolism of the court and the evolution of our legal orders in Canada.”
The following day, Justice Bell took issue when Crown counsel lawyers Sarah Drodge and Melissa Grant raised the concept of “two-eyed seeing,” an idea first advocated by Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshal. He argued that “beneficial outcomes are much more likely in any given situation when we are willing to bring two or more perspectives into play.”
The two federal justice lawyers argued that consideration of Indigenous and Eurocentric views were a “great development,” adding that the two-eyed principle is being increasingly incorporated into government policy-making.
Justice Bell, who is also Chief Justice of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada, said he interpreted two-eyed seeing as giving the impression that “those of us of European descent are short-sighted and basically visionless.
“If my interpretation is correct and European peoples are supposed to be short-sighted, man, is that ever a misapplication ... of my experience with respect to what some very brave people did in the world in the past four or five or six hundred years,” he said. “Much of it doesn’t show a short-sighted vision of the world to me.”
Later in the proceedings, Justice Bell said, “maybe I was being over-sensitive” in raising objections to the concept of two-eyed seeing.
In a statement to The Globe and Mail on Sunday, Mr. Gunvaldsen-Klaassen said that the three environmental groups involved in the case “strongly disagree with the negative comments from the bench about the guiding principle” of two-eyed seeing.
“As predominantly settler organizations, it is incumbent on us to name and address systemic inequities and biases that disproportionately harm Indigenous peoples and communities,” he said. “It is essential to dismantle the white colonial privilege that exists within the legal profession and the administration of justice in Canada. This work is critical to building a more accessible justice system – one that is free of arbitrary barriers created by prejudice and white privilege, and trusted by all people in Canada.”
Ms. Wilson-Raybould added the justice system has interacted with Indigenous peoples differently, reflecting the legacy of deeply rooted colonialism.
“It is time for greater leadership by the bench, the bar and governments to move these changes forward in a systematic way,’ she said.
This is not the first time Justice Bell has engendered controversy. In 2017, he wrote a character reference for former federal judge Robin Camp after he stepped down following a Canadian Judicial Council recommendation that he be removed from the bench.
While sitting as a judge in 2014, Mr. Camp had asked why a rape complainant didn’t resist by keeping her knees together.
Justice Bell, a friend of Mr. Camp’s, wrote a letter of support to allow him to rejoin the legal profession. “He’s just a very, very good person,” he wrote.
Know what is happening in the halls of power with the day’s top political headlines and commentary as selected by Globe editors (subscribers only). Sign up today.
James M. Gunvaldsen-Klaassen
https://ecojustice.ca/people/james-gunvaldsen-klaassen/
James Gunvaldsen Klaassen
Lawyer
James has litigated cases in Canadian courts for the past 20 years, as counsel with Justice Canada until April 2018, and now with Ecojustice. He feels honoured to be in on the opening of the new Ecojustice office in Halifax and to join the team working to protect and improve the environmental condition of our planet. James believes that we all have a personal responsibility to protect and care for the air, water and earth for current and future generations. He enjoys camping with his family and spending time on Atlantic Canada’s beautiful beaches.
http://www.goc411.ca/en/93307/James-Gunvaldsen-Klaassen
James Gunvaldsen Klaassen worked as Legal Counsel for Justice Canada.
James could be reached at 902-426-0020
First name James
Last name Gunvaldsen Klaassen
Title Legal Counsel
Telephone Number 902-426-0020
Alternate Number
Fax Number 902-426-2329
Email
Street Address Duke Tower 5251 Duke Street Suite 1400 (view on map)
Country Canada
Province
Nova Scotia
City Halifax
Postal Code B3J 1P3
Department JUS-JUS
Justice Canada
Organization CL-CCC
CIVIL LITIGATION AND ADVISORY
https://wwf.ca/media-releases/flawed-environmental-assessment-of-offshore-drilling-in-nl-to-be-scrutinized-in-court-2/
Flawed environmental assessment of offshore drilling in NL to be scrutinized in court
Environmental groups disappointed exploratory drilling will proceed in the interim
ST. JOHN’S, NL – Ecojustice and its clients welcome the Federal Court’s decision to reject the federal government’s attempt to shut down a judicial review application challenging a flawed Regional Assessment (RA) on the impacts of exploratory drilling off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
However, they are disappointed that the Court has not granted an interim injunction against a regulation that will “fast-track” exploratory drilling approvals and vastly increase exploratory drilling activity in the area. The government has stated it intends the regulation to come into force on June 4th.
On behalf of Ecology Action Centre, Sierra Club Canada Foundation and WWF-Canada, Ecojustice took legal action against the federal government last month for failing to properly assess the risks of exploratory drilling for oil and gas off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The government filed a motion to dismiss the case, but the federal court has found in favour of Ecojustice and its clients.
The RA in question is the first to be conducted under the new Impact Assessment Act (IAA). The federal government stated that it intended to use the flawed RA and a loophole in the IAA legislation to allow for a broad exemption of all future offshore exploratory drilling in the region. Regional Assessments have the potential to be a valuable tool for assessing the cumulative effects of all projects in a region, but this type of assessment was not conducted in this RA. Left unchallenged, this would set a poor and dangerous precedent for regional assessments, which could otherwise be a promising new mechanism under the Impact Assessment Act.
An increase in exploratory activity in Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore waters threatens important marine ecosystems while also damaging Canada’s ability to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Thorough impact assessments need to be conducted to understand and mitigate possible negative impacts on important species, habitats and climate change targets.
Additional information:
Due to the urgent need to prohibit the federal minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada from using the flawed assessment to give blanket exemption to potentially hazardous projects in Canadian and international waters, Ecojustice, on behalf of its clients, requested an expedited hearing. The Court accommodated this request by holding the hearing via the video platform Zoom on May 29, 2020.
Sigrid Kuehnemund, Vice President, Ocean Conservation, WWF-Canada said:
“With this court challenge, it is our hope that the flawed regional assessment will be strengthened to include a robust cumulative effects assessment and set aside no-go zones to protect sensitive marine habitats, such as deep-sea corals and sponges found within the Northeast Newfoundland Slope Marine Refuge. It is essential that this and all future regional assessments support Canada’s environmental decision-making, to align with national climate and biodiversity commitments and achieve the necessary safeguards for people and nature.”
James Gunvaldsen-Klaassen, Ecojustice lawyer said:
“Canadians need to be assured that potentially hazardous projects are fully assessed for environmental risk and for the cumulative effects all activities in the offshore have on climate change and vulnerable offshore species. Today’s decision from the Federal Court is important as it allows the flawed regional assessment to be scrutinized in court.
“It is extremely concerning, however, that harm could be inflicted now that the Impact Assessment provisions of the Act will no longer apply to the study area.
“The Impact Assessment Act was introduced to make government decision-making more transparent and improve the assessment process. Exempting exploratory drilling in the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador using a flawed assessment is unlawful and would remove decisions regarding offshore drilling from public and judicial scrutiny.”
Jordy Thomson, Senior Marine Coordinator, Ecology Action Centre said:
“We’re disappointed that yesterday’s ruling did not close a loophole that could allow exploratory drilling in Newfoundland’s rich and productive offshore waters without a full impact assessment. At the same time, we’re happy that the court will proceed with a review of the deficient and damaging regional assessment. Because it is the first of its kind and sets a national precedent, Canada must get this one right. We now have an opportunity to make sure that our Impact Assessment Act has teeth, that we protect sensitive marine life, and that we take the necessary steps for a just transition to a low-carbon future.”
Gretchen Fitzgerald, National Programs Director, Sierra Club Canada Foundation said:
“We are pleased that the flawed regional assessment for drilling off Eastern Newfoundland will get reviewed in court. However, we are alarmed that, in the interim and under cover of the COVID crisis, the regulation exempting exploratory drilling from further assessment will stand, even as political pressure is mounting to accelerate drilling. We are concerned that this loophole will subvert Canada’s climate goals, result in even more spills, and that the seismic blasting that will precede this drilling will harm whales that make the region their home – some of which are endangered.
“In the days to come, we will be considering our options to ensure greater protection of the environment and that projects that are reviewed meet the climate test. We will continue to push back against offshore drilling and subsidies to the offshore sector, and call for improved laws and policies to reduce risk of spills, threats to ocean life, and ensure a safe climate and just recovery.”
ABOUT
WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more information, visit wwf.ca.
Ecojustice goes to court and uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change, and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, innovative public interest lawsuits lead to legal precedents that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, and Halifax.
Ecology Action Centre takes leadership on critical environmental issues from biodiversity protection to climate change to environmental justice. The EAC is an independent organization that strives to catalyze change through policy advocacy, community development and as a watch-dog for the environment. It takes a holistic approach to the environment and our economy to create a just and sustainable society. EAC is a strong proponent for marine protection and pollution reduction, advocating for marine protected areas and preserving biodiversity both in Canadian waters and on the high seas.
Sierra Club Canada Foundation empowers people to be leaders in protecting, restoring and enjoying healthy and safe ecosystems. At its heart, Sierra Club Canada Foundation is a grassroots organization with a “think globally, act locally” philosophy. Members are encouraged to actively contribute to environmental causes that engage or inspire them, in a capacity that best suits their capabilities.
For media inquiries
Tina Knezevic, communications specialist| WWF-Canada, tknezevic@wwfcanada.org
Sean O’Shea, communications specialist | Ecojustice, 1-800-926-7744 ext. 523, soshea@ecojustice.ca
Jordy Thomson, Senior Marine Coordinator| Ecology Action Centre, 1-902-877-9382, jordy.thomson@ecologyaction.ca
Gretchen Fitzgerald, National Programs Director| Sierra Club Canada Foundation, 1-902-444-7096, gretchenf@sierraclub.ca
WWF-Canada ready to work with new government to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change
Share with Facebook Share via Twitter Share via LinkedinAll parties must work together to protect nature
Ottawa, ON, September 21, 2021 – WWF-Canada is looking forward to working with the re-elected Liberal federal government during this critical time for action to reverse biodiversity loss and curb the effects of climate change.
It is imperative that nature’s recovery becomes a national priority. All parties must work together to realize our commitments, as part of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and the Global Ocean Alliance, to protect at least 30 per cent of Canada’s land, freshwater and oceans by 2030. And all parties must pay attention to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recent “code red” for humanity and act quickly to reduce carbon emissions and push to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The path to keep global warming below 1.5°C is narrow but still exists. The alternative is increased climate disruption and the extinction of over one million species worldwide.
Investing in nature-based solutions that both provide habitat for wildlife and fight climate change by storing carbon in nature must be part of the plan. The new government must also invest in Indigenous-led conservation, including creating Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas stewarded by Indigenous guardians, while also recognizing and respecting Indigenous knowledge and governance in all aspects of conservation in Canada.
“As the window to effect real, long-term positive change for the planet closes, WWF-Canada is ready to work with the new government to effectively tackle the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change,” says Megan Leslie, WWF-Canada President and CEO.
WWF-Canada expects that these issues will be included in mandate letters issued to Cabinet members by the Prime Minister.
For more information contact:
Tina Knezevic, communications specialist, WWF-Canada, tknezevic@wwfcanada.org
About World Wildlife Fund Canada
WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter
most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically
important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive. For more
information, visit wwf.ca.
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https://wwf.ca/stories/meet-megan-leslie-new-head-world-wildlife-fund-canada/
Meet Megan Leslie, the new head of World Wildlife Fund Canada
Megan Leslie is the new president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund Canada, taking over after David Miller announced his departure for a different role in environmental advocacy. As she assumes the leadership, Megan answered a few questions about herself and her aims.
You’ve been described as a life-long environmentalist. Can you recall an early time you knew that the Earth was being damaged, and that something needed to be done?
When I was 15 there was a proposal to store toxic waste in the abandoned mines of Kirkland Lake, Ont., my hometown. And even though we weren’t scientists or engineers, my girlfriends and I knew this was not good for our community. We made signs that said “No, no! We won’t glow!” and marched in front of the town hall as councillors decided not to go ahead with the plan. I know it wasn’t just because some girls with clever signs were outside, but for the first time I really felt I could make change in my community. And that same feeling has driven me as I went on to be a community legal worker, an elected official, head of ocean conservation at WWF-Canada and now president and CEO.
You are well known after two terms as Member of Parliament for Halifax and deputy leader of the official Opposition. How did you take your concern for the environment to Parliament Hill?
In addition to being an MP and deputy party leader, I was also the environment critic and vice-chair of the committee on environment and sustainable development, where I was part of government decisions. I’m proud that I was a part of committee work that created Sable Island National Park Reserve, and that I was able to use my position to speak out against changes that weakened our environmental assessment processes. One of my greatest accomplishments was working with environmental organizations, engaged Canadians and across party lines to ban the production of microbeads in Canada, a motion that passed in the House of Commons unanimously.
What do you see as the top priority for WWF-Canada?
It has to be the shocking scale and scope of wildlife loss in Canada, revealed in WWF’s new Living Planet Report Canada. This is a wake-up call. And I want all Canadians to join me in answering it. I’m counting on all of us — communities, Indigenous organizations, governments, industry, scientists, cultural organizations and beyond — to address the reasons that half of the wildlife species we studied are in decline, with an average 83 per cent loss since 1970.
Re Bill C 51 I just called you folks from (902 900 0369) and tried to explain this emailInbox |
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Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 6:07 PM
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Before Trudeau, Gerald Butts Abandoned Tar Sands Action As Head Of WWF
When veteran climate analyst Keith Stewart arrived at his office at the Toronto headquarters of the World Wildlife Fund Canada in the spring of 2010, he was in for a shock. Turning on his computer, he realized that the campaign he had been directing and working on for years — raising the alarm about the unsustainable exploitation of Alberta’s tar sands — had disappeared from the organization’s website.
Stewart hadn’t received any warning, and would not be offered an explanation. Later, he would learn that a decision to shut down the campaign and wipe the website had come from the top of WWF-Canada. The organization’s leadership was abandoning its advocacy on an issue that, thanks in part to their efforts, was finally capturing global attention. When the decision was made, the organization’s president was none other than Gerald Butts, Justin Trudeau’s close friend and primary advisor, who a few years later would become one of the most powerful officials in Canada’s Liberal government.
In his role at WWF-Canada, Butts initially embraced bold climate policies. But before long, he would appear to succumb to limits on action prescribed behind closed doors by corporate power-brokers. It was a striking omen of how he and Trudeau would eventually run the Liberal government — and an instructive parable for those seeking to understand Trudeau’s shift from ostensible climate champion to pipeline-nationalizing oil booster.
When Butts arrived at WWF-Canada in 2008 as its new president and CEO, the first campaigns to slow down the breakneck expansion of the tar sands had just been launched by nearby Indigenous communities, who were suffering from downstream pollution. International media had begun taking notice, publishing reports of hundreds of ducks mired in a Suncor tailings pond.
WWF-Canada was ahead of the curve of most organizations. Stewart, who holds a PhD in environmental policy and teaches at the University of Toronto, oversaw their climate campaigning. They sponsored a tour by journalist and fierce tar sands critic Andrew Nikiforuk. Their website featured commentary from the world’s top climate scientist, James Hansen, who has warned that fully exploiting the Alberta tar sands would spell “game over” for a livable climate. Butts and Trudeau flew to northern British Columbia with funders to visit the Great Bear Rainforest, which would soon be threatened by Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. In an op-ed in the Toronto Star, Butts didn’t mince words: “From hewers of wood and drawers of water to makers of moonscapes and creators of toxic tailing ponds: what a face for Canada to show the world.” And in 2009, he would sign a joint public statement from several environmental groups calling for the government to “declare a moratorium on expansion of tar sands development and halt further approval of infrastructure that would lock us into using dirty liquid fuels.”
Just before Butts joined the organization, WWF-Canada had also opened an office just outside Edmonton and launched another campaign to try to curb the staggering amount of water that tar sands companies were drawing from the Athabasca River. That campaign was led by Rob Powell, a mild-mannered scientist who had previously worked at an industry-friendly regulatory agency of the Alberta government. “What we were looking for from tar sands companies was mild steps toward sustainability,” he told me over the phone in the spring of 2018. “We wanted to ensure that the water outtakes would not drive the Athabasca River below a level of flow that would be catastrophic. Below that, everything falls apart, killing the fish, leaving enormous ecological destruction.” Though Butts inherited this campaign, Powell says he was enthusiastic about it and had a hunch that the issue would rise in profile. Butts delegated several people to work on it.
While some companies resisted the campaign, others eventually agreed to make changes. The province’s water management improved, and WWF-Canada’s scientific modelling of water flows was heralded as an example for elsewhere in the country. The Toronto head office was delighted, Powell says. He began preparing another campaign, this time to challenge an outlandish exercise in green-washing by tar sands companies. To fulfill their obligation to remediate destroyed land, the industry was proposing to pipe toxic sludge from tailings ponds into giant mining craters, pour fresh water over them, and claim they would become thriving “end-pit lakes.” “It might look like a lake, but it wouldn’t act like one,” Powell says. “It was a horrendous excuse for reclamation.”
But as the notoriety of Alberta’s tar sands grew thanks to public education and campaigns, the mood shifted in some parts of the WWF-Canada headquarters. “It seemed like powerful people were not thrilled that we were working on this,” Powell says. Stewart remembers that staff began hearing from the fundraising department that their tar sands campaigns were hurting donations. “Corporate funders started freaking out,” Stewart recalls. “They’d tell us, ‘I don’t understand what you’re doing. Can we figure this out?’ Big donors weren’t saying straight-out that they were opposed to our work. It was more like, ‘I thought we had a partnership here.’” After all, WWF-Canada had a long history of friendly collaborations with corporations. Those now pushing more aggressive advocacy were beginning to jeopardize a safe brand.
“I felt at the time (and still do) that the campaign was divisive in Canada”
Stewart says he heard that some members of the board of directors grew increasingly anxious. The board was populated by CEOs, corporate lawyers, and bankers, as well as future Liberal cabinet minister Seamus O’Regan. It also included Blake Goldring, a member of the Business Council of Canada, who had previously donated $500,000 to WWF-Canada. He was the CEO of investment firm AGF Management, which advised an Oil Sands Sector Fund worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He would not rejoin the board in 2010, for reasons unknown. (He did not respond to questions about this.) All that remained was for Gerald Butts to exercise his widely-praised skills in reading the tea leaves.
Powell says support for his work from his direct superiors at WWF-Canada suddenly vanished. Every new campaign idea was rejected. “It was rather strange, when you have put a lot of effort in, and you have something to show for it,” he says. “Wiping it from the map seemed a very odd choice.” At the same time, in the spring of 2010, Stewart came into the office to discover that all signs of the tar sands campaign had vanished from the WWF-Canada website. Some staff demanded answers. One never came from Butts, Stewart says, but a director quietly told him: “We’re not doing that anymore. Priorities have shifted. The focus will now be on corporate engagement.”
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2021 17:56:07 -0400
Subject: In my humble opinion this was the most IMPORTANT NEWS in the
Maritimes 3 very long years ago
To: jbdavis@eco-nova.com, outreach@cleanoceanaction.org,
mfkeddy30@gmail.com, kenpat@ns.sympatico.ca
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
https://davidraymondamos3.
Monday, 24 December 2018
In my humble opinion this is the most IMPORTANT NEWS in the Maritimes
this week and hardly anybody seemed to care
Deja Vu anyone?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/
Building blocks of ocean food web in rapid decline as plankton
productivity plunges
Social Sharing
Senior DFO scientist says the cause of the collapse is unknown
Jane Adey · CBC News · Posted: Dec 22, 2018 5:00 PM NT
>>>>
>>>> ---------- Original message ----------
>>>> From: "McGrath, Stephen T" <Stephen.McGrath@novascotia.ca
>>>> Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2018 12:40:22 +0000
>>>> Subject: Automatic reply: Does anyone recall the email entitled "So
>>>> Stephen McGrath if not you then just exactly who sent me this latest
>>>> email from your office?"
>>>> To: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for your message, however I am no longer at the Department of
>>>> Justice, and this email account is not being monitored.
>>>>
>>>> Please contact Kim Fleming at Kim.Fleming@novascotia.ca (phone
>>>> 902-424-4023), or Vicky Zinck at Victoria.Zinck@novascotia.ca (phone
>>>> 902-424-4390). Kim and Vicky will be able to redirect you.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ---------- Original message ----------
>>>> From: Justice Website <JUSTWEB@novascotia.ca>
>>>> Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2017 14:21:11 +0000
>>>> Subject: Emails to Department of Justice and Province of Nova Scotia
>>>> To: "motomaniac333@gmail.com" <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
>>>>
>>>> Mr. Amos,
>>>> We acknowledge receipt of your recent emails to the Deputy Minister of
>>>> Justice and lawyers within the Legal Services Division of the
>>>> Department of Justice respecting a possible claim against the Province
>>>> of Nova Scotia. Service of any documents respecting a legal claim
>>>> against the Province of Nova Scotia may be served on the Attorney
>>>> General at 1690 Hollis Street, Halifax, NS. Please note that we will
>>>> not be responding to further emails on this matter.
>>>>
>>>> Department of Justice
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ---------- Original message ----------
>>>> From: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
>>>> Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2017 15:16:38 -0400
>>>> Subject: Attn Laura Lee Langley, Karen Hudson and Joanne Munro I just
>>>> called all three of your offices to inform you of my next lawsuit
>>>> against Nova Scotia
>>>> To: LauraLee.Langley@novascotia.ca
>>>> Joanne.Munro@novascotia.ca
>>>> Cc: David Amos david.raymond.amos@gmail.com
>>>>
>>>> https://novascotia.ca/exec_
>>>>
>>>> https://novascotia.ca/exec_
>>>>
>>>> Laura Lee Langley
>>>> 1700 Granville Street, 5th Floor
>>>> One Government Place
>>>> Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1X5
>>>> Phone: (902) 424-8940
>>>> Fax: (902) 424-0667
>>>> Email: LauraLee.Langley@novascotia.ca
>>>>
>>>> https://novascotia.ca/just/
>>>>
>>>> Karen Hudson Q.C.
>>>> 1690 Hollis Street, 7th Floor
>>>> Joseph Howe Building
>>>> Halifax, NS B3J 3J9
>>>> Phone: (902) 424-4223
>>>> Fax: (902) 424-0510
>>>> Email: Karen.Hudson@novascotia.ca
>>>>
>>>> https://novascotia.ca/sns/ceo.
>>>>
>>>> Joanne Munro:
>>>> 1505 Barrington Street, 14-South
>>>> Maritime Centre
>>>> Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3K5
>>>> Phone: (902) 424-4089
>>>> Fax: (902) 424-5510
>>>> Email: Joanne.Munro@novascotia.ca
>>>>
>>>> If you don't wish to speak to me before I begin litigation then I
>>>> suspect the Integrity Commissioner New Brunswick or the Federal Crown
>>>> Counsel can explain the email below and the documents hereto attached
>>>> to you and your Premier etc.
>>>>
>>>> Veritas Vincit
>>>> David Raymond Amos
>>>> 902 800 0369
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>> From: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
>>>> Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2017 09:32:09 -0400
>>>> Subject: Attn Integrity Commissioner Alexandre Deschênes, Q.C.,
>>>> To: coi@gnb.ca
>>>> Cc: david.raymond.amos@gmail.com
>>>>
>>>> Good Day Sir
>>>>
>>>> After I heard you speak on CBC I called your office again and managed
>>>> to speak to one of your staff for the first time
>>>>
>>>> Please find attached the documents I promised to send to the lady who
>>>> answered the phone this morning. Please notice that not after the Sgt
>>>> at Arms took the documents destined to your office his pal Tanker
>>>> Malley barred me in writing with an "English" only document.
>>>>
>>>> These are the hearings and the dockets in Federal Court that I
>>>> suggested that you study closely.
>>>>
>>>> This is the docket in Federal Court
>>>>
>>>> http://cas-cdc-www02.cas-satj.
>>>>
>>>> These are digital recordings of the last three hearings
>>>>
>>>> Dec 14th https://archive.org/details/
>>>>
>>>> January 11th, 2016 https://archive.org/details/
>>>>
>>>> April 3rd, 2017
>>>>
>>>> https://archive.org/details/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> This is the docket in the Federal Court of Appeal
>>>>
>>>> http://cas-cdc-www02.cas-satj.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The only hearing thus far
>>>>
>>>> May 24th, 2017
>>>>
>>>> https://archive.org/details/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> This Judge understnds the meaning of the word Integrity
>>>>
>>>> Date: 20151223
>>>>
>>>> Docket: T-1557-15
>>>>
>>>> Fredericton, New Brunswick, December 23, 2015
>>>>
>>>> PRESENT: The Honourable Mr. Justice Bell
>>>>
>>>> BETWEEN:
>>>>
>>>> DAVID RAYMOND AMOS
>>>>
>>>> Plaintiff
>>>>
>>>> and
>>>>
>>>> HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
>>>>
>>>> Defendant
>>>>
>>>> ORDER
>>>>
>>>> (Delivered orally from the Bench in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on
>>>> December 14, 2015)
>>>>
>>>> The Plaintiff seeks an appeal de novo, by way of motion pursuant to
>>>> the Federal Courts Rules (SOR/98-106), from an Order made on November
>>>> 12, 2015, in which Prothonotary Morneau struck the Statement of Claim
>>>> in its entirety.
>>>>
>>>> At the outset of the hearing, the Plaintiff brought to my attention a
>>>> letter dated September 10, 2004, which he sent to me, in my then
>>>> capacity as Past President of the New Brunswick Branch of the Canadian
>>>> Bar Association, and the then President of the Branch, Kathleen Quigg,
>>>> (now a Justice of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal). In that letter
>>>> he stated:
>>>>
>>>> As for your past President, Mr. Bell, may I suggest that you check the
>>>> work of Frank McKenna before I sue your entire law firm including you.
>>>> You are your brother’s keeper.
>>>>
>>>> Frank McKenna is the former Premier of New Brunswick and a former
>>>> colleague of mine at the law firm of McInnes Cooper. In addition to
>>>> expressing an intention to sue me, the Plaintiff refers to a number of
>>>> people in his Motion Record who he appears to contend may be witnesses
>>>> or potential parties to be added. Those individuals who are known to
>>>> me personally, include, but are not limited to the former Prime
>>>> Minister of Canada, The Right Honourable Stephen Harper; former
>>>> Attorney General of Canada and now a Justice of the Manitoba Court of
>>>> Queen’s Bench, Vic Toews; former member of Parliament Rob Moore;
>>>> former Director of Policing Services, the late Grant Garneau; former
>>>> Chief of the Fredericton Police Force, Barry McKnight; former Staff
>>>> Sergeant Danny Copp; my former colleagues on the New Brunswick Court
>>>> of Appeal, Justices Bradley V. Green and Kathleen Quigg, and, retired
>>>> Assistant Commissioner Wayne Lang of the Royal Canadian Mounted
>>>> Police.
>>>>
>>>> In the circumstances, given the threat in 2004 to sue me in my
>>>> personal capacity and my past and present relationship with many
>>>> potential witnesses and/or potential parties to the litigation, I am
>>>> of the view there would be a reasonable apprehension of bias should I
>>>> hear this motion. See Justice de Grandpré’s dissenting judgment in
>>>> Committee for Justice and Liberty et al v National Energy Board et al,
>>>> [1978] 1 SCR 369 at p 394 for the applicable test regarding
>>>> allegations of bias. In the circumstances, although neither party has
>>>> requested I recuse myself, I consider it appropriate that I do so.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> AS A RESULT OF MY RECUSAL, THIS COURT ORDERS that the Administrator of
>>>> the Court schedule another date for the hearing of the motion. There
>>>> is no order as to costs.
>>>>
>>>> “B. Richard Bell”
>>>> Judge
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Below after the CBC article about your concerns (I made one comment
>>>> already) you will find the text of just two of many emails I had sent
>>>> to your office over the years since I first visited it in 2006.
>>>>
>>>> I noticed that on July 30, 2009, he was appointed to the the Court
>>>> Martial Appeal Court of Canada Perhaps you should scroll to the
>>>> bottom of this email ASAP and read the entire Paragraph 83 of my
>>>> lawsuit now before the Federal Court of Canada?
>>>>
>>>> "FYI This is the text of the lawsuit that should interest Trudeau the
>>>> most
>>>>
>>>> http://davidraymondamos3.
>>>>
>>>> 83 The Plaintiff states that now that Canada is involved in more war
>>>> in Iraq again it did not serve Canadian interests and reputation to
>>>> allow Barry Winters to publish the following words three times over
>>>> five years after he began his bragging:
>>>>
>>>> January 13, 2015
>>>> This Is Just AS Relevant Now As When I wrote It During The Debate
>>>>
>>>> December 8, 2014
>>>> Why Canada Stood Tall!
>>>>
>>>> Friday, October 3, 2014
>>>> Little David Amos’ “True History Of War” Canadian Airstrikes And
>>>> Stupid Justin Trudeau?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Vertias Vincit
>>>> David Raymond Amos
>>>> 902 800 0369
>>>>
>>>> P.S. Whereas this CBC article is about your opinion of the actions of
>>>> the latest Minister Of Health trust that Mr Boudreau and the CBC have
>>>> had my files for many years and the last thing they are is ethical.
>>>> Ask his friends Mr Murphy and the RCMP if you don't believe me.
>>>>
>>>> Subject:
>>>> Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:02:35 -0400
>>>> From: "Murphy, Michael B. \(DH/MS\)" MichaelB.Murphy@gnb.ca
>>>> To: motomaniac_02186@yahoo.com
>>>>
>>>> January 30, 2007
>>>>
>>>> WITHOUT PREJUDICE
>>>>
>>>> Mr. David Amos
>>>>
>>>> Dear Mr. Amos:
>>>>
>>>> This will acknowledge receipt of a copy of your e-mail of December 29,
>>>> 2006 to Corporal Warren McBeath of the RCMP.
>>>>
>>>> Because of the nature of the allegations made in your message, I have
>>>> taken the measure of forwarding a copy to Assistant Commissioner Steve
>>>> Graham of the RCMP “J” Division in Fredericton.
>>>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>
>>>> Honourable Michael B. Murphy
>>>> Minister of Health
>>>>
>>>> CM/cb
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Warren McBeath warren.mcbeath@rcmp-grc.gc.ca wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:34:53 -0500
>>>> From: "Warren McBeath" warren.mcbeath@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
>>>> To: kilgoursite@ca.inter.net, MichaelB.Murphy@gnb.ca,
>>>> nada.sarkis@gnb.ca, wally.stiles@gnb.ca, dwatch@web.net,
>>>> motomaniac_02186@yahoo.com
>>>> CC: ottawa@chuckstrahl.com, riding@chuckstrahl.com,John.
>>>> Oda.B@parl.gc.ca,"Bev BUSSON" bev.busson@rcmp-grc.gc.ca,
>>>> "Paul Dube" PAUL.DUBE@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
>>>> Subject: Re: Remember me Kilgour? Landslide Annie McLellan has
>>>> forgotten me but the crooks within the RCMP have not
>>>>
>>>> Dear Mr. Amos,
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for your follow up e-mail to me today. I was on days off
>>>> over the holidays and returned to work this evening. Rest assured I
>>>> was not ignoring or procrastinating to respond to your concerns.
>>>>
>>>> As your attachment sent today refers from Premier Graham, our position
>>>> is clear on your dead calf issue: Our forensic labs do not process
>>>> testing on animals in cases such as yours, they are referred to the
>>>> Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown who can provide these
>>>> services. If you do not choose to utilize their expertise in this
>>>> instance, then that is your decision and nothing more can be done.
>>>>
>>>> As for your other concerns regarding the US Government, false
>>>> imprisonment and Federal Court Dates in the US, etc... it is clear
>>>> that Federal authorities are aware of your concerns both in Canada
>>>> the US. These issues do not fall into the purvue of Detachment
>>>> and policing in Petitcodiac, NB.
>>>>
>>>> It was indeed an interesting and informative conversation we had on
>>>> December 23rd, and I wish you well in all of your future endeavors.
>>>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>
>>>> Warren McBeath, Cpl.
>>>> GRC Caledonia RCMP
>>>> Traffic Services NCO
>>>> Ph: (506) 387-2222
>>>> Fax: (506) 387-4622
>>>> E-mail warren.mcbeath@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> http://www.archive.org/
>>>>
>>>> http://www.archive.org/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> FEDERAL EXPRES February 7, 2006
>>>> Senator Arlen Specter
>>>> United States Senate
>>>> Committee on the Judiciary
>>>> 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
>>>> Washington, DC 20510
>>>>
>>>> Dear Mr. Specter:
>>>>
>>>> I have been asked to forward the enclosed tapes to you from a man
>>>> named, David Amos, a Canadian citizen, in connection with the matters
>>>> raised in the attached letter. Mr. Amos has represented to me that
>>>> these are illegal FBI wire tap tapes. I believe Mr. Amos has been in
>>>> contact
>>>> with you about this previously.
>>>>
>>>> Very truly yours,
>>>> Barry A. Bachrach
>>>> Direct telephone: (508) 926-3403
>>>> Direct facsimile: (508) 929-3003
>>>> Email: bbachrach@bowditch.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Alexandre Deschênes, Q.C.,
>>>> Office of the Integrity Commissioner
>>>> Edgecombe House, 736 King Street
>>>> Fredericton, N.B. CANADA E3B 5H1
>>>> tel.: 506-457-7890
>>>> fax: 506-444-5224
>>>> e-mail:coi@gnb.ca
>>>>
-----Original Message-----
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos@gmail.com>
Subject: Yo Mr Harper What part of this email did the many Green
Meanies fail to understand last year?
To: "pm" <pm@pm.gc.ca>, "davidc.coon" <davidc.coon@gmail.com>,
leader@greenparty.ca, "campaign" <campaign@briantopp.ca>,
"Nycole.Turmel" <Nycole.Turmel@parl.gc.ca>, "bob.rae"
<bob.rae@rogers.blackberry.net
<briangallant10@gmail.com>, "oldmaison@yahoo.com"
<oldmaison@yahoo.com>, "gregory.graham"
<gregory.graham@tidescanada.
"ross.mcmillan" <ross.mcmillan@tidescanada.org
info@blackriver.ns.ca, "maritime_malaise" <maritime_malaise@yahoo.ca>,
darce@nsrighttoknow.ca, timb@thecoast.ca, "counsel"
<counsel@barackobama.com>, "newt" <newt@newt.org>, "info"
<info@mittromney.com>
Cc: jb@sierraclub.ca, "premier@gov.ns.ca" <premier@gov.ns.ca>,
"premier.ministre" <premier.ministre@cex.gouv.qc.
"OfficeofthePremier, Office PREM:EX" <premier@gov.bc.ca>, "premier"
<premier@gnb.ca>
Date: Friday, January 27, 2012, 8:46 AM
You and lawyers such as Joey Oliver, Gary Lunn and Dizzy Lizzy May are
well aware of why I have "Issues" with the Greasy Gassy Oily Guys, the
National Energy Board and all the Green Meanies EH?
-----Original Message-----
From: John Bennett <jb@sierraclub.ca>
Subject: Re: i just called some of you again. Instead of calling me
back Suzuki's people just surf the net and play dumb Correct?
To: "Paula Boutis" <pboutis@ilercampbell.com>,
"JeanPaulBourque@gmail.com" <JeanPaulBourque@gmail.com>, "Wayne
Gallant" <Wayne.Gallant@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>
<webo@xplornet.com>, "Gretchen Fitzgerald" <gretchenf@sierraclub.ca>,
"maritime_malaise" <maritime_malaise@yahoo.ca>
Cc: "pfalvo@yellowknife.ca" <pfalvo@yellowknife.ca>
Received: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 2:26 PM
He is known to Gretchen as not quiet rational.
John Bennett Executive Director Sierra Club Canada 613 291 6888
-----Original Message-----
From: "Paula Boutis" <pboutis@ilercampbell.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:18:46
To: JeanPaulBourque@gmail.com<Jean
Gallant<Wayne.Gallant@rcmp-
webo@xplornet.com<webo@
jb@sierraclub.ca<jb@
gretchenf@sierraclub.ca<gretch
maritime_malaise<maritime_
Cc: pfalvo@yellowknife.ca<pfalvo@
Subject: RE: i just called some of you again. Instead of calling me back
Suzuki's people just surf the net and play dumb Correct?
I am not responding to Dave Amos' emails, but I believe I have heard
he has some "issues". I have no sense of what his involvement is with
the organization or why he is threatening law suits (my receptionist
just intercepted a call and he told her he didn't want to leave a
message and to just tell her that he would "see me in court").
Does anyone have any idea what to do about this guy? Should we just
ignore him?
Paula
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lisa Gue <lgue@davidsuzuki.org>
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 15:37:02 -0400
Subject: RE: i just called some of you again. Instead of calling me
back Suzuki's people just surf the net and play dumb Correct?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos@gmail.com>
Cc: Jean-Patrick Toussaint <jptoussaint@davidsuzuki.org>, Sutton Eaves
<seaves@davidsuzuki.org>, Ian Bruce <ibruce@davidsuzuki.org>
Mr. Amos,
When you called my cell phone earlier, as I was on my way into a
meeting, you offered to send me an e-mail outline the information you
are looking for from the David Suzuki Foundation. Is this it??
Lisa Gue
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 12:59:59 -0300
Subject: I called you all and tried to explain how I can help with
your concerns I repeat just say my name
To: action@ecologyaction.ca, gretchenf@sierraclub.ca, tracy
<tracy@jatam.org>, dgiroux@tlb.sympatico.ca, mjgorman@ns.sympatico.ca
Cc: nmiller <nmiller@corridor.ca>, "wally.stiles@gnb.ca" <
wally.stiles@gnb.ca>
If nothing else listen to this and get pissed off lIke mean old me. At
least that emotion is honest.
http://www.archive.org/
Veritas Vincit
David Raymond Amos
http://www.sierraclub.ca/en/
http://atlantic.sierraclub.ca/
COALITION CALLS ON LEADERS TO ACT IMMEDIATELY TO STOP OIL AND GAS
EXPLORATION IN GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE
For Immediate Release - October 4, 2010
PICTOU, NS – Today's decision by the Canada Newfoundland and Labrador
Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB) to allow seismic blasting in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence was met with shock and concern by a coalition
calling for a moratorium on oil and gas development in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence. The coalition - made of aboriginal, fishing, and
environmental organizations - is calling on municipal, provincial,
federal, and aboriginal leaders to act swiftly to halt the testing.
"With this decision, the CNLOPB has approved an activity that could
damage this entire precious ecosystem," according to Mary Gorman of
the Save Our Seas and Shores, "We want this decision reversed
immediately, and action taken to allow jurisdictions bordering on the
Gulf to have a say in its future."
"Seismic testing could start in the next 48 hours, potentially
damaging marine mammals like blue whales, and disrupting fish and
fisheries. This approval has given oil and gas as a toehold in the
Gulf that could lead to full scale drilling," according to Danielle
Giroux of the. "Fishermen I work for need more say over protecting the
Gulf. We want the CNLOPB's decision reversed immediately."
"An oil spill in the Gulf of St. Lawrence would impact fish stocks and
coastal communities in Quebec, PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and
Newfoundland. Moreover, the national importance of this ecosystem must
be upheld." says Gretchen Fitzgerald, of the Sierra Club Canada. "
Federal laws to protect endangered species and fish habitat recognize
the importance of protecting our shared biodiversity and resources.
This decision is not reflecting this shared responsibility or concerns
expressed by groups around the Gulf."
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Mary Gorman, Save our Seas and Shores, 902-926-2128/mjgorman@ns.
Danielle Giroux (Francais), Attention Fragile (Magdalen Islands)
418-969-9440/dgiroux@tlb.
Gretchen Fitzgerald, Director, Sierra Club Atlantic, 902-444-3113/
gretchenf@sierraclub.ca
Mark Butler, Policy Director, Ecology Action Centre,
902-429-5287/action@
https://nsadvocate.org/2018/
“A captured bureaucracy“ – John Davis of the Clean Ocean Action
Committee on Nova Scotia’s cozy relationship with Big Oil
By RobertDevet - April 9, 2018
2
Google+
KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – As we write this the BP commissioned rig West
Aquarius is on its way to the Scotian Shelf to start exploratory
drilling for oil, something John Davis, director of the Clean Ocean
Action Committee, very much wished wouldn’t happen.
Davis, who represents some 9000 Nova Scotians who make a living in the
fisheries, argues that regulatory oversight is lax, and that BP is
unprepared to deal with the eventuality of a major spill, a spill that
would spell the end of the fisheries in Nova Scotia, and would deal a
major blow to an already fragile economy in rural Nova Scotia.
Our interview, that I figured would take 15 minutes or so, ended after
almost an hour. Davis builds his arguments carefully and always
points to research to back up his assertions. That approach takes
time, but it was time well spent. What follows are parts of this
conversation, lightly edited for clarity.
On the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the Federal
Government as a captured bureaucracy
The CNSOPB is unquestionably, in the opinion of many competent and
qualified people, a captured bureaucracy. They are so close to the oil
and gas industry that to pretend that they provide functional
regulatory oversight is just not reasonable. Unfortunately the same is
true for our federal department of environment. Let me give you a few
very specific indications.
Part of the environmental impact statement that companies have to
provide to regulators is an oil spill cleanup plan. Now, there is no
plan to deal with any massive oil spill, except the use of
dispersants.
See also: Making it go away: oil spills, corexit, and Nova Scotia’s offshore
We know that because of several recent reports, such as one published
by the American Petroleum Institute that explains that in order to
clean up a spill you have to be able to boom the spilled oil, get a
boom around it so that it can be collected. The report shows that boom
effectiveness drops significantly when waves exceed a height of 2 to 3
feet. As well, effectiveness drops when currents or tides exceed 0.75
knots. On the Scotian Shelf waves are almost always higher than that,
just as tides and currents are always stronger there.
That is spraying contaminants on a contaminant, all the while
pretending that you’re actually cleaning things up.
So if you consider those realities, then you absolutely understand
that the only response that BP put forward is just to spray
dispersants on the oil. That is spraying contaminants on a
contaminant, all the while pretending that you’re actually cleaning
things up.
In the fall of 2017 a Royal Society of Canada expert panel released a
report on oil spill behaviours. It says “Research is needed to: 1)
assess the toxicity of dispersed oil to deepwater corals, ground fish
and invertebrate species that have high economic importance (e.g.,
lobster, crab, scallops); 2) model the distribution of deepwater
plumes of dispersed oil in relation to areas of known fisheries
productivity, such as the fishing banks of Canada’s east coast …”
That’s us! Those are our fishing grounds! It is important to
understand that for (federal environment minister) Catherine McKenna
and the CNSOPB to allow BP to start drilling they have to ignore this
information. It isn’t just the CNSOPB, it is an entire federal
bureaucracy which is owned and operated by the oil and gas industry.
I represent 9000 people who are directly dependent on a healthy ocean
and the renewable resources within it. We have immense concerns about
this regulatory oversight that is in place for the oil and gas
industry on the Scotian Shelf. It is inadequate, and we think that our
resources are being put at risk for no good reason.
On the need to have a capping stack on standby
In 2010 (prior to the Deepwater Horizon disaster) BP assured US
regulators that it understood and knew how to deal with a high
temperature, high pressure, deep water well. But they lied, in reality
they didn’t have a clue. What they tried to do (once the Deepwater
Horizon well blew) is to utilize shallow water responses to a high
temperature, high pressure deep water blowout, and they could not do
it.
The only way was to drill a relief well, and use that to cap the blown
out well. In the Gulf of Mexico that ended up taking 150 days. Today
they are drilling off the coast of Nova Scotia with no capping stack
available, the closest one being in Norway.
Oil companies want to make as much money as possible, while spending
as little as they can get away with. We need regulatory oversight
which demands certain accommodations, and to have a capping stack two
weeks away isn’t sensible What BP suggest is that it could take two
weeks to prepare the site to put the capping stack down. Well, maybe
it would, but maybe it wouldn’t. It is just another regulatory roll
over.
On the lack of public input
As part of the CNSOPB processes, it needs to show that they talked to
all affected parties. They sent out a letter saying they would like to
set up a process so that people could have a mutually beneficial
exchange.
Next in a second letter they set up these ridiculous procedures, where
they wanted to allocate 45 minutes for questions and answers for 8 to
12 groups. Everybody would get two minutes and then CNSOPB gets to
write in its report that they talked to us. We said no, we’re not
going , this is ludicrous. That was some 18 to 20 environmental and
fisheries groups that all said no thanks, we’re not going to be part
of that. The process also excludes many individual Mi’’kmaq voices,
although the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs is a different
story.
We sent a letter to McKenna demanding public hearings, but she
actually refused. Can you imagine that? If fishermen wanted to insert
themselves into this process somehow they were expected to write a
formal brief. This is so grossly unfair.
On why it matters, and not just to fishermen
In 2017 the export value of fisheries products coming out of Nova
Scotia was $2 billion. The landed value of lobster at our wharfs is
$600 million. If you use a very modest economic multiplier that
assumes that for every one dollar you generate four dollars of
economic activity in your community then that is $3 billion of
economic activity generated just by the lobster industry. That is a
massive infusion into the provincial GDP, and if we treat these
resources responsibly this will go on forever. In contrast, the best
year that Nova Scotia ever had in terms of royalty payments was $300
million.
But there is more. There are very few economic generators that
actually deliver the dollars that they produce into rural communities,
but the fishery is one. Other than the fisheries, mostly it goes into
urban areas. If the renewable resources on the Scotian Shelf end up
getting destroyed in the quest for the finite potential of oil and gas
it will massively negatively impact the economic health of the entire
province, and particularly of rural Nova Scotia.
See also: “There is no precedent for what BP wants to do here.”
Fisherman Colin Sproul on offshore oil exploration
On Wednesday April 11, join a Unwelcoming Party for BP, 1 PM, at the
BP offices, 1701 Hollis Street, Halifax
If you can, please support the Nova Scotia Advocate so that it can
continue to cover issues such as poverty, racism, exclusion, workers’
rights and the environment in Nova Scotia. A paywall is not an option
for us, since it would exclude many readers who don’t have any
disposable income at all. We rely entirely on the kindness of
occasional one-time donors and a small group of loyal monthly
sustainers.
2 Comments
Sheila G. Richardson
April 9, 2018 at 11:22 pm
Great article. Keep up the good work!!
Marilyn Keddy
April 10, 2018 at 8:58 am
I wish that every Nova Scotian could read this article. Bravo John
Davis. You are a champion!
https://canadians.org/
We deserve better, and we'll fight for it - John Davis
Robin Tress
2 years ago
John Davis, Director of the Clean Ocean Action Committee
Shelburne, Nova Scotia
This interview is part of the Faces of Offshore Resistance project
highlighting a number of community activists fighting to protect their
homes, coastal communities, fisheries, tourism, and cultural history
from the harms of offshore drilling. All photo credit goes to Robert
Van Waarden.
John Davis: I’m the Director for the Clean Ocean Action Committee
(COAC). We represent over 9,000 vessel owners, captains, crew members
and fish plant owners -- operators and workers who are totally
dependent on the renewable fishery resources on the Scotian Shelf,
Georges Bank and the Bay of Fundy on Canada’s East Coast.
We have a renewable, fully sustainable fishery here, and we live by
strict regulations to ensure the fishery is maintained. Oil and gas
recently became active in the area and they are being allowed to
operate without functional regulatory oversight. This is putting the
renewable resources in these waters at massive risk.
For example, Lobster Fishing Area 40 (LFA 40) on Browns Bank is the
only officially designated lobster spawning ground on the East Coast
of Canada. It is completely closed to fishing. It sits in massive
tidal flow of the Bay of Fundy and although the area is closed to
fishing the oil and gas industry are allowed to lease sites that
include a section of Brown’s Bank.
COAC formed as an effort to connect the inshore fishery, the original
stakeholders, with the regulators, (the Canada Nova Scotia Petroleum
Board, CNSOPB) so that our voices could be heard. We made several
requests. We asked that this lease area on Browns Bank be removed from
their auction. We asked that chemical dispersants not be used on and
near our fishing grounds, we asked that the regulators demand that
their leaseholders be capable of cleaning up any oil that they
spilled, we asked that a capping stack be positioned on Canada’s East
Coast - this is a piece of safety equipment that can cap a blowout in
an emergency. We asked that those drilling on the Scotian Shelf have
equipment nearby to drill a relief well if required. All these
requests were denied, so now we feel we have no choice but to call for
a full moratorium on oil and gas resource development until an
independent public enquiry can be held.
Robert Van Waarden: How are most people in the fishing industry
feeling about this?
JD: It’s quite varied, really. Many in the seafood industry are
totally up on the issue; others, particularly fishermen, might be so
busy making/repairing traps, buoys, lines etc. that they may not be so
aware. It’s a tough game to get everyone informed.
RVW: Why are you engaged on this issue?
JD: The renewable fishery resources in these waters have supported our
communities for over 300 years. They are our economic lifeblood. If we
continue to work in a sustainable fashion these same resources will
support us forever as we provide a high quality protein food source to
markets all over the world. We refuse to allow the advocates for a
poorly regulated finite oil resource to put this bounty at risk for a
few decades of dangerous oil extraction. It doesn’t make sense for the
communities that depend on this renewable resource and it surely
doesn’t make sense to be out looking for new oil supplies when our
federal government has Paris Accord commitments to decrease Canada’s
carbon footprint to a level that will not allow us to use the oil
reserves we have already identified. We can’t even use the
hydrocarbons we already know are there per the Paris Accord. It’s not
a NIMBY [Not In My BackYard] issue. If hydrocarbons are going to be
developed, they can’t be developed if it’s risking renewable
resources.
We know that the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) that Shell and
BP submitted to our Environment Minister were totally inadequate, the
risks were not reduced sufficiently but our regulators accepted these
documents without comment. We have a major problem. The regulations
that oversee the oil and gas industry must reflect the value of the
renewable resources that are being put at risk. To date, this is not
the case. The regulations are laughable and the risks are too high.
We’re worried and we’re taking action.
RVW: What is your message to the regulators?
JD: We’re demanding a moratorium. We know that there is no capacity to
clean up a spill. Instead, they’ve spent millions convincing
regulators that the spraying of chemical dispersants is equivalent to
cleaning it up. The oil lobby is incredibly powerful. We have to get
organized and we have to meet them head but it is an uphill climb.
New federal legislation, Bill C-69, plans to give even more power to
our unelected and unaccountable regulators. Bill C-22 creates a
federally approved list of acceptable dispersants allowed to be
sprayed in our ocean. This bill overrules the Fisheries act, the
Migratory Bird Act, Coast Guard and Department of Transportation
regulations - all of which say it is illegal to dump these chemicals
in our waterways. This might meet the definition of insanity.
RVW: What keeps you motivated?
JD: Take a walk along this shore. Look at the number of communities
that are absolutely dependent on the ocean’s renewable resources.
These are my friends and relatives and neighbours. We have an absolute
right to some sense of security that those resources that form our
economic lifeblood are protected. We are saying that these resources
must be respected and held safe. We do not have that assurance from
this government. We deserve it, we need it, and we’re going to fight
for it.
--
You can take action to support the resistance to offshore drilling by:
Sharing this blog
Signing the petition
Join your local chapter of the Council of Canadians to work on
this and other social justice issues in your comm
https://www.sierraclub.ca/en/
Offshore Alliance Welcomes Nova Scotia’s Commitment to Protect Georges
Bank from Oil Drilling
Posted on April 22, 2021
google+
For immediate release: April 22, 2021
Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS) - The Offshore Alliance applauds NS Minister
of Energy and Mines Chuck Porter’s commitment to extending the
moratorium on oil drilling on the vital and rich fishing grounds of
Georges Bank off Southwest Nova Scotia. Minister Porter stated his
commitment to extending the moratorium on April 12th.
The Offshore Alliance has been calling for a full moratorium on
offshore drilling in all of Nova Scotia’s waters, and a full public
inquiry into the social, economic, climate, and environmental impacts
of offshore drilling and exploration. The continued moratorium on
Georges Bank is a welcome step towards that broader end to drilling
and exploration.
"We were thrilled and relieved to hear that Nova Scotia’s government
is committed to renewing the moratorium on Georges Bank, securing the
multi-billion fishing industry and tens of thousands of long-term jobs
in the fishing industry, " according to John Davis, Director of the
Clean Ocean Action Committee. "We now call on all political parties to
commit to this essential step to keep this critical fishing ground
safe, and for the federal and provincial governments to work together
to ratify the required legislation extending the moratorium at the
earliest possible date.”
The Department of Energy and Mines has informed the Offshore Alliance
that the consultation process that must precede a decision on the
Georges Bank moratorium is underway, though they have not specified a
timeline for that process.
“This announcement is a precedent for protecting coastal communities
and recognizing the value they bring is far beyond that of oil and
gas. The best way to protect Georges and our oceans is to stop
offshore exploration and drilling entirely. I see the review on
Georges as a step towards a full moratorium on offshore oil and gas in
Nova Scotia,” says Council of Canadians’ campaigner Robin Tress. “We
know that a major threat to the fisheries is the changing climate, and
we need work quickly to wind down the fossil fuel industry and
transition to renewable energies.”
“Drilling and seismic blasting on the Scotian Shelf could damage
ecologically productive ecosystems like Georges Bank which supports
habitat for endangered whales and other threatened marine species, “
according to Gretchen Fitzgerald, National Programs Director with
Sierra Club Canada Foundation. “The moratorium on drilling Georges
Bank needs to be locked in - and we also need to investigate how we
regulate oil and gas in our oceans so that special places and
endangered species are never put at risk and we secure a safe
climate.”
The Alliance is calling for legislation extending the Georges Bank
moratorium indefinitely to be brought to the federal and provincial
legislatures to be ratified as soon as possible.
-30-
For more information, contact:
John Davis, Director, Clean Ocean Action Committee, 1-902-499-4421 /
jbdavis@eco-nova.com
Robin Tress, Climate and Social Justice Campaigner, Council of
Canadians, 902-223-8526 / rtress@canadians.org
Gretchen Fitzgerald, National Programs Director, Sierra Club Canada
Foundation, 902-444-7096 / gretchenf@sierraclub.ca
Offshore Alliance Calls on All Parties to Commit to No Further Fossil
Fuel Development, Will Report on Candidates’ Answers
Posted on August 23, 2021
For immediate release: August 23, 2021
Media Contacts:
Gretchen Fitzgerald, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, 1-902-444-7096 /
gretchenf@sierraclub.ca
John Davis, Clean Ocean Action Committee, 1-902-499-4421 / jbdavis@eco-nova.com
Read more about Offshore Alliance Calls on All Parties to Commit
to No Further Fossil Fuel Development, Will Report on Candidates’
Answers
Offshore Alliance applauds NDP and Green commitments - Other Parties
Need to Step Up for Climate
Posted on August 16, 2021
Statement
For immediate release: August 16, 2021
Media Contacts:
Gretchen Fitzgerald, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, 1-902-444-7096 /
gretchenf@sierraclub.ca
John Davis, Clean Ocean Action Committee, 1-902-499-4421 / jbdavis@eco-nova.com
Read more about Offshore Alliance applauds NDP and Green
commitments - Other Parties Need to Step Up for Climate
We have more power than we think
Tynette Deveaux — August 13, 2021
By now, most of you have heard the news about the Special IPCC
(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report that came out
Monday (August 9); it’s been dubbed a “code red for humanity.”
Tempting as it is to delve into the report's takeaways, I'd like to
discuss how we might wrap our heads around its daunting prognosis for
the planet, instead.
Read more about We have more power than we think
Tynette Deveaux's blog
Offshore Alliance calls on All Parties to Commit to No Further Fossil
Fuel Development
Posted on August 13, 2021
For immediate release: August 13, 2021
Media Contacts:
Gretchen Fitzgerald, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, 1-902-444-7096 /
gretchenf@sierraclub.ca
John Davis, Clean Ocean Action Committee, 1-902-499-4421 / jbdavis@eco-nova.com
Marilyn Keddy, Campaign to Protect Offshore Nova Scotia, mfkeddy30@gmail.com
Goldboro LNG fails to secure investor by June 30th deadline
Posted on June 30, 2021
Federal government ignores request for nearly $1 billion in loans or grants
MEDIA RELEASE
June 30, 2021
K’JIPUKTUK / HALIFAX, NS — After failing to attract a single major
investor for its proposed Goldboro Liquefied Natural Gas project on
the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia (Mi’kma’ki), Pieridae Energy has
quietly missed its June 30th deadline for a Final Investment Decision.
Opponents of the fossil fuel infrastructure project are celebrating
the lack of investment, particularly the company’s failure to receive
the nearly $1 billion in public funds that it had requested from the
federal government.
The project has been flying under the radar since 2013 without
attracting any investment. However, activists were alarmed to learn
that Pieridae has been heavily lobbying the federal government in
recent months to become its initial investor.
Opposition to the project has existed since it was first proposed —
not just in Nova Scotia, but also Alberta (where the gas will be
extracted), Quebec (where major pipeline expansion is required for
transporting the gas to Nova Scotia), Germany (the proposed
destination), and Finland (home to the parent corporation contracted
to buy the LNG).
The news about Pieridae’s demands for government funds moved activists
to grow the public’s awareness about its climate-wrecking plans,
building even more resistance in the process — including, most
recently, among Mi’kmaq Grandmothers, warriors, and Chiefs, who have
raised concerns about the “man camp” proposed for the project site.
Statements:
“I’m glad the federal government did not act on Pieridae’s request for
nearly a billion dollars, and I hope it never does. It is critical
that our governments stop supporting and subsidizing fossil fuel
energy projects like Goldboro LNG. Instead, governments must invest
immediately in renewables and energy efficiency, and in creating a
more fair economy based on that shift in our energy system.” — Robin
Tress, Council of Canadians
“We hope this project stays as unloved as it is now. Goldboro LNG is a
climate change train wreck waiting to happen. It would turn backwards
Nova Scotia’s progress in greenhouse gas reduction. And the increased
demand it would create for climate-busting hydraulic fracturing would
double the problem.” — Ken Summers, Nova Scotia Fracking Resource and
Action Coalition (NOFRAC)
“The dominoes are falling faster and faster. Soon, no investors —
private or public — will touch new fossil fuel projects with a ten
foot pole, so it’s just a matter of time before the plug is pulled on
all new fossil fuel infrastructure. Governments should vocally lead
the way.” — Marie-Christine Fiset, Greenpeace
“The Goldboro LNG terminal would not only very likely export
climate-hostile and environmentally destructive fracked gas over the
Atlantic to Europe, the project itself comes along with high financial
risks for any investor. Now is the time to bury this zombie project,
which has been kept alive with promises such as access to an Untied
Loan Guarantee of up to $4.5 billion USD from the German government.”
— Andy Gheorghiu, German climate campaigner
“Today’s decision throws some water on Pieridae Energy’s smoldering
plans to build an LNG facility that would see a huge increase in Nova
Scotia’s GHG emissions and a work camp that raises serious concerns
for the safety of Mi’kmaw women, girls, and two-spirit people. We need
the federal and provincial governments to show more leadership on
climate action. Impacted communities should not have to be the ones
pointing out the obvious perils that large fossil fuel projects pose
in a climate crisis — nor should they have to remind the federal
government of its commitment to implement the recommendations set out
in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women and Girls.” — Gretchen Fitzgerald, Sierra Club Canada
Foundation
“We hope this means that governments and investors are finally
realizing that in order to address the climate crisis that is so
obviously upon us, we really cannot begin any new fossil fuel
projects.” — Jim Emberger, New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance
(NBASGA)
###
Media inquiries:
Ken Summers, Nova Scotia Fracking Resource and Action Coalition (NOFRAC)
902.957.2317; kenpat@ns.sympatico.ca
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Staff
Tynette Deveaux (She/her), Communications Coordinator
Tynette has an extensive background in media, having worked as a TV
and video producer/director, radio producer, and journal editor and
writer. Growing up in the Maritimes, she saw how communities suffered
at the hand of big business as well as government. Through media and
grassroots organizing, she supports those advocating for
environmental, social, and racial justice. She lives in K’jipuktuk
(Halifax).
tynetted@sierraclub.ca
Gretchen Fitzgerald
Gretchen Fitzgerald (She/her), National and Atlantic Chapter Director
With an academic background in marine biology, Gretchen Fitzgerald
became Atlantic Chapter Director in 2007 and transitioned to National
Programs Director in 2016. She led the campaign to successfully stop
oil and gas development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and secured
provincial commitments to ban uranium mining in Nova Scotia. Her
passions include her daughter, getting out in the garden, and seeing
people use their power to bring about change. Follow her on Twitter
@GreenMission
Contact Gretchen at gretchenf@sierraclub.ca
Oshean JunejaOshean Juneja (He/him), Graphic Designer and Multimedia Specialist
Originally from Punjab, India, Oshean studied Graphic Design in
Ontario before moving to the Maritimes in 2016. He believes stories
help people understand the world around them and he uses his
considerable skills in video editing, photography, graphic and web
design to help organizations and individuals tell their stories well.
He is passionate about climate justice and active in the environmental
movement in K’jipuktuk (Halifax) and beyond.
Ali Paul (She/her), Community Climate Change Outreach Coordinator
Ali is currently doing a Master of Arts in Climate Action Leadership
at Royal Roads University and has a Bachelor of Music Therapy from
Acadia University. As an Ocean Bridge Ambassador, she helped
facilitate projects such as Going Beyond Land Acknowledgements, which
included creating an interactive call-to-action map using ArcGIS, and
working on a short film on the connection between mental health and
climate change. Ali is passionate about creating safe and welcoming
spaces for everyone to participate in environmental organizations and
their activities.
Alex Torrealba (He/him), Clean Energy Researcher and Advocate
Currently a student at Dalhousie University’s College of
Sustainability in the Co-Op program, Alex has a particular interest in
renewable energy and energy storage technologies, as well as
environmental racism and the impact of colonization on Indigenous
peoples and the environment. He is an active member of the
Southeastern Community Health Board and has already earned a
remarkable number of awards and academic distinctions.
Wild Child PEI Staff
thumbnail_FullSizeRender
Deanna Corrigan (She/her), Wild Child Forest Educator
Originally from Prince Edward Island, Deanna moved to Moncton as a
child, and returned to the Island several years ago. She has been
working in childcare for more than ten years and has a passion for
wildlife and spending time in nature, and loves sharing it with the
children she works with, as well as her daughter. She is also part of
the Fox Club society, which is a scouts type club for adults that
involves outdoor adventures, challenging oneself, and learning new
skills.
Hannah Gehrels (She/her), PEI Wild Child Projects Coordinator
Hannah has a Master of Science in Biology from UPEI and a Bachelor of
Science in Biology from Simon Fraser University. Her research
interests included frogs, songbirds, fish, and native pollinators. She
was a Marine Sciences Educator at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre on
Vancouver Island, and was coordinator of the Let's Talk Science
Program at UPEI. Currently, Hannah sits on the board of the
Environmental Coalition of PEI.
Wild Child Nova Scotia Staff
Bio Picture
Julia Miller-Black (She/her), Wild Child Program Coordinator
Julia has worked with children in many different settings, but
particularly loves being able to work and teach in the great outdoors.
For her, there is nothing more gratifying than watching children
develop a deeper understanding and love for the environment around
them. She wants to make such experiences as inclusive and accessible
as possible. Julia received her HBA from the University of Toronto in
Environmental Studies and History.
EDodge Photo.png
Emily Dodge (She/her), Wild Child Administrator and Co-Chair of Sierra
Club, Atlantic Canada Chapter
Emily earned a graduate degree in Ecology Education at Lesley
University in Cambridge, MA. She worked at an Audubon nature
sanctuary, developing and leading nature based camp programming, as
well as at an Outdoor Education Centre in Rhode Island, where she
taught leadership, natural history, and survival skills, and
coordinated a nature camp for kids. After a brief stint in Ottawa and
Australia, she’s happy to be back in Nova Scotia with her husband and
young son and involved with the Wild Child Forest School again.
Jami Fleming (She/her), Wild Child Educator
Jami came to Nova Scotia to fulfill her dreams of connecting with the
ocean, the great outdoors and becoming a marine biologist. Now her BSc
in Marine biology with a minor in business management degree at
Dalhousie University is almost finished. She has been working and
volunteering with kids for almost ten years. Whether it is coaching
sports teams, teaching science camps, educating in the classroom or in
the forest, she loves to share her passion and appreciation of the
wilderness with curious young minds.
RE The NEB, Nexen, Pipelines, the by elections of the left versus Harper & cohorts Anyone remember me?Inbox |
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