(May 10, 2018) The federal Liberal Party made a number of important commitments during the last election campaign on improving environmental protections. In an era when political promises often bring low expectations, it is important to note that this government has made progress on some commitments, like setting out a pathway for increasing our protected areas and taking action to help species of risk. But there is still a long road ahead, especially on issues like modernizing our environmental assessment pro...

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(May 07, 2018) Canadians watched in horror last summer as one North Atlantic right whale after another was found dead around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, washed up on beaches or floating offshore, apparent victims of ship strikes or fishing gear entanglements.  Scientists think part of the problem may stem from the whales moving into new territory in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in search of food, where they instead encounter busy shipping lanes and commercial fishing zones. This set of circumstan...

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(March 29, 2018) The federal government’s new Impact Assessment Act could be a game changer for ensuring short-term decision making does not undermine the long-term health of ecosystems and species.  But in its current draft form, the Act is long on talk and short on action. WCS Canada is one of eight major environmental groups that have jointly issued a report card on the bill that gives it a C grade. The report card notes that while the proposed Act touches on many of the basic requirements of next-...

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(February 26, 2018) Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada is pleased to welcome Martin von Mirbach to a new position at WCS Canada -- Director for Conservation Strategy. Martin will be responsible for providing strategic oversight to WCS Canada’s programs. He will be seeking opportunities to advance our conservation objectives and improve our effectiveness and conservation impact. He will help formulate strategies to build strong relationships and formal partnerships with governments and Indigenous group...

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(February 21, 2018)  With new all-weather roads, transmission lines, and mines planned for Ontario’s Far North, ecological monitoring and baseline information collection will be critical to help communities understand the impacts of changes to the water, land and wildlife. Our new report, Watching, Listening, and Learning to Understand Change, explains that communities need to be empowered to track these changes along with the changes being brought about by a rapidly changing climate through Communi...

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(February 20, 2018) On Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada rejected a plan by the former government of Yukon to open up a huge swath of the PeelWatershed – an ecologically intact area the size of Nova Scotia -- to industrial development. This is a monumental win that would not be possible without the on-going support of conservationists like you. The Supreme Court's decision on this matter is proof that by working together, we can help to hold decision-makers accountable to do their part to protect critical l...

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(February 20, 2018) Check out our latest Muddy Boots Blog where WCS Canada President and Chief Scientist Dr. Justina Ray discusses how a good federal plan to save caribou has become stuck in the mud of provincial inaction.  In this blog, Dr. Ray debunks the myth that the science behind the federal recovery plan needs further review and explains why caribou simply can’t wait another five years for provinces to act.

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(February 15, 2018) By Cheryl ChetkiewiczOntario is a Canadian province built on mining and mineral exploration. Over the past two decades, the provincial government has encouraged and facilitated new mines in Ontario’s Far North—a large, remote and largely roadless region that is the homeland for nearly 40,000 First Nations.The “Ring of Fire” mineral belt, located approximately 350 km north of Thunder Bay, is a massive, ore-rich area, including the largest chromite deposit in North America,...

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(February 14, 2018) Wolverine biologist Matt Scrafford spent three winters capturing a number of these wily predators in northern Alberta. The wolverines were then fitted with GPS collars and tracked across an area of the province crisscrossed with logging and oil and gas service roads.Scrafford, who joined Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada in 2017, had a strong hunch that the wolverines would do their best to stay away from the roads, but he sought to create a more detailed picture of how w...

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(February 09, 2018) Today (Feb. 8, 2018) the federal government unveiled a new “Impact Assessment Act” that will repeal and replace the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (2012).  Together in one bill with the new Canadian Energy Regulator Act, this is an important – and massive – piece of legislation that sets out the conditions under which “major” development projects get built in Canada (or, rarely, not).  At first glance, the inclusion of a whole new section...

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