Climate Action Muskoka Update

November 19, 2020

Climate Strikes in Bracebridge and Huntsville  

Join us tomorrow and every Friday for our weekly Fridays for Future climate strikes. In Huntsville at Town Hall at 37 Main Street E. and at Memorial Park in Bracebridge.

Pandemic measures — Two metres apart please

Thanks for observing physical distancing guidelines and staying two metres apart. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 25, so if we are already at our limit when you arrive 😀please just march! Don't forget to post on social! #climateactionmuskoka #muskoka #fridaysforfuture Thank you!

ASHMuskoka Drive — this Saturday

If you have been saving your wood ash for ASH Muskoka, please drop it off on Saturday November 21 at the Rosewarne Transfer Station, Bracebridge from 9am to 3pm. 

Learn more about ASHMuskoka, a unique collaboration between scientists, municipal officials, and property owners, including the region’s maple sugar producers. Wood ash is being used to help repair the damage caused by declining calcium levels in Muskoka’s forests. ASHMuskoka is affiliated with the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed. Learn more about Saturday's ash drive.

POLITICAL ACTION OF THE WEEK

Conservation Authorities Under Threat — Omnibus Bill

Bill 229, introduced last week by the Ontario government, is the most recent in a disturbing trend of using omnibus budget measures bills to make substantial changes to environmental laws, thereby sidestepping the public’s right to comment under the Environmental Bill of Rights.

Bill 229 includes proposed changes to Conservation Authorities and their role in land use planning that  could set back an ecosystem-based approach by decades. Find an easy-to-use form to send an email asking our government representatives to retain the current mandate of the province’s 36 Conservation Authorities HERE. Groups such as the Canadian Environmental Law Association are calling on the government to withdraw Schedule 6 in its entirety from Bill 229. You can also write to Premier Doug Ford and Norm Miller MPP. Get more information from the Canadian Environmental Law Association.

Related article: ‘The developers are all in control’: Doug Ford’s government moves to limit the power of conservation authorities, sparking fears for the environment.

Fun fact: While 95 per cent of Ontario’s population lives in watersheds managed by a Conservation Authority, we in Muskoka do not. Learn more about Muskoka's watershed in We All Belong To a Watershed — MLA Yearbook 2020.

Got an Old Car? Donate it to Sierra Club Foundation

When you donate your car to the Sierra Club Foundation, you help support their work advancing climate solutions, fighting for clean air and water, and keeping our wild places wild. And you'll get a tax receipt. This year, the Sierra Club Foundation is partnering with CARS—Charitable Adult Rides & Services, a non-profit that administers and also benefits from your donation. Together their goal is to reach 1,000 donated vehicles in 2020. Find out how easy it is to get started.

On the Brink — Animals Facing Extinction

An evening with global cultural figures like Margaret Atwood, Amitav Ghosh and many others to raise awareness of animals threatened by extinction, and what you can do to help. November 30 at 7:30 pm. Learn more and register for this free event.

About Climate Action Muskoka

Climate Action Muskoka is an inclusive, non-partisan group of citizens concerned about climate change in Muskoka who believe in working together to inspire individuals, groups, and every level of government to make the dramatic changes needed to meet this historic challenge.

You can find us online at www.climateactionmuskoka.org.
Facebook = Climate Action Muskoka | Instagram @climateactionmuskoka
climateactionmuskoka@gmail.com and hello@climateactionmuskoka.org.
Please follow the group and use the #climateactionmuskoka hashtag.