Ontario Nature Secures Rare Whitby Forest
The acquisition of Thickson’s Woods protects a critical biodiversity haven from urban sprawl, but experts warn of dwindling green spaces in southern Ontario.
Claire Dubois
climate & environment (local) · Toronto & Canada
Claire covers climate as a Toronto story first — the flood plain, the heat warning, the policy that either helps or doesn't.
Drawn to
- infrastructure that wasn't built for this climate
- a target the city is quietly missing
- the extreme-weather event nobody prepared for
60 stories published
Bylines
The Trust Gap: Why Toronto's Climate Preparedness is a Crisis of Confidence
While City Hall speaks of resilience, a new poll reveals a stark disconnect between municipal claims and public belief in the city's ability to handle climate emergencies.
Aquaculture's Impact on Global Fish Supplies
Investigation reveals how the fishmeal industry, including operations in Canada, may be compromising the very fish stocks it was intended to protect.
Climate Scientist Testifies Against 'Catastrophic' Financial Hit for Green Transition
During a landmark youth climate trial, experts argue that transforming Canada's energy system can create economic benefits rather than industrial ruin.
Toronto Names First 'Tree of the Year' Amid Canopy Goals
A Sugar Maple was selected by youth voters as part of a civic engagement initiative, reflecting the city's broader target for urban forest expansion.
Waste Management Regression: Provincial Pivot to Incineration and Landfills
Environment Minister Todd McCarthy's push for expanded waste capacity as a response to U.S. tariffs threatens long-term sustainability goals.
Ontario Eyes Incineration and New Landfills Amid U.S. Trash Tariffs
Environment Minister Todd McCarthy warns of a looming waste crisis as new U.S. trade barriers threaten to accelerate the filling of provincial landfills.
Transit Riders Say Durham Candidates Ignoring Infrastructure Crisis
Advocates and residents warn that public transit has become a 'background issue' in municipal election cycles despite service gaps and reliability concerns.
A 'Modest Rebound' is Not a Strategy for a Livable Toronto
Opinion: While economists project a slight uptick in home sales for 2027, Ontario's failure to scale housing starts threatens our long-term climate and urban resilience.
Super El Niño Threatens to Spike Ontario Grocery Costs Amid Climate Instability
As a historic weather phenomenon looms for 2027, food distribution experts warn of price hikes for wheat, rice, and imported produce.
Frost Advisory Hits GTA: A Sudden Chill for Southern Ontario
Environment Canada warns of freezing temperatures north of Highway 401, prompting concerns for local crops and vegetation.
Waymo Eyes 2028 Toronto Launch for Driverless Taxi Service
The Alphabet-owned company will begin mapping and testing in the city, though local officials raise safety and labor concerns.
Supreme Court to Hear Appeal on Federal Single-Use Plastics Ban
The top court will decide the legality of Ottawa's decision to classify plastic-manufactured items as toxic under environmental law.
Ontario Northwest to Shift to Permanent Daylight Time
The province will implement regulatory changes to align northwestern regions with Manitoba, ending twice-annual clock shifts.
Affordability and Housing Dominate Toronto Mayoral Race
Voters prioritize cost-of-living relief and housing supply as candidates Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford compete for the city's top office.
Rising Operational Costs Squeeze Ontario Farmers Amid Trade Uncertainty
Surging freight, fuel, and maintenance expenses are thinning margins for local growers who lack control over market pricing.
Toronto Braces for 18-Degree Temperature Swing
Erratic shifts in October weather precede a forecast for one of the warmest winter starts on record in Ontario.
Data vs. Reality: The Growing Divide Over Beaches Flooding
While City staff insist automated systems are functioning as designed, Kew Beach residents argue that bureaucratic denial is ignoring the failure of critical stormwater infrastructure.
Toronto Municipal Election: Advance Voting Opens as Mayoral Race Heats Up
As Torontonians head to the polls to decide the city's next mayor and local councillors, voter turnout remains a key focus for the upcoming October 26 election.
Environment Canada Issues First GTA Frost Advisory
Near-freezing temperatures expected Monday night could cause damage to local plants, trees, and crops.
Tire Piles and Policy Gaps: Why Ontario's New Recycling Targets May Not Be Enough
The province is raising recycling quotas to clear massive backlogs of discarded tires, but repair shop owners and industry advocates warn that success depends entirely on the execution by for-profit contractors.
Charging Risks in the City: Toronto Fire Services Issues Lithium-Ion Warning
As the city pushes for climate action, officials are highlighting the critical need for safe charging habits to prevent residential battery fires.
Beyond the Forecast: Why New York's Climate Talk Matters for Canadians
Opinion: The high-level dialogues at Climate Week are vital, but the real challenge is translating indisputable science into daily, actionable understanding for the public.
Opinion
Warm Autumn Forecasts: A Seasonal Shift for Ontario
Environment and Climate Change Canada predicts above-normal temperatures through December, driven by a 'supersized' El Niño event.
Super El Niño Shifts Ontario's Fall Foliage Timeline
Warmer temperatures are delaying the province's autumn color progression, though experts say the seasonal display remains intact.
Connecting the Watershed: Will the 100-Kilometre Credit Valley Trail Protect Biodiversity or Facilitate Sprawl?
As Credit Valley Conservation pushes toward a continuous route from Orangeville to Port Credit, the project balances ambitious habitat restoration with significant corporate funding and infrastructure growth.
Diplomatic Deficits: Is Ottawa's Arctic Ambition a Hollow Gesture?
As the federal government pours billions into Northern defence and infrastructure, experts warn that a lack of boots-on-the-ground diplomacy undermines Canada's geopolitical goals.
Protein-Maxxing or Greenwashing? Deconstructing Maple Leaf's Yves Revival
As Maple Leaf Foods bets on a social media-driven protein craze to save its plant-based brand, the company balances a domestic comeback with U.S. production cuts.
Ontario Invests $5 Million to Combat Invasive Phragmites
The provincial government is targeting a destructive Eurasian plant that threatens biodiversity and recreational spaces across Ontario's wetlands.
The Coexistence Crisis: Why Toronto's Coyote Strategy is Failing the Urban-Wildlife Boundary
As attacks on children and pets rise across the GTA, experts warn that a reliance on 'coexistence' may be masking a failure to manage habituated predators.
The Gizzard Shad Wake-Up Call: Why Ontario's Nuclear Future is Vulnerable to Ecological Volatility
A 'novel environmental event' at Bruce Nuclear Generating Station reveals a critical gap in reactor resilience as climate-driven shifts in Lake Huron's ecosystem challenge safety defenses.
Fish Event at Bruce Nuclear Plant Highlights Climate Vulnerability
Records reveal millions of gizzard shad overwhelmed cooling systems in February 2025, forcing reactor shutdowns.
Canada's Last Epishelf Lake Collapses
The disappearance of the Milne Fiord lake marks the end of a 4,000-year era and the loss of a unique Arctic ecosystem.
Opinion
Etobicoke's Waterfront Expansion: A Vital Win for Local Ecology
The City's $7.6 million investment to expand Sand Beach Road Parkette prioritizes permeable green space over urban density.
Storm Damage Sparks Debate Over Toronto's Climate Resilience Funding
Following a record-breaking September storm, experts and mayoral candidates clash over how to fund the city's infrastructure against increasing climate risks.
Storm Surge: Climate Resilience Becomes the New Mayoral Litmus Test
As Toronto recovers from a '100-year storm,' candidates are under pressure to move beyond existing plans and address the city's flooding crisis.
The 4.7 Million Home Gamble: Why Canada's Housing Target is a Climate Ticking Clock
Opinion: As the CMHC calls for nearly five million new homes by 2036, we face a choice between sustainable density and an environmental catastrophe fueled by sprawl.
Toronto's Lithium-Ion Fire Surge: A Warning for Our Waste Infrastructure
As battery-related blazes hit record highs, the city faces a critical gap in regulation and disposal safety for e-waste.
Trade War Tensions Spark Surge in 'Buy Canadian' Sentiment for Toronto Businesses
Local entrepreneurs report a 'sweet spot' of renewed consumer interest following the implementation of 50 per cent U.S. tariffs, though some question if the shift is a permanent evolution or a temporary reaction.
Fragile Hubs: The Toronto Wildlife Centre Storm Damage Reveals a Critical Vulnerability
As severe weather intensifies across Ontario, the devastation at a key biodiversity sanctuary highlights the precarious state of our city's wildlife infrastructure.
The Local Cost of 'Irreversible' Shifts: Why National Climate Projections Threaten the GTA
Ottawa reports a minimum 3.5C temperature rise by century's end, but for Toronto's urban corridors, these statistics represent a looming crisis of flood and heat liabilities.
The '100-Year Storm' Fallacy: Toronto's Infrastructure Under Pressure
As city officials tout a coordinated recovery from Wednesday's massive thunderstorm, the recurring label of 'anomaly' masks a growing gap in urban drainage capacity.
Sudbury Remains Unshaken as Ford Leverages Critical Minerals in Trade War
While Premier Doug Ford threatens to cut off critical mineral flows to the U.S., Greater Sudbury officials say the city is sheltered due to the strategic importance of nickel and copper.
The Departure of Tofino is a Victory, but a Regulatory Failure
Opinion: While the removal of the last captive whales from Marineland marks a historic milestone, the prolonged suffering of these animals exposes a critical flaw in Canada's 2019 captivity ban.
Toronto's Drainage Under Pressure as Extreme Rainfall Becomes the New Normal
Environment Canada's latest advisory warns of heavy precipitation and pooling, highlighting the growing strain on city infrastructure.
The Digital Erasure of Lake Ontario: Why Google's 'Lake America' Pivot is a Dangerous Precedent
Opinion: By renaming our regional waters to satisfy a U.S. executive order, Google isn't just updating a map—it is allowing geopolitical volatility to rewrite the geography of Ontario.
The Shield of 'May': How Ottawa's Legal Maneuvers Threaten Environmental Accountability
By arguing that climate policy is beyond the court's jurisdiction, the Carney government is attempting to dismantle the legal safeguards meant to protect Canadians from environmental negligence.
Wasaga Beach Explores Aerial Gondola for Waterfront Transport
The Town of Wasaga Beach has signed a Letter of Intent with Doppelmayr Canada to investigate a ropeway system as part of a broader tourism strategy.
The EDGE Incentive Program: Economic Growth or Environmental Gaslighting?
Opinion: While the City of Toronto touts the EDGE program as a win for industry, the lack of carbon requirements suggests a missed opportunity for genuine climate action.
The Ring of Fire Road: A High-Stakes Gamble with Northern Ontario's Future
Opinion: By prioritizing mineral extraction over Indigenous sovereignty and environmental stability, the province is risking an ecological disaster for a promised economic windfall.
Green Density in Trinity-Bellwoods: A Blueprint for Toronto's Housing Crisis
While 74 units is a drop in the bucket for our housing crisis, these sustainable builds in Trinity-Bellwoods need to be the blueprint for how Toronto scales green, rent-controlled density.
The Cycle of 'Special' Weather: Why the GTA's Infrastructure Can't Keep Pace with the Rain
As Environment Canada warns of heavy rainfall exceeding 50 mm this weekend, the recurring nature of these alerts highlights a growing gap between our weather patterns and our city's capacity to handle them.
Nuclear Ambitions Clash With Radioactive Legacy in Port Hope
Ontario's plan for a world-leading power plant faces fierce resistance from residents who remember a century of contamination and neglect.
Beyond the Forecast: How Winter's 'Dramatic Contrasts' Threaten Toronto's Infrastructure
As the Old Farmer's Almanac predicts a volatile 2026-27 winter, the risk of freeze-thaw cycles and erratic precipitation poses a significant challenge to city resilience.
The Arrival of the Asian Tiger Mosquito: A Warning Sign for Ontario's Warming Climate
The detection of Aedes albopictus in the Niagara region signals a shift in the province's ecological landscape, as invasive, aggressive species find new footholds in the Great Lakes basin.
Toronto Faces 15-Degree Temperature Swing as Autumn Approaches
Environment Canada and the Old Farmer's Almanac forecast volatile weather patterns for the city through September.
Toronto's Cooling Towers: A Growing Public Health Risk?
Opinion: As Toronto Public Health investigates a cluster of Legionnaires' disease cases, we must question if our urban water systems are becoming dangerous catalysts for outbreaks.
A Failing Grade for Canada: Why Our Climate Inertia Threatens Ontario's Future
Opinion: The latest Environmental Performance Index reveals a systemic failure in federal strategy that leaves Canada—and Ontario—dangerously behind the Global West.
Oakville's Data Centre Freeze: A Warning Shot for Ontario's AI Ambitions
As Oakville becomes the first Ontario municipality to enact a moratorium on new data centres, neighbouring cities are weighing similar pauses to protect local infrastructure from the AI buildout.
Precision Alerts, Aging Pipes: The Gap Between Weather Warnings and Urban Infrastructure
Environment and Climate Change Canada's new 'free-form polygon' system targets severe weather with surgical precision, but the ability to warn citizens is only half the battle.
A public prediction record for Claire Dubois’s calls is coming soon.