September 7, 2024 The Ford government’s lack of transparency around the potential costs of the proposed 413 Highway through the GTA greenbelt is drawing growing criticism. The 413 would run from Highway 400, just south of King City, to the …
Canada’s Pathways to Sustainability, Prosperity and Security in a Changing World: Is Bill C-5 the only way forward?
Version published in The Conversation, June 3, 2025. Elements published in The Hill Times, June 18, 2025. The contradiction is inescapable. Summer wildfires, intensified by the impacts of climate change, are again raging from BC to Ontario. At the same …
History suggests caution on fast-tracked project approvals
May 29, 2025 President Trump’s arrival has brought profound [disruptions](https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/what-trumps-executive-orders-mean-for-canada/) longstanding trade, security and environmental relationships with the US. In Canada’s case, one of the central features of the response has been a rush to ‘streamline’ approvals for resource development …
Amid rapid global growth, renewable energy’s Canadian future remains uncertain
Published in the Hill Times, June 2, 2025 May 18, 2025 Globally renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind, have been experiencing a period of unprecedented growth. The dramatic expansion of investment and development of renewable energy sources has been …
Ontario’s Bill 5: Has Populist Authoritarianism Arrived in Canada?
Version published in the Hamilton Spectator, June 3, 2025 The first four months of US President Donald Trump’s second administration have stretched the boundaries of disbelief among even his harshest pre-election critics. He is seen as seeking to fundamentally alter …
Carney, Trump and Canada’s Economic, Security and Environmental Paths Forward
May 15, 2025 Incoming Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting was US President Trump last week was widely regarded as a success. Mr. Carney avoided a ‘Zelinski’ moment in the Oval Office, and was seen to have successfully fended off the …
Canada Election 2025: It doesn’t look like a climate change election, but it really is.
April 12, 2025 Published in the Conversation, The Waterloo Region Record, The Hamilton Spectator, the Peterborough Examiner Observers of the current Canadian federal election have noted the marginalization of the environment and climate change as top-of-mind issues in the face …
Nuclear energy and climate action delay
Susan O’Donnell and Mark Winfield March 22, 2025 What is the best way for utilities to delay transitioning from fossil fuels? Propose to build nuclear reactors. Electricity utilities wanting to “decarbonize” have several options for replacing the fossil fuel …
Doug Ford”s $400 Billion Nuclear Fantasy
Doug Ford’s $400 Billion Nuclear Fantasy Published in the Hamilton Spectator, February 26, 2025 February 24, 2025 Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s proposal to bury the 401 Highway from Brampton or Mississauga in the west to Scarborough or Markham in the …
Unravelling Ontario’s Environment
February 1, 2025 The following is a summary of the chapter “Unravelling Ontario’s Environment” from Against the People, edited by Bryan Evans and Carlo Fanelli (Fernwood 2025). The Ford government’s approach to environmental matters needs to be understood in the …