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S-230 (45-1) - National Strategy for Soil Health Act
Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
Date: 2026-10-29 17:14:02.0
Tags: [National, Agriculture, Environment, Governance]Bill S-230, the National Strategy for Soil Health Act sponsored by Senator Robert Black, has progressed to debate at second reading in the House of Commons during the 45th Parliament, 1st session. The Senate Public Bill proposes the development of a comprehensive national strategy focused on soil health protection, conservation, and enhancement. Following its introduction and first reading in June 2025, the bill passed through the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry with amendments before receiving third reading in the Senate in March 2026. The legislation was subsequently introduced and read a first time in the House of Commons in April 2026, with ongoing second reading debate taking place in October 2026.
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Amendment to Lands Protection Act could reduce land holding limits for non-profits
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-28 22:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Agriculture, Governance, Environment]The Prince Edward Island government has introduced a proposed amendment to the Lands Protection Act that would reduce the maximum land holding limit for non-profit corporations from 3,000 acres down to 400 acres. The amendment targets organizations pursuing patriotic, religious, philanthropic, charitable, scientific, artistic, social, professional, or sporting objectives, requiring groups exceeding the new limit to divest excess land. Specifically, inter-related Buddhist groups such as the Great Wisdom Buddhist Institute and the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society, which hold upward of 3,200 acres collectively, and religious organizations like the Catholic Church, which owns more than 1,700 acres, would be directly impacted. The provincial government opened a public feedback window for the proposed amendment running until November 10.
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Provincial Government Opens Public Engagement on New Climate Change Action Plan
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-28 17:30:40.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Environment, Climate, Energy, Governance]The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through the Department of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change led by Minister Andrea Barbour, has launched public engagement for its upcoming five-year 2027-2032 Climate Change Action Plan. Hosted on the EngageNL platform, the initiative gathers public and stakeholder input on climate mitigation, adaptation, disaster resilience, environmental awareness, and municipal preparedness to support the province's transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. Written submissions, emails, and online questionnaires will be accepted until November 26, 2026, alongside targeted sessions with Indigenous Governments and Organizations, municipalities, and industry stakeholders.
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Minister Barbour Announces Development of a New Climate Change Action Plan
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-28 16:50:06.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Environment, Climate, Governance]The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through Minister of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Andrea Barbour, announced the launch of stakeholder engagement on a new Climate Change Action Plan via the EngageNL platform. The initiative aims to collaborate with residents, municipalities, working groups, and Indigenous Governments and Organizations to establish a more attainable plan featuring clear, achievable emissions reduction targets. The updated action plan will prioritize disaster resilience, municipal preparedness, and environmental awareness while establishing a realistic and actionable pathway to lower emissions.
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N.W.T. minister says territory has few choices when it comes to ending net metering
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-28 00:20:19.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Environment, Governance]The Northwest Territories Power Corporation and Naka Power are petitioning the Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board to replace the current net metering system for independent solar power producers with a net billing model. Under the proposed structure, self-generators sending excess power to the grid would receive bill credits instead of a direct 1-to-1 compensation model, a change prompted by territorial government policy directives aimed at addressing projected annual utility net revenue losses estimated between $1.8 million and $2.7 million by 2030. Industry representatives like Mitch Dentinger of N.W.T. Solar Solutions Ltd. argue that the transition will reduce the financial viability of future residential solar installations and diminish environmental benefits.
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Minister to Yukon gov’t corporations: no more coal
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-26 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Environment, Mining, Governance]Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Ted Laking issued a directive to the Yukon Energy Corporation and the Yukon Development Corporation prohibiting them from pursuing or considering coal-fired power projects. The directive coincided with an opposition motion brought by NDP MLA Carmen Gustafson, which urged the territorial government to direct the Yukon Utilities Board under section 17 of the Public Utilities Act to reject any applications for energy projects using coal. The political debate was prompted by Vancouver-based Strategic Metals proposing a coal exploration project near Braeburn, Yukon, and evaluating coal-fired power generation despite the federal government's mandate to phase out coal-fired power by 2030.
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Minister directs Yukon gov’t corporations not to mull over coal-fired power projects
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-26 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Environment, Mining, Governance]Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Ted Laking issued a directive instructing the Yukon Development Corporation and the Yukon Energy Corporation to refrain from pursuing or considering coal-fired power generation projects. The ministerial directive coincides with an opposition motion brought by NDP MLA Carmen Gustafson, which urged the territorial government to direct the Yukon Utilities Board under section 17 of the Public Utilities Act to reject any applications for energy projects using coal. The debate highlights ongoing friction surrounding Vancouver-based Strategic Metals' coal exploration project near Braeburn, Yukon, and its potential application for power generation despite federal plans to phase out coal-fired power by 2030.
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Nature vs. bulldozers: The environment minister's balancing act at UN nature summit
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-24 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Governance]Federal Environment, Climate Change and Nature Minister Julie Dabrusin is attending the UN biodiversity conference COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, highlighting recent Canadian conservation commitments including a 380,000-square-kilometre Indigenous-led project in the Northwest Territories and a 1.3-Toronto-sized forest conservation area near Kapuskasing, Ontario. However, the federal government faces domestic criticism from environmental groups like Greenpeace Canada and scientists over Bill C-39, also known as the Building Canada Strong Act, which proposes to amend federal environmental legislation to fast-track major projects such as pipelines, power lines, and mines. While critics accuse the administration of policy incoherence and creating environmental sacrifice zones, Minister Dabrusin defended the legislation by stating it focuses on project assessment processes rather than reducing core environmental standards.
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Nearly half of staff in N.W.T. and Yukon could be affected by layoffs: Parks Canada
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-24 00:11:21.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Labour, Governance]Parks Canada is undergoing a workforce adjustment requiring the agency to absorb nearly $145 million in budget reductions over the next three years following a federal comprehensive expenditure review. Across the country, the restructuring will eliminate the equivalent of 500 full-time jobs, with nearly 3,000 employees receiving workforce adjustment notices. In the North, 67 of 147 staff in the Northwest Territories and 58 of 137 staff in the Yukon are affected, representing approximately 45 per cent of Parks Canada's workforce in those two territories.
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Ontario Introducing Changes to Improve Blue Box Program
Source: Ontario - Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Date: 2026-10-23 18:14:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Environment, Economy, Governance]The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is proposing legislative and regulatory changes to the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act and Ontario's Blue Box Regulation (O. Reg. 391/21) to increase transparency, accountability, and cost predictability for producers operating provincewide recycling services. The proposed changes will allow the province to regulate contract terms and fees between producer responsibility organizations (PROs) and producers, establish clearer reporting requirements, set service and bin allocation standards, explore collection of flexible plastics, and replace the current program administrator with a new independent administrator. These actions build upon prior cost-stabilization measures enacted in September 2025 to mitigate economic pressures on businesses amidst potential U.S. tariffs.
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Some of Canada's top scientists push for changes to Carney's new major projects bill
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-22 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Environment, Infrastructure, Energy, Governance]More than 50 fellows of the Royal Society of Canada published an open letter urging Parliament to make six significant amendments to Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act. The 243-page bill aims to fast-track major energy and infrastructure projects by establishing a one-year review deadline and pre-approved regions of national interest, while amending over a dozen federal laws including those protecting species at risk, fisheries, and water quality. Scientists, including representatives from the University of British Columbia and Queen's University, warn that eliminating the five-year sunset clause from the original Building Canada Act (Bill C-5) and weakening environmental oversight could drive irreversible harm and species extinction, such as the endangered southern resident orca population. Federal ministers, including Dominic LeBlanc, defended the legislation before a special legislative committee, arguing that clearer timelines and robust oversight can coexist.
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P.E.I.'s program to protect farmland from development a 'mirage,' report says
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-16 21:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Agriculture, Environment, Governance, Housing]A review by commissioner Rory Francis of the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission revealed that Prince Edward Island's Land Identification Program, established in 1995 under the Lands Protection Act, fails to provide permanent farmland protection because non-development agreements automatically expire after 10 years. Between 2016 and July 2026, 61,500 hectares (152,000 acres) were protected and are set to expire by 2036, adding to the 121,400 hectares (300,000 acres) that lost protection under a 2015 retroactive policy change. According to Statistics Canada, Prince Edward Island lost 12 percent of its farmland between 2016 and 2021 at an average rate of 39 acres per day, while the provincial government has repeatedly delayed implementing a comprehensive province-wide land use plan recommended since the 1973 Royal Commission on Land Ownership and Land Use.
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Supreme Court will hear appeal of federal ban on single-use plastics
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-15 14:56:24.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Justice, Governance]The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear an appeal regarding the federal government's ban on single-use plastics under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. In 2021, the Liberal government classified plastic-manufactured items—such as grocery bags, cutlery, styrofoam containers, stir sticks, and straws—as toxic, prompting a legal challenge by the industry group Responsible Plastic Use Coalition. While a 2023 Federal Court ruling struck down the ban as sweeping and an overreach into provincial jurisdiction, the Federal Court of Appeal subsequently overturned that decision in January, upholding the toxic classification and restoring the regulations.
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Q&A | Years in the making: Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in chief weighs in on proposed Dawson regional land use plan
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-15 01:16:47.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Resources, Mining, Environment, Governance]Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation Hahke (chief) Darren Taylor expressed hope that a final agreement on the Dawson regional land use plan will be reached with the Yukon government in 2027. The proposed plan outlines acceptable land uses across 40,000 square kilometres in north-central Yukon, balancing environmental protection, stewardship, and historic preservation with economic development and critical mineral resource extraction. Chief Taylor emphasized that without the plan, the First Nation will withhold support for regional mining and development projects unless companies negotiate direct Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs).
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Whitehorse City Council rejects potential mineral exploration expansion
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-15 00:11:57.0
Tags: [Municipal, Mining, Resources, Environment, Governance, Indigenous]By a 4-to-3 vote, the Whitehorse City Council rejected a petition by Gladiator Metals to amend municipal bylaws and the official community plan to permit mineral exploration across three areas currently designated as greenspace within the Whitehorse copper belt. The defeated amendments drew divided public and council opinions concerning industrial environmental impacts versus economic reconciliation and resource development opportunities supported by the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch’än Council. Council members opposed to the changes cited a lack of sufficient scientific and environmental justification, leaving the restrictive zoning status quo in place.
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Alberta Court of Appeal says Impact Assessment Act is still unconstitutional
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-09 22:16:10.0
Tags: [Alberta, National, Environment, Energy, Resources, Governance]In a 4-1 decision, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that the federal government's Impact Assessment Act (originally passed as Bill C-69) remains unconstitutional because it still grants federal authorities the power to halt projects entirely within provincial jurisdiction based on minimal federal impacts. The legal challenge was brought by Alberta with backing from Ontario and Saskatchewan, following previous rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called on the federal government to accept the ruling and avoid another appeal, while federal officials stated they are reviewing the decision. Meanwhile, the federal government is attempting to transfer energy project reviews to the Canada Energy Regulator through Bill C-39 while maintaining compliance with the Impact Assessment Act.
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C-37 (45-1) - First Nations Clean Water Act
Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
Date: 2026-10-09 13:20:48.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Infrastructure, Environment, Governance]Bill C-37, titled the First Nations Clean Water Act and introduced by the Minister of Indigenous Services, has completed second reading and was referred to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs (INAN) on October 9, 2026. The legislation establishes a comprehensive federal framework regarding water, source water, drinking water, wastewater, and related infrastructure on First Nation lands. The bill builds upon previous class-action litigation settlements concerning safe drinking water in First Nations communities and is accompanied by a historic funding commitment and a departmental Charter Statement tabled on September 25, 2026.
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Yukon wildland firefighters welcome plan to expand presumptive cancer coverage
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-09 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Labour, Public Safety, Governance, Environment]The Yukon government tabled a bill to amend the territorial Workers' Safety and Compensation Act to extend presumptive cancer coverage to wildland firefighters. Previously, only full-time and part-time structural firefighters received this coverage under the legislation. The proposed amendment covers all wildland firefighters equally, including government employees and independent contractors, with industry representatives aiming for formal legislative passage prior to the winter legislative break.
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C-241 (45-1) - National Strategy on Flood and Drought Forecasting Act
Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
Date: 2026-10-09 10:10:14.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Climate, Emergency, Governance]Bill C-241, titled the National Strategy on Flood and Drought Forecasting Act, is a Private Member's Bill sponsored by Liberal Member of Parliament Tatiana Auguste representing Terrebonne. The legislation successfully passed second reading in the House of Commons with a 303 to 22 vote on December 3, 2025, and was subsequently reviewed by the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, which reported back with amendments on June 17, 2026. Following concurrence at the report stage on October 9, 2026, the bill is currently undergoing third reading debate in the House of Commons to establish a coordinated national forecasting framework across Canada.
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Proposed framework would nearly double land available for mineral exploration in Whitehorse
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-08 00:41:19.0
Tags: [National, Municipal, Mining, Resources, Governance, Environment]City of Whitehorse staff have tabled proposed amendments to municipal policies, zoning bylaws, and the official community plan to establish a new mineral framework. The framework will nearly double the amount of land available for mineral exploration from 1,128 to approximately 2,200 hectares through the inclusion of "future planning areas," while implementing explicit regulations such as a 500-metre buffer between homes and exploration sites, a 100-metre setback from watercourses, mandatory bonding, and site reclamation standards.
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