Hello Changemaker!
We hope you had a fantastic Nurses’ Week, and Indigenous Nurses’ Day (Miigwetch to the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Nurses and nursing students). We honor and celebrate you for your amazing and unique contributions to this profession, to those working hard on the front lines of the pandemic, and if you are a nursing student, we honour you for pursuing this rewarding career path! Please see below for this month’s updates, opportunities, and action alerts:
Updates
ONEIG’s 2021Annual Environmental Sustainability Reporting Resolution
ONEIG’s 2021: Annual Environmental Sustainability Reporting Resolution has been selected to by the RNAO’s Provincial Resolutions Committee to be brought forward to the consultation session at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM)! Please see the attached pdf draft to read the resolution. You can view all 17 Resolutions for 2021 Consultation at the AGM here.
Victory- Thanks for your help on Hwy 413!
Thank you for helping the David Suzuki Foundation with the Hwy 413 campaign. Minister Wilkinson has designated the highway for a federal environmental assessment. This means the highway won't be built for at least a year to two. This greatly mitigates the chance that it will ever be built and overall protects the Greenbelt from a superhighway!
If you posted to social media, or signed it yourself or signed the scientists’ letter – it is very appreciated! In a letter to DSF, Minister Wilkinson said that he weighed the scientists’ letter in his choice. Here is the CBC article on the news.
"How did a weird 2020 impact transportation emissions?" (Originally from The Atmospheric Fund)
"Early analysis of 2020 transportation data reveals that carbon emissions were down 20-30% in the GTHA. The coolest finding is that cycling increased by an average of about 50% in the suburbs, and about 20% in Hamilton and Toronto. It may be obvious that fewer fossil fuel-powered cars on the road will lead to significant carbon reduction, but let’s use this data to help shape good climate policy and investments, with a big focus on transit, active transportation, and electrification of transportation. See more stats and a surprising chart in this thread."
Action Alerts
"IESO launches public engagement on phasing-out Ontario’s gas-fired power plants" (Originally from Ontario's Independent Electricity System operator)
"Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is launching a public engagement process on how Ontario can reduce its greenhouse gas pollution by phasing out its gas-fired power plants. This is your chance to tell the IESO that we need to phase out gas by 2030 to help our climate and clear our air.
Ontario was a world leader in phasing out dirty coal power. Now much of the world is racing to catch up and may soon pass us. With jurisdictions from the United States to the UK embracing the goal of zero carbon power systems, Ontario will be left behind if it sticks with its plan to use more gas, not less, to replace power from aging nuclear reactors. We simply can’t afford to lose approximately 40% of the climate pollution reductions we achieved by phasing out coal if we want to make climate progress.
We know that vested interests like Ontario Power Generation, Enbridge Gas and TC Energy – the owner of the TransCanada pipeline that brings fracked gas from western Canada to Ontario – will be hotly opposing a gas plant phase-out by 2030. So it's important that the IESO hears from you – action on climate can’t wait or be sacrificed to maintain corporate profits.
To date over 60 organizations have endorsed our call , including the RNAO for the phase-out of Ontario’s gas-fired power plants by 2030. In addition, 25 municipalities have passed resolutions calling for the phase-out of our gas plants.
Help us keep building momentum for a 2030 gas plant phase-out by sending a message to the IESO right now. Click here to send your letter."
Action Alerts- from the Environmental Registry of Ontario
Modernizing environmental compliance practices of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (Policy Proposal)
"We are proposing to update our compliance policy to focus more resources on incidents and complaints from the public that pose a higher risk to the environment and/or human health and on holding polluters accountable." Comments will be accepted from May 4, 2021- July 3, 2021.
Land Use Compatibility Guideline (Policy Proposal)
"We are proposing an updated Land Use Compatibility Guideline to help municipalities and planning authorities plan sensitive land uses and major facilities. This will help to avoid or minimize and mitigate potential adverse effects from odour, noise, dust and other contaminants" Comments will be accepted from May 4, 2021- July 3, 2021.
Guideline to address odour mixtures in Ontario (Policy Proposal)
"Ontario is proposing guidance on how the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and the regulated community can anticipate, prevent and address odour issues that could be of concern to local residences." Comments will be accepted from May 4, 2021- July 3, 2021.
Opportunities
Nursing and Climate- Driven Vector-Borne E-Resource
The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing is happy to announce that the Nursing and Climate-Driven Vector-Borne Disease E Resource is now available! This a free, open access e-resource, see the attached infographic pdf for a summary of the resource. Click here to get started! Click here for the Guidelines for Undergraduate Nursing Education on Climate- Driven Vector- Borne Diseases.
Nature Prescribing: “A prescription worth filling”
“PaRx is an initiative of the BC Parks Foundation, driven by health-care professionals who want to improve their patients’ health by connecting them to nature. Featuring practical resources like quick tips and patient handouts, its goal is to make prescribing time in nature simple, fun and effective.
Each prescriber who registers with PaRx will receive a nature prescription file customized with a unique provider code, and instructions for how to prescribe and log nature prescriptions.
Parks Prescriptions began as a grassroots movement in the United States over a decade ago, and have now spread to countries around the world. We are proud to be Canada’s first national, evidence-based nature prescription program”.
Thank you for being so awesome! May you and your loved ones stay well.
Your ONEIG Executive Team