Media Releases

Legal action targets sweeping undemocratic Cabinet powers under Special Economic Zones Act   Toronto, Ont./ Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — A coalition of public interest and environmental organizations has launched a constitutional challenge to one of Ontario’s most controversial new laws, warning it creates “lawless

March 2, 2025 (Tokyo and Ottawa) Friends of the Earth Japan and Friends of the Earth Canada join in calling on their respective Prime Ministers to recognize the compelling opportunity for genuine renewable energy leadership during their upcoming bilateral summit. Ayumi Fukakusa, Executive Director of FoE Japan says “Canada and Japan have great potential to

As Health Canada and ECCC Move to Eliminate PFAS, PMRA Approves Two “Forever Chemical” Pesticides TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, February 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/  — Health and environmental organizations have filed a Federal Court application challenging Health Canada’s approval of cyclobutrifluram, a fluorinated pesticide classified as a PFAS, for use on food crops in Canada. The application, filed on

December 18, 2025 (Ottawa) Friends of the Earth is shocked to see the prevalence of glyphosate residues in grain products from major cities in Canada. This comment is made in response to findings in the new report by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) showing the controversial herbicide, glyphosate, is present in 85% of the

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, June 5, 2025 – Yesterday, while Bill 5 was being voted on in the Ontario Legislature, the Ford government posted amendments to the Blue Box Regulation,  https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-0009 that undermine waste diversion efforts and accelerate landfill expansion, including the controversial Dresden landfill. These changes prioritize cost-cutting and data collection over stronger recycling goals,

For immediate release May 1, 2025 (Ottawa) The ground-breaking youth-led Mathur case challenging the Ontario government’s weak climate target is heading back to court. The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has declined to hear Ontario’s appeal of the Ontario Court of Appeal’s ruling in October 2024, putting an end to yet another delay in the

Renewal of glyphosate-based pesticide product was granted in 2022 without considering new science on potential risks   Toronto, Ont./ Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — Environmental and health groups are celebrating a recent ruling from the Federal

Environmental and health groups challenge Health Canada’s renewal of toxic glyphosate product in court Voir la version française ci-dessous   Toronto, Ont./ Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — Environmental and health groups are in Federal

100+ Organizations Voice Deep Concern Over Violence to Advance Canada’s Atico Mining Project in Ecuador   Quito/Ottawa. Today 108 human rights and environmental organizations sent a letter to Atico Mining Corporation and the president of Ecuador urging a stop to the militarization, criminalization, and intimidation of the campesino, Montubio, and Indigenous communities of Palo Quemado (Sigchos, Cotopaxi)

Media release: Talks on a business and human right treaty need Canada’s support   (Ottawa/unceded territories of the Algonquin Nation, 10 December 2024) – One week before talks towards a business and human rights treaty, the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) is calling on the federal government to support their progress and commit to urgent

Statement: Environmental, worker, and health groups welcome cancelling of dangerous pesticide   Ottawa/Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People, 4 December 2024 —Environment, worker, and health groups welcome the decision by Health Canada to cancel the registration of the pesticide flufenacet and all associated products containing the substance. Flufenacet, a herbicide used in Canadian corn and

In the appeal in the Climate Case between Milieudefensie and Shell, the Court of Appeal has ruled that the oil and gas giant does have a responsibility to reduce its emissions, but has not imposed a concrete reduction obligation. “One thing is clear: the fight against the big polluters is a marathon, not a sprint.

Court of Appeal Confirms Ontario’s Inadequate Climate Target is Harming Ontarians and Must Comply with Charter Standards.   The Ontario government lost its bid to ignore the climate crisis as the Ontario Court of Appeal overruled a lower court decision to dismiss the case of seven Ontario youths who claim the province has a duty

This article is adapted from a press release originally issued by Ecojustice titled: “Groups request human rights investigation into heavy truck routing in downtown Ottawa“ Groups call on Ontario Human Rights Commission to investigate health impacts posed by route OTTAWA/TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE — Health, community, and environmental groups are calling

(Ottawa) — Environmental groups are expressing their frustration with the federal government’s plan to scale-back a proposed ambitious pesticide water monitoring program. Earlier this year, the federal government released a proposed water monitoring framework. Environmental groups say the originally proposed program was to be robust, including citizen monitoring and participation to help Canadians understand how

Media Release from FOE International: Kicking out polluters key to progress at negotiations for a first-ever global Plastics Treaty  Tuesday 23 April 2024, Ottawa (Canada) – As delegates gather this week to make headway on what many hope will be an ambitious legally-binding plastics treaty, civil society groups including Friends of the Earth International are pushing

  When will Canada act?   February 12, 2024 (Ottawa) Dental amalgam (inaccurately called “silver fillings”) is approximately 50% mercury — a neurotoxin and reproductive toxin. The European Union has already banned the use of amalgam in children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers in a regulation that went into effect in 2018. The 2018 measure

The sudden cancellation last week of the first small nuclear reactor project in the United States, the NuScale project, calls into question the economic viability of Canada’s plans to develop and deploy small modular reactors. Potential customers in Utah balked at the soaring projections for the cost of electricity the NuScale reactor would generate, and the project was unable to

Environmental groups call for a ban on releasing GMOs into the wild Halifax, Ottawa, Sutton, November 8, 2023 – Today, the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) released an Expert Panel report commissioned by the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency of Health Canada on the regulation of genetically engineering (genetically modified or GM) insects for pest control.

Toronto, Ont./ Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — Twelve Indigenous, environmental, health, and civil society groups have been granted intervenor status in the appeal of a historic youth-led Charter case on climate change. Sophia, Zoe, Shaelyn,

For Immediate Release Environmental and food safety groups, scientists and filmmakers call for immediate ban of glyphosate   October 26, 2023 (Ottawa)  A major study on glyphosate, the world’s most used herbicide, found in food, water and humans, has been linked to early leukaemia deaths. This finding comes as environmental and food safety groups take

Maya’s Eco-Mission: 11-Year-Old Star Takes on School Lunch Waste! Ottawa, October 2, 2023 – Friends of the Earth’s 11-year old Plastics Campaigner, Maya, is calling on students, parents, and teachers to join her in getting rid of single-use plastics in school lunches. Canadian families could save more than $527 million over the school year by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Doctors and environmental groups urge federal government to act on truck pollution  OTTAWA/TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE – Smoke from wildfires is not the only source of air pollution threatening the health of Canadians. According to Health Canada, diesel emissions in major cities and along transportation corridors are a

Toronto, Ont./ Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – Environmental groups welcome today’s announcement from the federal government stating its intention to end the cosmetic use of pesticides on federal lands and strengthen regulation of pesticides. The David

For Immediate Release (05/01/23) (OTTAWA | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People) — New Brunswick MP, Jenica Atwin, and prominent documentary filmmaker, Jennifer Baichwal are calling on Parliament to ban the use of glyphosate, Canada’s most widely-used weed killer.  Atwin is presenting a petition – signed by more than 18,000 Canadians and backed

For Immediate Release – April 18, 2023   Intervenor Friends of the Earth finds important gains despite dismissal   (Ottawa) Canada’s courts are a step closer to legally recognizing governments’ duty to protect Canadians from climate change. The Ontario Superior Court released a historic judgment in Mathur v Ontario – the youth climate lawsuit where

A little girl launches a big campaign to get rid of those little stickers on fruit and vegetables  (Ottawa) Ten year old Maya Thiru who lives in the GTA  has turned a visit to the grocery store with her Mom into a Friends of the Earth Canada environmental campaign. Maya’s Plastic Pollution Campaign hopes to

Vancouver — More than 60 environmental and health organizations and businesses across Canada are calling on the federal government to Expand the Single-Use Plastics Ban by adding six new categories: All takeout containers, cups and lids Bags, film and wrap Bottles and caps Filtered cigarettes Produce stickers Sachets, pouches and wrappers These six new categories

Toronto, Ont./ Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – Environmental and food groups are challenging Health Canada’s failure to conduct a rigorous scientific assessment of glyphosate before renewing the approval for a product containing it. Ecojustice,

Dear Mayor Sutcliffe, On behalf of Friends of the Earth Canada and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (Ontario Committee), we write to draw your attention to an urgent public health hazard in downtown Ottawa – heavy truck pollution. To summarize, the City of Ottawa’s choice to route heavy trucks through its high-density