Summer is a season of sunshine, play, and unfortunately, excessive water use. As temperatures climb, our reliance on water increases, from watering lawns and filling pools to cooling off with long showers. While these are natural parts of summer life, they also offer an excellent opportunity to teach the next generation about one of the planet’s most precious resources: water.
As World Ocean Day approaches (Sunday, June 8, 2025), Canadians have a unique opportunity to reflect on the incredible role oceans play in our daily lives and the health of the planet. For Canada, whose geography is defined by its extensive marine borders, this day holds exceptional significance. Bordered by the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans, and with over 243,000 kilometres of coastline, the longest of any country, Canada's environment, economy, and cultural identity are deeply entwined with the health of its marine ecosystems.
Every March 22, the world celebrates water in all its myriad forms. This year’s World Water Day theme is Glacier Preservation and protecting our frozen water resources for future use. While this theme is important to life all over the world, here in Canada it is vital, as our country is home to the Canadian Arctic and the Rocky Mountains, both landscapes that rely heavily on the conservation of this frozen resource.
For the 2024/2025 academic year, the Cinema Studies department at the University of Toronto launched a new experiential learning course called Sensory Ecologies: Theory and Praxis in Environmental Studies. Led by Professor Nadine Chan, our class has explored how media helps us construct and understand the concept of environmental degradation. Through scholarly research, various forms of media, and even experimenting with making our own media projects, we have seen firsthand how important storytelling is in conceptualizing the environment, and stoking passion for climate justice.
Every time I enter the ocean, it shows me something beautiful and unexpected. I’m looking for sharks, and a fin whale surfaces, breath bursting into fine mist. Sea lion pups encourage me to play, spinning in the water, swimming fast then turning on a dime and blowing bubbles. Floating at the surface, a comb jelly mesmerises me with rainbow bands of bioluminescence.
Ontario's Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act was passed in November of 2022 and allows the province to override local planning decisions and increase the speed and density of housing development. The bill seeks to address the housing crisis in Ontario, but environmental activists argue that it will result in the destruction of currently undeveloped areas with the removal of important protections for existing green spaces and natural habitats.
Canada appears poised to pass its first-ever legislation concerning environmental racism. Bill C-226, a private member’s bill introduced by former Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, passed its second reading in the House of Commons this week. Following the reading, Bill C-226 has been referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. This legislation is a successor to a Bill C-230 introduced in 2019 by then-Liberal MP Lenore Zann. Bill C-230 also made it through two readings but was lost when parliament dissolved with the 2021 election call.
