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Why environmental assurances alone can't resolve opposition to AI data centres

Residents concerned about data centres may want to know whether company officials will listen, whether promises will be enforced and who will answer...

yesterday 10

National Observer

Sibo Chen

Up is down, black is white and Budget 2026 will build a cleaner economy

Instead of regulating its way to a cleaner economy, the federal government claims that it will build its way there... And yet, for the same reason...

previous day 1

National Observer

Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood

Thirty years of weaker rules. Nature is still paying the price

Thirty years of weaker rules. Nature is still paying the price

After decades of narrowing federal assessment, Canada is being asked to repeat the same failed pattern under Bill C-39.

previous day 10

National Observer

Sandra Schwartz

Keep those elbows up, Canada

Keep those elbows up, Canada

The massive win by Democrats in the midterm elections has some people thinking Canada can let down its guard and go back to business as usual. They're...

wednesday 4

National Observer

Max Fawcett

OMG, so happy

OMG, so happy

I think The Blue Wave is going to have a significant impact on the conversation about climate change in Canada, where it's been sidelined as Carney...

wednesday 5

National Observer

Linda Solomon Wood

Fast-tracking mines at what expense?

Fast-tracking mines at what expense?

Are we willing to risk groundwater supplies for present and future generations to expedite mine construction by a few years?

wednesday 10

National Observer

Alana Westwood

Canadians say clean air for me, dirty coal for thee

Canadians say clean air for me, dirty coal for thee

While we nobly clean up our air at home, we continue to ship thermal coal to impoverished countries that don’t have the means to switch to cleaner...

wednesday 20

National Observer

Adrienne Tanner

Danielle Smith is America’s political trojan horse

Danielle Smith is America’s political trojan horse

Danielle Smith’s US-style gerrymander reveals her biggest weakness.

03.11.2026 4

National Observer

Max Fawcett

Unsold in China, wanted in Canada: Why the EV transition may accelerate

Unsold in China, wanted in Canada: Why the EV transition may accelerate

A surplus of Chinese vehicles is heading for new markets, and Canada is next. The result could be more value per dollar for buyers and the potential...

03.11.2026 20

National Observer

Baris Akyurek

Carney can’t afford to ignore young Canadians’ concerns

Carney can’t afford to ignore young Canadians’ concerns

The Liberal Party of Canada still enjoys significant support among young people. They shouldn't count on it to last.

03.11.2026 10

National Observer

Max Fawcett

The Fab Fifteen take climate failures to court

The Fab Fifteen take climate failures to court

Kira Young, now 20, testified about repeated escapes from wildfires, including when all of Yellowknife had to be evacuated in 2023. “It was very...

02.11.2026 20

National Observer

Chris Hatch

Vancouver woman turns climate conversations into games across cultures

Vancouver woman turns climate conversations into games across cultures

Chinese farmers divide the year into 24 solar terms that reflect seasonal and ecological changes. One of these terms is Guyu (谷雨), literally...

02.11.2026 50

National Observer

Patricia Lane

Will Canada shape investment to fit industrial policy or leave the job to investors?

Will Canada shape investment to fit industrial policy or leave the job to investors?

The root issue is whether Canada will shape investment to support a national industrial policy or if economic policy is reduced to chasing investors...

30.10.2026 20

National Observer

Fred Wilson

Cultural and information sovereignty need to be on the agenda at the EU-Canada summit

Cultural and information sovereignty need to be on the agenda at the EU-Canada summit

The bolstering of democratic resilience and sovereignty requires a firm, shared commitment by Canada and the EU to free, independent, pluralistic and...

29.10.2026 7

National Observer

Paul Deegan

Canada’s influencers aren’t that influential after all

After Kerry-Lynne Findlay decided to resign as leader of the BC Conservative Party, the influencer class that had backed her threw their support...

29.10.2026 40

National Observer

Max Fawcett

Canada's big city green mayors are up against it

Canada's big city green mayors are up against it

Ontario and BC have provincial governments hostile to climate policy and municipal councils that care in both of their largest cities

28.10.2026 20

National Observer

Adrienne Tanner

The affordable EV you’ve been waiting for is already here

The affordable EV you’ve been waiting for is already here

If your goal is simply to buy a great EV that’s competitive on price, start looking now — because the EV you’ve been waiting for is already here.

28.10.2026 20

National Observer

Trevor Melanson

When the term 'heatwave' is no longer enough

When the term 'heatwave' is no longer enough

A groundbreaking Reuters investigation explains that massive “heat storms” now “swarm the planet.”

27.10.2026 20

National Observer

Mark Hertsgaard

We don’t have to listen to the separatists any more

Alberta's separatist movement spent months collecting signatures, attracting attention, and rallying their vote — all to end up exactly where...

26.10.2026 10

National Observer

Max Fawcett

The tantalizing promise of a ‘point of return’

This year took a whole new tack. The 2026 Emissions Gap Report is called The point of return. And the cover showcases a puzzling trajectory for...

26.10.2026 30

National Observer

Chris Hatch

Saskatoon youth is taking Ottawa to court over climate change

Lauren Wright, 22, is one of the 15 young plaintiffs in the case arguing the Canadian government is violating their constitutional rights through its...

26.10.2026 350

National Observer

Patricia Lane

Climate Liberals must leave the party

Climate Liberals are just giving Prime Minister Mark Carney cover. These MPs have another option. They can cross the aisle and join a more...

23.10.2026 20

National Observer

Sam Viavant

David Eby might have played himself

Move aside, David Peterson. Canadian politics might be about to have a new stand-in for the dangers of calling a snap election.

22.10.2026 60

National Observer

Max Fawcett

Without public details, Rocky Mountain hikers can't learn from summer deaths

Examining hiking accidents (and close calls) doesn’t need to be an exercise in shame or blame. Instead, it should be an exercise in collective...

22.10.2026 70

National Observer

Robson Fletcher

Hold your nose, but don’t hand BC to the Conservatives

No matter how moderate Lorne Doerkson may seem, you have to take a good hard look at his party. With his cast of ignoble candidates, the chance of a...

21.10.2026 20

National Observer

Adrienne Tanner

Drilling down on how Canadians feel about geothermal energy

In a survey Cascade Institute recently conducted of roughly 2,500 Albertans and British Columbians, half reported low or no familiarity with...

21.10.2026 20

National Observer

Simone Philpot

The real battle for housing affordability has yet to be fought

We've spent years acknowledging the affordability crisis in Canada, but we're still talking around the biggest issue of all: our own selfishness....

20.10.2026 30

National Observer

Max Fawcett

An overlooked Trump scandal

As corruption tops voters’ concerns, Democrats and the press are overlooking Trump’s deal with the oil industry.

20.10.2026 30

National Observer

Mark Hertsgaard

Canada’s air quality reality has changed. Workplace protections haven’t

Clean air should not be a gamble for Canadian workers. The air Canadians breathe has changed. Workplace protections need to adapt to that reality.

19.10.2026 20

National Observer

Vivian Funk

Saskatchewan scientist helped find a fix for toxic mining waste

Peter Blanchard X-rays mining waste to clean it up. He worked with researchers from the University of Saskatchewan to confirm that certain kinds of...

19.10.2026 20

National Observer

Patricia Lane

Vancouver has re-secured its climate leadership

With Ken Sim and his right-wing council sent packing as progressives swept to power, the city is on track to return to its internationally recognized...

19.10.2026 20

National Observer

Seth Klein

The Yes Agenda is ready. Is Canada?

Climate Action Network Canada has published a list of more than 100 clean energy projects across the country that are ready for federal support. It's...

19.10.2026 40

National Observer

Chris Hatch

Alberta needs to grow up

The separatists are going to lose Monday's referendum. The rest of the province should use the defeat as an opportunity to finally put their...

19.10.2026 20

National Observer

Max Fawcett

The Pacific Link pipeline will be a national liability

Prime Minister Mark Carney, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the obscenely profitable oil and gas industry want us to believe that building the...

16.10.2026 30

National Observer

Thomas Green

The war tax you're actually paying at the pumps

Canadian oil producers and refiners are collecting some of the largest windfalls in the history of the business, all because of a war they, too, had...

16.10.2026 20

National Observer

Ross Belot

We can’t prepare for wildfires if we don’t talk about climate change

Avoiding climate change in wildfire communications leaves Canadians in the dark and therefore vulnerable to current and future climate risks.

15.10.2026 30

National Observer

Cara Pike

Alberta should not rip out the welcome mat

By asking Albertans to vote on five immigration questions, the government is attempting to divide residents into us-and-them camps.

15.10.2026 30

National Observer

Adrienne Tanner

As Canada seeks closer economic ties with the EU, it must go bigger on clean tech

As Canada pursues economic opportunities to help the EU insulate itself against current and future oil crises, we must strengthen our own energy...

14.10.2026 20

National Observer

Rachel Doran

Why I broke up with David Eby’s BC NDP

When the NDP came to power, they promised to take climate change seriously. Instead, we’ve watched those promises unravel.

14.10.2026 30

National Observer

Tzeporah Berman

Quitting X is the easy bit, but Canada's leaders can't even do that

For many of the country's most high-profile individuals, Elon Musk's social platform is a test. They're currently failing it.

14.10.2026 30

National Observer

Max Fawcett

The whales are suing — and they're winning

Since the feds and provinces are so adamant about pushing the fossil fuel projects ahead, the fate of the southern resident killer whales may hinge on...

13.10.2026 80

National Observer

Chris Hatch

A 26-year-old is running for mayor of a BC community with a climate platform

Sam Holland is running for mayor. This 26-year-old is offering the people of Oak Bay, BC, ideas about taking action on climate to benefit us all and...

13.10.2026 30

National Observer

Patricia Lane

Climate overshoot is here. Canada can build the industry that helps contain it

We are running a three-way relay race involving mitigation, adaptation and carbon removal.

09.10.2026 30

National Observer

Jorden Dye

The Quebec election was yet another example of our electoral system’s flaws. Mark Carney should fix them

It was more than a decade ago when former prime minister Justin Trudeau promised to change Canada's electoral system. Mark Carney should finish the...

08.10.2026 40

National Observer

Max Fawcett

Tariffs expose Canada's need for food independence

Every dollar Ottawa puts into food capacity needs a matching commitment for the farmers, processors, truck drivers and community workers who turn it...

08.10.2026 350

National Observer

Mark Brand

Climate despair? Take it to the civic election booth

Cities have a lot of power to reduce carbon pollution with policies such as banning gas heating in new homes and buildings.

07.10.2026 40

National Observer

Adrienne Tanner

BC knows how to help its kelp forests recover. Ottawa needs to make room

Kelp forests, found along more than a quarter of the world’s coastlines, are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet.

07.10.2026 30

National Observer

Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak

Who will defend high-speed rail from the critics that would put Canada on the wrong track?

The question for political leaders and high-speed rail supporters is how to sustain and build on this encouraging start?

06.10.2026 30

National Observer

Christopher Holcroft

America’s anti-immigration politics are coming to Canada — and Alberta invited them in

The separation question has consumed most of the attention around the province's October 19th referendum. The immigration-related questions also on...

06.10.2026 40

National Observer

Max Fawcett

BC student fought her school board for composting and recycling

In Grade 10, Melody Silva began pressing her Saltspring Island, BC, school to provide plastic recycling and composting. To her frustration and despite...

05.10.2026 40

National Observer

Patricia Lane