Greenspiration News & Events: mis-information challenge

[Angela Bischoff - OCAA]



 

INTERNATIONAL

 

Michigan sues oil companies, saying they colluded to restrain EV and Renewables competition

Michigan Attorney General filed an antitrust lawsuit against four major oil companies, asserting they have colluded for decades to forestall competition from renewable energy, including electric vehicles.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/michigan-sues-oil-companies-saying-they-colluded-restrain-ev-competition-2026-01-23/

 

India’s electrotech fast-track: where China built on coal, India is building on sun

Cheap electrotech is enabling India to industrialise without the long fossil detour taken by China and the West.

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/indias-electrotech-fast-track-where-china-built-on-coal-india-is-building-on-sun/

 

 

CANADA

 

What Carney didn’t say at Davos - Climate

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/26/opinion/mark-carney-davos-speech-climate-change

 

Feds target hundreds of Environment and Climate Change Canada workers putting 'public safety and the environment at risk'

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/23/news/feds-target-hundreds-environment-climate-change-canada-workers-putting-public

 

Nuclear Waste No Thanks

The nuclear industry has unveiled its plans to permanently store Canada’s most long-lived radioactive waste at a proposed deep geological site in Northwestern Ontario. Support our call for an impact assessment of the ‘Deep Geological Repository’ radioactive waste project. Send your letter here.

https://naturesdefence.ca/2026/01/14/take-action-say-yes-to-protecting-communities-nature-for-generations-to-come/

 

Radon gas may be giving more Canadians lung cancer

This gas is released from the ground as the uranium in soil and rock breaks down. When radon builds up indoors and is inhaled over time, it exposes people to radiation that wreaks slow and steady havoc on their lung cells, killing 3,200 Canadians/yr.  18% of residences in Canada have radon levels at or above the current national guideline.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/radon-gas-cancer-screenings-9.7058488

 

Bill C-15 would allow corporations to be exempt from most Canadian laws

The budget implementation omnibus bill includes clause that could allow ministers to unilaterally exempt corporations

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/bill-c-15-would-allow-corporations-to-be-exempt-from-most-canadian-laws/

 

The Mis-Information Challenge: How to Rebuild Trust in a Post-Truth World

Evidence for Democracy carried out a broad review of the state of misinformation in Canada, and what we can do to rebuild public trust in Canada’s democracy.

https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/how-to-rebuild-trust-in-a-post-truth-world/

 

Extreme online violence targeting girls on the rise, Canadian Centre for Child Protection data shows

Discord most cited platform by victims of online extreme violence reports

https://www.protectchildren.ca/en/press-and-media/news-releases/2026/extreme-violence

 

Federal NDP Leadership Race

The race to elect a new federal NDP leader is down to its final two months. The party will select its next leader at its 2026 convention in Winnipeg, between March 27 and 29. Five candidates are vying for the position including Avi Lewis, my pick - long time enviro and justice advocate. Read his remarkable platform here:

https://lewisforleader.ca/ideas

Read an article that spells out the differences between the candidates:

https://www.readthemaple.com/avi-lewis-ndp-labour-plan-is-a-remarkable-document/

If you want to vote for the new NDP leader, you need to join the NDP by Wed. Jan. 28, midnight. Join here:

https://act.lewisforleader.ca/become-an-ndp-member

 

 

ONTARIO

 

World’s Largest Nuclear Station or Lower Electricity Bills?

Ontario Power Generating (OPG) is seeking permission to build in Port Hope, Ontario, what would be the world’s largest nuclear station. It's the most expensive, riskiest, and slowest option to meeting our electricity needs. Engage now.

https://www.cleanairalliance.org/worlds-largest/

 

Nuclear project with locals opposed will get federal review

There's growing local opposition to the massive Port Hope nuclear project and a federal review has been triggered.

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/22/news/port-hope-nuclear-megaproject-resistance

 

Ford made it easier to evict you

Doug Ford’s gov't passed new laws that make it easier for landlords to evict renters—right in the middle of a housing crisis. Thousands who pay their rent on time and follow the rules could lose their homes. Push back. Tell Premier Doug Ford to reverse his law that will increase homelessness and make rents more expensive.

https://www.progresstoronto.ca/stop-fords-eviction-plan

 

A "Highway to Hell"; Developer driven 413 will have devastating environmental impacts, internal report admits

https://thepointer.com/article/2026-01-24/a-highway-to-hell-developer-driven-413-will-have-devastating-environmental-impacts-internal-report-admits

 

 

TORONTO

 

Why We Must Stop Bradford This October

https://www.twowheeledpolitics.ca/2026/01/why-we-must-stop-bradford-this-october.html

 

______________________

______________________

 

EVENTS

 

Climate Impacts on War and Human Rights: A Panel Discussion

Mon. Jan. 26, noon ET

This panel examines the increasingly evident intersections between climate change, armed conflict, and the protection of human and environmental rights. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, panelists will discuss and explore how climate-induced stressors interact with existing political and social vulnerabilities to exacerbate conflict and human rights violations.

https://balsillieschool.ca/event/climate-impacts-on-war-and-human-rights-a-panel-discussion/

 

______________________

______________________

 

Championing Women's Rights & Gender Equality - with Avi Lewis and MP Leah Gazan

Mon. Jan. 26, 8 p.m. ET

Every day, people across the country are struggling to make ends meet as the costs of basics— like food, housing, and utilities—skyrocket. Women are being hit particularly hard. In Canada, sixty percent of minimum wage workers are women. Ninety percent of the families accessing emergency shelters are headed by single mothers. And 1.5 million women live in poverty. Migrant, Indigenous and racialized women are being disproportionately crushed by our rigged economy. Women are holding together the threads of our frayed social safety net while their work remains underpaid and underappreciated. Classrooms are bursting at the seams. Hospitals are overflowing. Care homes are understaffed. And daycare waitlists are never ending. None of this is by accident. It is a direct result of decades of Liberal and Conservative cuts that have prioritized corporate profit over care. More than ever, women’s rights and gender equality are under attack both here in Canada and around the world.

https://act.lewisforleader.ca/solidarity-session-4

 

______________________

______________________

 

Women and War: U.S. History of Militarism and Camptowns in South Korea

Mon. Jan. 26, 8:30 pm ET 

Join us for a webinar on the history of U.S. militarism and camptowns in Korea, and the impact on Korean women. Studies have long shown that in war and militarism, women are disproportionately harmed and sustain severe human rights abuses. For decades in South Korea, military camptowns surrounding bases have been the site of harm and human rights abuses against Korean women. In 2022, the South Korean Supreme Court found that sex trafficking and illegal prostitution economies existed at U.S. military camptowns from at least 1957 to 2008, and held the Korean government liable for operating and encouraging such prostitution to sustain the South Korea-U.S. military alliance. This past fall, Korean organizers filed a new lawsuit building on that ruling. The 117 plaintiffs are suing the South Korean government for gender-based human rights abuses inflicted by U.S. forces stationed in Korea (U.S.F.K.). This is yet another chapter in the long history of the disproportionate impact and harm sustained by women in Korea as a result of U.S. militarism. English and Korean translation will be provided. #koreapeace #koreapeacenow Organized by @WomenCrossDMZ

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d8I8YxPXS-WRcIZC96cFyQ#/registration

 

______________________

______________________

 

Militarism vs the Care Economy and Degrowth

Mon. Jan. 26, 6 - 7:30 p.m. ET

Speakers Harrris Gruman, Juan Jose De Blas and Anna Prouty will address how we can transition from the current disaster/militarist economy to a peace, climate, and justice-oriented care and degrowth economy.

https://events.worldbeyondwar.org/event/webinar-militarism-vs-the-care-economy-and-degrowth/

 

______________________

______________________

 

Canada’s approach to critical minerals at home and abroad

Tues. Jan. 27, 10 a.m. ET

This webinar brings together panelists from civil society and government to unpack and critique Canada’s approach to critical minerals at home and abroad. As Canada’s investment in critical minerals exploration and extraction expands, it is necessary for civil society to understand the government’s plans as well as the potential harms that could result from them. Hosted by MiningWatch Canada.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Cf7onHDRQFa4t6LzjGBJFw#/registration 

 

______________________

______________________

 

Extreme Wildfire Events in Urban Environments - with John Valliant

Tues. Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m. ET

We’re no longer living in the same environment our grandparents knew. Extreme wildfire events in cities and towns are increasingly common. Are we developing strategies to deal with these events when they happen? How can we adapt to an increasingly dangerous environment? Accelerating climate change, largely from the burning of fossil fuels, makes wildfires bigger, hotter, and more frequent. They are devastating our forests and threatening our towns and cities. We have experienced choking smoke in our urban areas, and where there is smoke, there is fire. Fort MacMurray, Jasper, Lytton, Flin Flon, Halifax…Who’s next? Join us for a timely look at the dangers of climate-changed wildfires, how we can reduce the risk, and how we can adapt before it’s too late. Hosted by Cinema Politica Danforth.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/qqANhNyGR1mPr80Y5TOIyA#/registration 

 

______________________

______________________

 

Aging Playfully: Reimagining the Possibilities

Tues. Jan. 27, 11 a.m. ET

Guest: Maxwell Hartt, Director, Population and Place Research Lab. Queen’s University, Canada

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3oNtcTouTFW46AZmvCjPfA#/registration 

 

______________________

______________________

 

All Out for Avi - Membership Deadline - Phone-a-thon with Avi and Billy Bragg

Wed. Jan. 28 all day

Today is the deadline to become an NDP member to be eligible to vote for Avi! If you haven't already gotten your own NDP membership, get it here: 

https://act.lewisforleader.ca/

And then join the Lewis for Leader Campaign volunteers to phone others. Sign up for a shift here. Featuring Avi with special guests.

https://act.lewisforleader.ca/all-out-for-avi-membership-deadline

 

______________________

______________________

 

101 on AI Data Centres and Their Impact on Communities

Wed. Jan. 28, 7 pm

What are the environmental, social, and community-level impacts of AI data centres and their status in Ontario? Two guest speakers will join ClimateFast to explain what AI data centres are and how they work. 

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/101-on-ai-data-centres-and-their-impact-on-communities-tickets-1980929063153?aff=erelexpmlt

 

______________________

______________________

 

World’s Largest Nuclear Station in Port Hope, ON?

Thur. Jan. 29, 7 p.m. ET

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is seeking permission to build the world’s largest nuclear station in Port Hope, Ontario – the same community that is undergoing the largest environmental remediation project in Canada’s history due to radioactive contamination from past nuclear projects. This nuclear megaproject will cost at least $230 billion and will lead to a dramatic rise in Ontario’s electricity rates and/or taxes. New nuclear reactors are the highest cost option to meet our electricity needs: up to 10 times higher than energy efficiency, and 2 to 8 times higher than new wind and solar energy. What are the alternatives to this project? And how can we engage? With:

•           Theresa McClenaghan, Canadian Environmental Law Association, and 

•           Jack Gibbons, Ontario Clean Air Alliance

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/cIr87hHQRreS8WO2dCNAKA#/registration

 

______________________

______________________

 

Climate disinformation is getting smarter. Are local governments ready?

Thur. Jan 29, 3 p.m. ET

Climate mis/disinformation is no longer confined to social media or fringe corners of the internet. From coordinated marketing campaigns to AI-assisted messaging designed to sound local, reasonable, and grassroots, it's showing up across Canada and in its city halls. The result? Delayed climate action and growing distrust in democratic institutions. Join panelists to examine how climate mis/disinformation is spreading, why local politicians are increasingly vulnerable, and what can be done to respond, online or off. Hosted by Canada's National Observer.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o9-3fCEMTkqTsTZ-ei5snw#/registration

 

______________________

______________________

 

The View from Here: Reflections from leaders navigating change, uncertainty, and possibility

Thur. Jan. 29, noon ET

The webinar will feature five panelists, each with different experiences and perspectives on using communications effectively in climate work. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes view of how they practice climate comms in the real world and hear an insightful conversation as panelists identify what’s missing and how the climate movement at large can move forward. 

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jnAyqOcdQH-LyjKsmexFtQ#/registration  

 

______________________

______________________

 

Climate Stories to Watch

Thur. Jan. 29, 9 a.m. ET

Stories to Watch 2026 will show how well-designed climate action is delivering benefits today. We’ll explore how countries are using the clean energy transition to spark inclusive economic growth, how climate solutions are helping address the cost-of-living and housing crises, and how investment in green jobs is creating opportunity around the world.

https://www.wri.org/events/2026/1/stories-watch-2026 

 

______________________

______________________

 

SDS vs Climate Justice: How a colonial-era investment mechanism jeopardizes a just transition – and what we can do about it

Thur. Jan. 29, 10 a.m. ET

Phasing out fossil fuels is urgent to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown. Yet a little-known but powerful legal mechanism is undermining climate action worldwide. This mechanism, known as Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments over policies designed to meet climate commitments and protect the environment. Even the threat of an ISDS claim can pressure governments into reversing, weakening, or abandoning legitimate public-interest policies. The ISDS regime disproportionately impacts Global South countries, which face the majority of claims, while most investors come from a small number of wealthy nations (including Canada) – reinforcing deep global inequalities. Hosted by Climate Action Network Europe.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/d8ZhS21RSiOKskP-xCMs_w#/registration  

 

______________________

______________________

 

Organizing a GLOBAL WOMEN’S STRIKE as an Artistic Intervention 

Thurs., Jan. 29, noon ET

Join a conversation with two of the German organizers of the planned “Global Women’s Strike: “ENOUGH! GENUG! BASTA!" on Monday, March 9. Learn more about what inspired this multifaceted initiative, how it is being organized, and what the “artistic intervention” hopes to achieve. In German with simultaneous translation into English

https://www.brandeis.edu/cges/news-events/spring-2026/260129-frauenstreik.html  

 

______________________

______________________

 

Global Dialogues for Change: Building Safety Together

Thur. Jan. 29, 11 am - 12:30 pm ET. 

This conversation will focus on practical, community-based approaches to moving beyond criminalization, with organizations from different regions sharing how they are already building safety outside policing and punishment. This session will also create space to identify shared priorities for future action as we continue imagining feminist responses to harm grounded in care and social transformation.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7ZdzAlVGSY25QldSqauNgw

 

______________________

______________________

 

The Day Iceland Stood Still

Sat. Jan. 31, 7 p.m. ET

Friends House, 60 Lowther, Toronto (U of T)

What if every woman simply took the day off? The Day Iceland Stood Still is a film that answers that question. In Iceland, on October 24, 1975, women walked out and stopped working. 90% of the women of Iceland refused to work, cook, or take care of the children. They brought their country to a standstill and catapulted Iceland to the “best place in the world to be a woman” today.

Trailer: https://www.thedayicelandstoodstill.com/trailer 

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/panitchschool/1965617  

 

______________________

______________________

 

Protecting and Advancing Public Universal Health Care

Sat. Jan. 31, noon ET

An online gathering by Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice. We will highlight and share Social Justice Actions across Canada by committees and groups, followed by an invited Speaker

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/DO8YuaaMTKaW3VuN6sxWKw

 

______________________

______________________

 

More Toronto events 

https://showuptoronto.ca/ 

 

For the best Canadian climate and energy news, visit and subscribe to the Energy Mix newsletter

http://theenergymix.com/ 

 

Democracy Now Daily Show - global peace, justice and enviro news

https://www.democracynow.org/ 

 

Tooker Tapes Archive Project - Youtube Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3IwhNn-WrINTQz2fBNayDoBWLW0y59le

 

_______________________

_______________________

 

Submissions, subscribes, unsubscribes, and comments: mailto:angela at cleanairalliance.org 

 

Share this newsletter on social media using this link: http://greenspiration.org/news-events/

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/greenspiration/attachments/20260126/0de7012f/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 54217 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/greenspiration/attachments/20260126/0de7012f/attachment-0001.jpg>