Ontario Clean Air Alliance

10/08/2026

☀️ What if going solar were as easy as plugging something into the wall?

It sounds almost too good to be true, but it's already happening!

Small, portable solar panels that plug into ordinary electrical outlets are gaining popularity across the U.S. and Europe. And unlike traditional rooftop solar systems, they don't require a major installation or tens of thousands of dollars.

🏢 Apartment dwellers can use them on balconies.

🏡 Homeowners can set them up in sunny outdoor spaces.

💰 Some systems cost just a few hundred dollars and can supply 10–30% of an average home's electricity use.

Germany already has more than a million plug-in solar systems, and California is the latest U.S. state to pass legislation making them easier to install.

The best part? More people can generate their own clean electricity and reduce their power bills, including renters!

Ontario should be exploring how to make safe, affordable plug-in solar accessible here, too.

Clean energy shouldn't be a luxury. It should be an option for everyone. 💚

Read the National Geographic article: shrlnk.ca/s/gkXbtfJF

10/08/2026

☀️ Four First Nations. One solar project. A whole lot of opportunity.

Now THIS is the kind of energy development we love to see! 👏

Four First Nations in northwestern Ontario have joined forces to develop a solar farm that would supply clean electricity directly to the Greenstone Gold Mine near Geraldton.

The proposed project would feature up to 14,000 solar panels and generate 8.5 MW of electricity.

And the benefits go well beyond clean power!

☀️ An estimated 4,900 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided annually.

👷 Up to 32 jobs during construction.

💚 New opportunities for First Nations to build experience, expertise, and long-term economic prosperity through renewable energy.

The best part? The project is 100% First Nation-owned, with Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek, Aroland First Nation, Ginoogaming First Nation, and Long Lake #58 First Nation working together.

Construction could begin in 2027, pending approvals.

This is what a clean energy future can look like when Indigenous communities aren't just consulted, but are leading the way.

Read more: shrlnk.ca/s/Vafik6rA

10/07/2026

Only five of 39 Northumberland municipal election candidates that responded to our questionnaire support OPG’s proposal to build the world’s largest nuclear station at Port Hope.

The results:

👍 5 candidates support the proposal
👎 9 candidates oppose it
❓ 25 candidates undecided

The project would cost approx. $230 billion and drive up electricity bills across Ontario.

Northumberland voters deserve to know where their candidates stand on a proposal that could shape the region’s waterfront and Ontario’s energy future for generations.

Read our latest bulletin for the full story and a link to your candidates’ responses:

https://www.cleanairalliance.org/nh-candidates/

There's little support from election candidates for building the world's largest nuclear station in Port Hope. 5 are in favour, 9 opposed, 29 undecided. See where the candidates stand:

10/06/2026

☢️ Should a project to transport and bury Canada’s nuclear waste be allowed to bypass a full independent review?

Join We the Nuclear Free North this Thursday for an important webinar on proposed federal changes affecting the review of major nuclear projects.

The federal government is considering designating the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s proposed nuclear waste transportation and burial project as a “Project of National Interest.” We the Nuclear Free North warns that this could allow the project to move forward without the full impact assessment it says a project of this magnitude demands.

Canada’s nuclear waste will remain radioactive for generations. Decisions about how and where it is transported and buried deserve transparency, independent scrutiny and meaningful public participation.

📅 Thursday, October 8
⏰ 7 p.m. Eastern
💻 Online

These decisions are moving quickly. Get informed and get involved.

👉 Register for the webinar: shrlnk.ca/s/QZUjaoOG

10/05/2026

Where do Toronto's leading mayoral candidates stand on solar and wind energy?

We asked Toronto Council candidates whether they would take a stand for solar and wind power to replace the dirty Portlands gas plant on our waterfront. Many responded - see their responses linked within our bulletin below.

But leading mayoral candidates are silent on renewables that would lower our bills, improve our health, and protect our climate.

Which candidate will lead our city toward a bright, renewable energy future?

Where do Toronto's leading mayoral candidates stand on solar and wind energy? Which candidate will lead our city toward a bright renewable energy future?

10/02/2026

🧡 Reconciliation cannot be something we talk about on September 30 and set aside on October 1.

Less than 24 hours after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Canada designated the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline as a Project of National Interest.

The pipeline is proposed to move approximately one million barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta to the West Coast.

Keepers of the Water, an Indigenous-led organization, says the decision raises serious questions about what reconciliation means when major projects affecting Indigenous lands, waters and rights continue to move forward: shrlnk.ca/s/VMBdOhgT

Their message is powerful:

“September 30 cannot be a day of ceremony followed by business as usual on October 1.”

Reconciliation cannot be symbolic. It requires listening to Indigenous voices and respecting Indigenous rights, knowledge and leadership in decisions affecting their territories, Treaty rights and watersheds.

It’s not about wearing an orange shirt one day a year. The work has to continue on October 1, and every day after. 🧡

10/02/2026

“Once this war is over, Ukraine will be a leader in renewable energy”

As Russia pummels Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter, one non-profit delivering portable solar energy systems nationwide is racing to reach households with little or no reliable power.

Residents are using the solar-powered units to keep phones charged for air-raid alerts and communications, run LED lights and laptops for children, and power small appliances for cooking during extended blackouts.

This roll out is unfolding alongside a broader shift toward decentralized energy in Ukraine. Repeated Russian attacks on large-scale power infrastructure have increased interest in smaller sources of generation and storage that can continue supplying electricity when centralized systems are damaged or disconnected.

Support the purchase of solar kits in Ukraine:
https://donate.hfu.org/campaign/708298/donate

Full article in the Energy Mix:
https://shrlnk.ca/s/AAMO5XhF

10/01/2026

☀️ Solar has officially overtaken nuclear power.

The newly released 2026 World Nuclear Industry Status Report paints a striking picture of where the global electricity system is heading.

Nuclear supplied 8.8% of global electricity in 2025, down from its peak of 17.5% in 1996. The average operating reactor is now almost 33 years old, and more than one-third have been operating for at least 41 years.

Meanwhile:

☀️ Solar capacity grew by 510 GW in 2025

🌬️ Wind grew by 159 GW

☢️ Nuclear capacity grew by just 1.5 GW

🔋 Grid-scale battery capacity grew 79% in a single year

And for the first time, solar generated more electricity globally than nuclear in 2025.

Even China, the country undertaking the world's largest nuclear expansion, generated nearly five times as much electricity from wind and solar combined as from nuclear last year.

The global energy transition isn't waiting around.

Ontario should be investing in the technologies the rest of the world is deploying at extraordinary speed: wind, solar and storage. ☀️🌬️🔋

Read the RenewEconomy analysis: shrlnk.ca/s/flW8XLIG

Latest nuclear status report details the glum state of affairs for the far right's favourite clean power source. It's already been overtaken by solar for the first time.

09/30/2026

🧡 Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we remember, listen and reflect.

Let's reflect upon the contamination from uranium mining on First Nations lands over the past century - the 218 million tonnes of uranium mine and mill tailings, plus the 167 million tonnes of uranium waste rock - all which will remain radioactive, and deadly, for hundreds of thousands of years, blowing in the wind, leaching into groundwater, causing cancer and deformations to all life.

More and more, nuclear projects including uranium mining, nuclear reactors, radioactive waste storage and transportation impinge on traditional Indigenous lands.

And now gov't and industry plan to dump and abandon all of Canada's high level nuclear fuel waste in NW Ontario on the traditional territory of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) and near the Township of Ignace. According to the nuclear industry itself, this toxic brew will need to be isolated from the environment for 1 million years.

Across Ontario and Canada, First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities are already leading and investing in renewable energy, storage and transmission projects, creating greater energy independence and lasting economic opportunities. Indigenous leadership, ownership and self-determination must be part of the transition to a cleaner energy system.

We're grateful for the life-affirming values and spiritual guidance provided by Indigenous knowledge and wisdom posted here:
https://www.ccnr.org/index.html

09/30/2026

Seven candidates running in Meaford, Ontario’s 2026 municipal election, including mayoral candidates Caryn Colman and Justin Perks, oppose TC Energy’s proposed 1,000-megawatt pumped storage project.

Even Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator has concluded that the project does not compare favourably with alternatives such as battery storage, and would not provide net benefits to Ontario’s electricity system or ratepayers.

Despite this finding, the Ontario government is giving TC Energy $285 million to complete detailed cost estimates and environmental assessments.

See where Meaford’s candidates stand and learn more about the alternatives:

https://www.cleanairalliance.org/meaford-election-2026/