FEATURED POST

Where Are Cities In Carney’s Nature Strategy?

So, the long awaited federal Nature Strategy has been released and there’s a lot to praise and a lot that leaves me frustrated and angry. On the praiseworthy side is support for indigenous leadership and input, culminating in two long awaited projects finally being scheduled to move forward – the northern Seal River Watershed, a protected area right here in Manitoba, and Wiinipaawk, another indigenous led project on the Quebec side of James Bay. Add to that plans for other pr

4 days ago3 min read

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Where Are Cities In Carney’s Nature Strategy?

4 days ago3 min read

Why Life in the Slow Lane is Better...and Safer

Before I begin this story, I should first confess that I once suffered from a serious affliction – that nasty urban disease known as road rage. Maybe it was the result of living in Montreal for 20 years - a city where every driver thinks they’re competing on a formula 1 track, and woe betide the driver who doesn’t hit the gas as soon as the light turns green. In truth, my case of road rage was so bad that my partner – a reasonable, calm type of man – frequently asked me to re

Apr 274 min read

OUT ON A LIMB: THE STORY OF A BOOK

In August 2024, my friend Emma Durand Wood, one of the co-founders of Trees Please Winnipeg, approached me about writing a book on the urban forest. It would be part of The City Project, a series of compact, accessible books exploring everything from city finances, active transportation and urban trees to the decolonization of public spaces. My first reaction was a feeling of high anxiety, despite the fact that I’d already written more than a dozen op-eds for the Winnipeg Fre

Apr 234 min read

Come and Join Me On April 22!!

Dear Readers, On Earth Day, Wednesday April 22nd at 6:30, I’ll be online with the Winnipeg Public Library to talk about my new book and take your questions! If you care about a greener, healthier, more sustainable city then please drop by and join the discussion! You might even make some online friends who share your views. You can register for free here: https://wpl.libcal.com/event/4005059 Look forward to seeing you online and at the official book launch, May 20th, at McNal

Apr 201 min read

Protecting Mature Trees Should Be A City Priority

I I have to tell you - there are days when I am utterly gob smacked by the stuff people do. Case in point? Just last Friday, I was walking down a residential street in my neighbourhood, when I turned the corner and came to a dead halt. There, on the edge of a nearby yard were four hacked down trees. I say “hacked” because about 4 and half feet of their large trunks were still visible above the ground. And when I looked more closely at the two trees left standing, I could see

Apr 63 min read

Mark Carney and The Rhetoric Versus Reality Gap

Like many Canadians, I was initially impressed by Prime Minister Carney’s Davos speech. Largely because it was the first time, in my memory, that a politician stood on a global stage and admitted that the so-called “rules based order,” established after WW2, was too often applied to the benefit of the few to the detriment of the many . Or as he put it: “We knew that the story of the international rules-based order was partially false. That the strongest would exempt themselve

Mar 113 min read

Dear Readers...

Dear Readers, Pictured above is a mighty Cottonwood tree that stands on the lower shores of the Assiniboine River near my Wolseley home. It’s just one of the trees I write about in Out on a Limb, a book about the extraordinary value and benefits of our urban forests. I had tremendous fun writing the book, but now the time has come to let it go to find its place in the world. Which can be a bit nerve-wracking, because you never know how readers will respond. So when I got the

Feb 162 min read

Welcome to My Blog! It’s time to talk about nature, climate, and a whole host of other things!

They call me “the tree lady” - I’ve been called worse! - because I’m passionate about protecting and expanding Winnipeg’s urban forest. But first and foremost, I’m writer, filmmaker and environmental activist with a wide range of interests. In addition to publishing a novel and short stories, I’ve written and directed more than a dozen award-winning science and nature documentaries for CBC’s The Nature of Things With David Suzuki.

Recently, I’ve written a series of opinion editorials for The Winnipeg Free Press on urban issues, from climate change and trees to downtown renewal.

Contact

FEATURED POST

Where Are Cities In Carney’s Nature Strategy?

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Where Are Cities In Carney’s Nature Strategy?

Why Life in the Slow Lane is Better...and Safer

OUT ON A LIMB: THE STORY OF A BOOK

Come and Join Me On April 22!!

Protecting Mature Trees Should Be A City Priority

Mark Carney and The Rhetoric Versus Reality Gap

Dear Readers...

ABOUT ME

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