The Arctic is the Epicentre of Climate Injustice

A working group is studying the Church of England’s recent decision to divest from thermal coal and tar sands to see how it can be instructive to the Anglican Church of Canada’s own investment policies.

The Church of England announced April 30 that it was divesting £12 million worth of investments in “heavily polluting fossil fuels” and that it won’t make any direct investments in companies where more than 10 per cent of revenues come from the extraction of thermal coal or the production of oil from tar sands.

Dorval Community Garden at St. Mark’s

On a beautiful sunny spring day an organic vegetable garden was installed at the Parish of St. Andrew and St. Mark, Dorval. The garden was made possible by a “Growth, Understanding and Ministry” (G.U.M.) grant from the Anglican Diocese of Montreal and a generous donation from Margaret Beattie, a member of the parish.

The garden is a joint project with CPE Dorval, a daycare that operates on the parish’s property. The produce grown will be donated to Dorval Community Aid (DCA), a local support organization that among other services provides emergency food aid to Dorval residents. Some produce may also go to other organizations that serve area residents in need.

Canadian Church Investors Call for a Price on Carbon

Leaders in the Anglican Church of Canada have joined counterparts from other denominations in signing a letter that urges the Canadian government to establish a basis for pricing carbon dioxide emissions.

Written on behalf of 53 religious institutional investors with combined assets of more than $2 billion, the letter is addressed to federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver and asks the Government of Canada to “establish mechanisms to set a clear, reliable and effective price for carbon emissions with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting catastrophic climate change.”

The Ven. Dr. Michael Thompson, General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada, signed the letter along with Bishop John H. Chapman of the Diocese of Ottawa.

The 5th Annual Interfaith Eco-Action Day

The 5th Annual Interfaith Eco-Action Day will take place this year on Monday, May 18th from 9:00 a.m. through noon. The gathering point is Parc Raymond Préfontaine (Metro Prefontaine) in Montreal, Quebec.

It is a great opportunity for your youth group or any interested parishioners to make a real difference in a neighbourhood. Last year we had close to 165 participants from a number of faiths and traditions.

These Eco-Action Events have been organized within local Montreal neighbourhoods annually for the past four years and are sponsored by the Christian Jewish Dialogue of Montreal, The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism, the Concordia Multi-faith Chaplaincy, and EcoQuartier Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

Justice Tour: Faith Climate Change and Poverty

The Justice Tour is a series of faithful gatherings of concerned Christians in cities across Canada. At these national events communities of faith will come together to pray, engage and learn about climate justice and ending poverty in Canada. The tour, is co-organized by Citizens for Public Justice and the Canadian Council of Churches.

Church of England Adopts New Climate Change and Ethical Investment Policy that Includes Divestment

On Thursday April 30th 2015, the Church of England, mother church of the world's 80 million Anglicans, adopted a new climate change and ethical investment policy. The policy stresses engagement with companies and policy makers and divestment when engagement is deemed unproductive.

The Church Commissioners and The Church of England Pensions Board indicated that it will divest £12 million ($18.42 million) from thermal coal and tar sands. Effective immediately the three national investing bodies (NIBs) which includes the £1.9 billion ($2.9 billion) CBF Church of England funds, will not make any direct investments in companies where more than 10 percent of its revenues are derived from the extraction of thermal coal or the production of oil from tar sands.

The Vatican's Climate Conference Calls for a Moral Awakening that Includes Rejecting Fossil Fuels

On April 28th, the Vatican held a major conference on climate change that called for a moral awakening. The summit addressed the need for urgent action including reductions in our consumption of fossil fuels. The conference was titled, Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development. It was hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Science and included 60 scientists, religious leaders and diplomats.