Canadian Beacons

"Leaf Rapids [Manitoba] banned plastic bags. Low-flow toilets and shower heads are mandatory in new homes in Okotoks, Alberta. The mayor of Aurora, [Ontario], is calling for clotheslines to reduce dependence on dryers. A Toronto city councilor is trying to ban leafblowers, and Hamilton is considering banning more drive-thrus."

"From pesticide and anti-idling bylaws to taxing parking lots to pay for public transit, municipalities across Canada are taking the environmental lead amid growing public concern over global warming."

"While the federal government dithers on the country's climate-change strategy, the City of Toronto has pledged to slash greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent in five years, 30 per cent in the next 13 years and 80 per cent by 2050."

"In one of the most radical measures, the town of Okotoks, 18 kilometres south of Calgary, is one of the first communities in the world to limit its population and boundaries based on what the surrounding environment can sustain: about 30,000 people. Now at 18,500 people and the second-fastest growing municipality in Canada, with its population leaping by almost 50 per cent from 2001 to 2006, Okotoks expects to reach its limit in five to eight years."