"Canada, which has a disputed sovereignty claim to the Northwest Passage, will require all larger ships plying the Arctic sea route to register starting on July 1, the government said on Tuesday."

"The Quebec government is breathing new life into Canada's dying asbestos industry. The province is close to backing a loan of $58 million to reopen a mine in the town of Asbestos, a cash injection that could keep it operating for the next 25 years."

"OTTAWA -- Far more sewage has been spilled in Canadian urban centres over the last six years than any other harmful contaminant, newly released figures show."

"A unique research project at Environment Canada could soon offer a new perspective for Canadians on conservation and its economic value, says a director in the federal department."

"The battle between forestry companies protecting their timber supply and environmentalists trying to save the trees has been too fierce to hide in the shade of Canada's vast boreal forest. But after decades of fighting, the bitter foes have agreed to bury the hatchet."

Canada's asbestos industry continues to push the message that asbestos is not toxic. Health experts think the truth will eventually prevail.

"Forty years after grassy narrows First Nation’s mercury-drenched river system was proclaimed off limits, a recently released report on the health fallout in the community north of Kenora has arrived at a more ominous conclusion. It’s possible that even small amounts of mercury below Health Canada’s guidelines are continuing to poison people and causing health problems."

"Ontario’s high-profile electronic waste disposal program is failing to recycle millions of computers and televisions it promised to keep out of landfill."

"One of the world's leading climate scientists has launched a libel lawsuit against a Canadian newspaper for publishing articles that he says 'poison' the debate on global warming." The newspaper is the conservative National Post, owned by CanWest.

"Environmental groups launched a complaint against Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement Wednesday, saying the country has failed to enforce anti-pollution rules governing its vast oil sands."

"The Devon Island ice cap, which sprawls over more than 5,500 square miles in the Arctic latitudes of Canada, has been shrinking at an increasing rate since 1985, an analysis of nearly 50 years of data concludes."

"The annual hunt for harp seals off the coast of eastern Canada  will barely take place this year. But this is not good news for the seals."

"The topmost peak of Ontario's most outstanding geologic feature, the Niagara Escarpment, is under threat from two proposed quarries. But now the quarriers must deal with the massed opposition of a national nonprofit organization, a provincial regulatory agency and two local community groups."

"New designs for fish farms could keep them in the ocean and help restore damaged marine environments at the same time, says a biologist working on a five-year nationwide aquaculture project."

A coalition of British Columbia First Nations, plus business and environmental groups, are opposing the proposed Enbridge Inc. pipeline that would bring oil from the Alberta tar sands to the B.C. coast. They say the risk of a spill is too great.