The worst drought in 25 years blanketing the U.S. has ruined corn crops, while causing prices for commodities and fertilizers to shoot up. Chasing next year’s high prices, farmers are stocking up on seed and fertilizer, sending Canadian fertilizer companies’ profits through the roof. Read it all at the Toronto Star.

Meanwhile, P.E.I. soybean farmers are also set to cash in on the U.S. drought because soybean prices have jumped from $400 to $500 a tonne in the last month. Despite facing their own heat and dry weather, P.E.I.’s growing conditions are not as dramatic, but more rain is needed to get yields up, say farmers. Read it all at the CBC.

The warm winter and Ontario’s drought is blamed for inundating Beamsville On., outside St. Catharines, with above normal levels of houseflies. Local businesses are closing outdoor patios and residents have started a petition.

We are killing 60 to 100 flies a day in our home and our children are having trouble playing outside, said one resident. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture staff are working with farmers to install bug control traps and introducing predatory wasps to kill the flies. Read it at the St. Catharines Standard.

The government of Manitoba is enforcing an environmental protection order to stop a Winnipeg company from running a composting operation in a residential area.

More than 200 residents complained to the province about foul odours coming from Sandusky Environmental’s facilities. The gardening company was told to end its composting operations and relocate within the next three weeks or the province will intervene.

It is unfortunate, but one group cannot continue to impact so many others in the neighbourhood, said a spokesperson from the Ministry of Conservation and Water Stewardship. Read it all at CBC News.

In response to harsh U.S. government criticism of Enbridge’s handling of a 2010 oil spill in Michigan, the pipeline company says gaining Canadian support for the Northern Gateway project will be tough.

There is serious doubt about the company’s operational capabilities, says Enbridge CEO Pat Daniels. More effort will be given to convince Canadians that its operations are safe, Daniels said. Read it all in the London Free Press.

While political leaders outside Alberta are questioning the pipeline project, Premier Allison Redford supports the pipeline and hopes it will win federal approval.

In light of Enbridge’s Michigan spill, other government representatives in Alberta say they will look at all available options for developing bitumen transport routes.

Alberta must deliver oil to new markets, but there may be better alternatives to the Northern Gateway pipeline proposal, offering reduced environmental impact, says Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith. Read it all at the Edmonton Journal

Environment Minister Peter Kent says the incidents in Michigan will not change the federal government’s support for the Enbridge project.

The Michigan spill shows the industry needs better practice, but pipelines are the safest way to transport oil, said Kent. Read it all at the Toronto Star.

An international council unanimously ruled in favour of Canada after the United States accused its northern neighbour of unfairly selling softwood below market prices.

Wood damaged by mountain pine beetles in British Columbia was being sold cheaply and in large quantities in the United States. The American government accused Canada of subsidizing the wood, in violation of a 2006 softwood lumber agreement.

Up to $380 million in penalties could have been levied against Canada had it lost the proceedings.

Even though Canada won, its foresting industry could still face repercussions. The United States consumes about half of Canadian softwood exports, and its government has already threatened to exclude Canada from a Pacific free-trade zone as a result of lumber disputes. Read it all at The Tyee.

Formerly fueled by coal, an Ontario power plant in Atikokan will transition to biomass by 2014. The $200 million change will produce 200 construction jobs locally and expand Ontario’s wood pellet industry.

In the works since 2006, the conversion project will enhance the regional power grid and provide more energy needed for new mines. The plant is run by Ontario Power Generation, which pays a third of Atikokan’s taxes. Read it all at CBC News. 

A new, free program in Canada recycles all manner of cigarette waste, except cardboard boxes.

Terracycle, a company which tackles recycling difficult materials, is now converting cigarette products into plastic pellets and compost. Smokers are rewarded for waste submission with free shipping and cash for charities. Read it all at The Globe and Mail.

A Saskatoon company Advanced Foods and Materials Canada is receiving $500,000 from Ottawa to turn waste wheat, hemp, and flax into fibres and food and health products. Much of the federal investment is expected to filter back to farmers, says Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. Read it all at the Winnipeg Free Press. 

Some 50 Montreal residents showed support on Wednesday for a northern Quebec First Nations group protesting logging activity in the Barriere Lake area.

Members of the Barriere Lake Algonquin community say their traditional land is being cleared against their will. Protests are taking place locally as well.

Resolute Forest Products received permission to log from the province’s Ministry of Natural Resources, says a company spokesperson. As well, the band council reached an agreement with the province and federal government.

Most of the community does not support the band council’s agreement with the federal and provincial governments, says community member Norman Matchewan.  Read it all at CBC News Montreal

Polar bears face extinction in the next 30 to 50 years from rising Arctic temperatures, scientists at the University of Alberta say.

The Arctic marine system is rapidly changing; the warming temperatures and loss of sea ice will limit food sources for polar bears, an article in the journal Global Change Biology says.

Polar bears, an ice-breeding species, will likely not adapt to life on land, having to hunt land-based food sources while dealing with threats from human activity, says the article.

Already in Hudson Bay, fewer bears are being born and living longer than their first year, says the report. Read it all at the Calgary Herald.

The Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland lost an ice island double the size of Manhattan on Monday. The glacier, linking the Greenland ice sheet to the Arctic Ocean, is melting as a result of climate change.

Eight years ago, a crack was observed by the Canadian Ice Service, ultimately resulting in Monday’s loss of 120-square-kilometers of ice. Read it all at the London Free Press. 

Feds set first national standards for sewage treatment, requiring secondary treatment of waste for all municipalities between the next 10 to 30 years.

Under the new rules, all solids and dissolved organic material must be removed, previously municipalities only had to remove solids. Depending on the level of pollution the municipality emits, they will have 10, 20 or 30 years to comply. Critics say the timelines are too long, but the government says the timelines are reasonable because of the major expense and complexity of the projects.

The government estimates 75 per cent of municipalities are already in compliance, but the final 25 per cent will cost billions, said Environment Minister Peter Kent. Read it all at the CBC.

An alliance of over 700 leaders from industry, academia, and environmental and religious groups is pushing for a clean energy plan to create jobs and promote alternatives to oil, gas, and coal.

The charitable foundation Tides Canada created the coalition to kick-start Canada’s investment in the $3 trillion clean-energy investments expected globally over the next ten years. The foundation hopes to influence provincial and territorial premiers into considering more clean-energy initiatives to attract these investments. Canada contributes 2 per cent to the global economy, but only one per cent to the clean energy industry, a Tides Canada report said.

Since the government gave financial aid to get the tar sands industry off the ground, it should do the same for clean energy initiatives, said a member of the alliance. Read it all at the Calgary Herald. 

In eastern Ontario, Ontario Power Generation is reporting massive drops in energy production, up to 40 per cent below normal. The past few months of exceptionally dry weather is causing low-river levels in the Ottawa River and the Madawaska River.

Water levels are at lows usually seen in August. The reduced power generation on 10 dams represents eight per cent of Ontario’s demand and will not affect the province’s energy supply. Read it all at the Ottawa Citizen

Expansion of natural-gas infrastructure in the northeastern United States will soon drop gas prices and hammer Canadian production markets, experts say.

In November, two large pipeline expansions are set to start delivering natural gas across the border from the U.S. into Ontario. The influx of inexpensive shale gas from states like Pennsylvania will cripple Canada’s already struggling natural-gas industry.

The market reduction is forcing the Canadian energy sector to cut natural gas developments – which are mainly in the west – and focus on more profitable sources such as oil. Read it all at the Calgary Herald.

At a Monday city committee meeting, the city of Guelph agreed to lease the University of Guelph land to build a water research facility.

The university is part of the Southern Ontario Water Consortium, a 2009 provincial initiative for research and technology development involving eight universities and dozens of companies. The city is offering the land for the facility at a $2-per-year rate for the next 12 years as a partnership to study water technologies concurrently. Read it all at Guelph Mercury. 

Canada placed near the bottom of a recent global energy-efficiency ranking, completed by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

The report ranked Canada second last out of 12 major economies, placing only above Russia.  The most energy-efficient countries are the United Kingdom and Germany. The major criteria for the ranking included: nation-wide energy use and energy consumption in industry, buildings and transportation.

The Council also broke down these categories into specific measures such as fuel-economy standards for vehicles and appliances, energy consumed relative to GDP, and energy per square foot of residential floor space.

Industrialized nations need to look at energy efficiency as an energy resource, says report author Sara Hayes. Read it all at CBC News.