Greenpeace volunteers have been making noise across Southern Ontario about Canada’s biggest scandal - the Alberta Tar Sands.  

Equipped with Greenpeace’s newest publication, GP IN TOUCH magazine, we distributed the spoof tabloid to thousands of people in July and posed the question, "what's more important to you: sensational celebrity gossip or Canada’s inaction on climate change?".  As can be expected, nearly everyone we talked to agreed that scandal-packed tabloids should headline “Canada dumps Kyoto for the tar sands” instead of trivial celebrity brag.  Greenpeace continues to deliver the information people need and want to hear, revealing the truth about Canada's climate crimes and the real impacts of Alberta's devestating Tar Sands industry.

Participants in our tour stepped into a life-sized magazine cover, by standing in as celebrity friends of Canadian superstar Justin Bieber, above a caption: “Canada’s Biggest Stars Ashamed of the Tar Sands”.  As we collected photos of these emerging stars united against the Tar Sands, we also caught media coverage to help spread our campaign far and wide.  In Niagara Falls we even had wild performances by a Justine Bieber impersonator, attracting major attention from tourists and locals alike.

Check out these links to our photo-galleries and media coverage:

Find Yourself in these Photos: Ontario’s Stop the Tar Sands Tour

Greenpeace Volunteers on our Stop the Tar Sands Tour:

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Oakville Beaver and Inside Halton article: "Greenpeace bring Just Beeber Tour to Oakville"

Missed us on  tour? Want to help?

We need everyone to raise questions about the real costs of the Alberta Tar Sands and promote our Energy Revolution, which outlines how to transition to green energy, green jobs and mitigate dangerous climate change.  

Educate yourself about the Tar Sands, and how dirty Tar Sands oil is:

  • preventing Canada from reaching our Kyoto commitments by driving up our greenhouse gas emissions
  • devastating boreal wilderness, including forests, wetlands and wildlife
  • polluting water and creating toxic tailings lakes that can be seen from outerspace
  • infringing on Aboriginal rights and causing irreversible human health effects on downstream communities.

What you can do:

1.  Get involved and take action right now.

2.  Download this factsheet and share it with your networks: Overview of the Tar Sands of Alberta

3.  Sign-up for our e-news to get regular updates on Greenpeace campaigns.

4.  Become a Greenpeace member: Greenpeace is fiercely independent and doesn’t receive donations from government or corporations.  Help us continue our work by making a donation.

5.  Join us on Facebook and Twitter and help us educate and mobilize through social media.

**Natalie Caine is a volunteer organizer with Greenpeace Canada.