Federally, we have a government that talks about addressing climate change, and wants to lead in addressing plastics waste—but is investing billions of Canadians’ dollars in subsidizing the private fossil fuel industry.
Ontario just elected a party to power whose leader has promised to eliminate the provincial cap-and-trade program designed to reduce carbon emissions and cut gasoline taxes—and who has previously spoken out against public transit and bike lanes.
Locally, Ottawa’s finance committee is recommending spending citizens’ money to clean up industrial pollution so a private developer can create a contested development on spiritually and culturally significant Algonquin lands; while residents are being evicted by a developer in another neighbourhood.
It’s enough to lead many of us to despair and cynicism.
What to do?
Stay connected, seek out others, look for small wins, keep the long view. Let me know your thoughts.
Green Living Ottawa 
We need to work together to make fundamental changes. The problems we have are because of the structure of society and trying to fix things within this structure can never succeed. We need a just economic system, and changes to our democracy. See http://www.taprootcanada.ca/ for what I feel we need to work together to change.
Thanks Brett.