THE ALTERNATIVES TEAM travelled from Kitchener, Ontario, to Ottawa on Tuesday, September 25 to join the on-going discussion about the role of science in protecting Canada's environment – and the well-being of all Canadians. We hosted a panel discussion, "In Defence of Science", at the University of Ottawa, with the support of the Institute of the Environment. In addition to the 3-minute highlight reel above, you can watch the full video on YouTube, or below.

Science educators and communicators from Trent, uOttawa, and Carleton explored the need for independent, untainted science to inform policies, laws and regulations - and how science can be effectively communicated to Canadians and translated into effective tools for environmental protection.

Watch the full video below for words of wisdom from our panelists: Robert Paehlke, Professor Emeritus at Trent University and the founder of Alternatives Journal; Adam Brown, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Ottawa; Scott Findlay from the Institute of the Environment and Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Ottawa; and Kathryn O’Hara, CTV Chair in Science Broadcast Journalism at Carleton University.

Our trip also included a morning press conference on Parliament Hill, a visit with Megan Leslie, NDP Environment Critic, a reception for MPs in the evening (providing each MP who attended a one-year subscription to Alternatives), and dropping off copies of our current issue for all Members of Parliament in the mailbox before we left! Check out our Backstage at A\J blog post for the full story!