Our May 14th Green Drinks was a full house and wonderful evening of conversation and community. MP Bruce Fanjoy joined us as featured speaker, sharing his perspective on sustainable homes, clean energy, and what energy-efficient communities can look like in practice. The discussion ranged widely, from home retrofits and solar energy to heat pumps, condo accessibility, and how we balance housing growth with the protection of green spaces and urban nature.
There was a lot of participation from attendees, asking questions about how to bring retrofit programs within reach of everyday Canadians, how to include condo residents who are often left out of these conversations, and how cities can grow while protecting biodiversity. It was exactly the kind of dialogue that makes Green Drinks worth showing up for, and we are glad so many people did. Thank you to everyone who came out!
Next Green Drinks: Thursday, June 11th – Featuring The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Our June Green Drinks is a special one. We are pleased to welcome The Honourable Steven Guilbeault as our featured speaker on Thursday, June 11th, 5:30 to 7:00 PM.
Steven Guilbeault’s career has been defined by a strong, consistent focus on environmental activism and climate policy, both before and during his time in government. He began as a high-profile environmental activist with organizations like Greenpeace, where he led climate and energy campaigns and used direct action—such as scaling Toronto’s CN Tower—to draw attention to global climate issues. He later co-founded Équiterre, a major Quebec-based environmental organization promoting sustainable development and local, ecological solutions.
As Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change (2021–2025), he advanced key policies including a national emissions reduction plan targeting a 40–45% cut below 2005 levels by 2030, regulations to achieve a net-zero electricity grid by 2035, mandates for zero-emission vehicle sales, and significant methane reduction targets—especially in the oil and gas sector. He also supported measures like banning harmful single-use plastics and strengthening environmental protection laws. Known for pushing ambitious climate action within government, Guilbeault has at times clashed with political and industry interests. In late November 2025, he resigned from his cabinet role over the dismantling of Canada’s federal climate policies. Yesterday he announced that he will be resigning his seat this summer when Parliament adjourns. At our June GreenDrinks, we expect him to tell us his ambition for his continued commitment to climate advocacy.
To give as many people as possible the opportunity to listen to Steven Guilbeault, this Green Drinks will be hosted both in person at The Prescott (379 Preston St) and virtually on-line. Because spots are limited for this event, registration is compulsory and names will be checked at the door.
At the moment, all in-person spots are filled up. However, registration for the livestream will remain open until Thursday, June 11.
RSVP to receive the link for the livestream.
If you would like to be on the waitlist for an in-person spot, you can register here on Eventbrite.
If you have already registered to be in person,
- Please be sure that you will be able to make it to the event. If you will not be able to, please cancel via Eventbrite or send an email to our events coordinator, MJ Schmidt at mjschmidt@cafesottawa.ca so that your spot can be given to someone else.
- Please try to arrive on time. If you have not arrived by 5:45pm on June 11, your spot will be given to someone else who is on location.
We hope to see you there – in person or online!