FEATURED POST

Mark Carney and The Rhetoric Versus Reality Gap

Like many Canadians, I was initially impressed by Prime Minister Carney’s Davos speech. Largely because it was the first time, in my memory, that a politician stood on a global stage and admitted that the so-called “rules based order,” established after WW2, was too often applied to the benefit of the few to the detriment of the many . Or as he put it: “We knew that the story of the international rules-based order was partially false. That the strongest would exempt themselve

2 hours ago3 min read

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Mark Carney and The Rhetoric Versus Reality Gap

2 hours ago3 min read

Dear Readers...

Dear Readers, Pictured above is a mighty Cottonwood tree that stands on the lower shores of the Assiniboine River near my Wolseley home. It’s just one of the trees I write about in Out on a Limb, a book about the extraordinary value and benefits of our urban forests. I had tremendous fun writing the book, but now the time has come to let it go to find its place in the world. Which can be a bit nerve-wracking, because you never know how readers will respond. So when I got the

Feb 162 min read

Who’s Afraid of Social Democracy?

I’ve been following Zohran Mamdani’s rise from relative obscurity to mayor of the largest city in America not just with interest, but with a kind of wild enthusiasm. And I suspect that some of you out there might be feeling the same. That’s because Mamdani ran on a list of pledges that haven’t, with a few notable exceptions, been heard out of a civic politician’s mouth in many a moon - the chief one being the promise of a just and helping hand for the millions of New Yorkers

Jan 293 min read

Stay Tuned For The Launch Of My New Book! COMING IN MAY 2026:

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: It’s often said that urban trees are the only form of city infrastructure that actually increase in value and capacity over time. So why have so many North American cities historically underfunded their care and maintenance? And why do we continue to indiscriminately mow down city trees – and entire urban forests? In Out On A Limb , Erna Buffie answers these questions and more as she explores the secret lives and extraordinary benefits of urban trees, the c

Jan 121 min read

Who Calls The Shots On City Land Use

Downtown Winnipeg Everybody thinks it, but no one wants to say it out loud – the fact that for decades, our city council and its administration have, to a large degree, been in thrall to the construction and development industries. And on one level, you can understand why. After all, these are the folks who build things – everything from high rises, homes and sewer plants to the endless kilometers of roads that service our over-expanded city. But while the construction and de

Jan 74 min read

Developers Say Protection is “For The Birds”

So, something pretty unusual happened to me today. I got an email from Margaret Atwood. And before you ask, no, it wasn’t a personal letter, it was a mass email sent out to solicit donations to protect Canada’s resident and migratory birds. Atwood, it turns out, is an avid bird watcher and like a lot of us is acutely concerned about a North American bird population that’s plummeting. The reasons behind that rapid decline are both simple and complex, including everything from

Dec 23, 20253 min read

Mayors Can Be Frontline “Climate Doers” – Just Not In Winnipeg

Sadiq Khan ,Mayor of London, UK at the 2025 C40 meeting of mayors A few weeks ago, 300 city mayors gathered in Rio de Janeiro ahead of COP 30 to reaffirm their pledge to take decisive action on climate change. They’re called the C40, an organization that began in 2005 when 40 mayors from 40 cities met to discuss the role municipalities could play in fighting climate change. Since then the organization has expanded and is closely aligned with the 14,000 cities that now belong

Dec 6, 20253 min read

Welcome to My Blog! It’s time to talk about nature, climate, and a whole host of other things!

They call me “the tree lady” - I’ve been called worse! - because I’m passionate about protecting and expanding Winnipeg’s urban forest. But first and foremost, I’m writer, filmmaker and environmental activist with a wide range of interests. In addition to publishing a novel and short stories, I’ve written and directed more than a dozen award-winning science and nature documentaries for CBC’s The Nature of Things With David Suzuki.

Recently, I’ve written a series of opinion editorials for The Winnipeg Free Press on urban issues, from climate change and trees to downtown renewal.

Contact

FEATURED POST

Mark Carney and The Rhetoric Versus Reality Gap

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Mark Carney and The Rhetoric Versus Reality Gap

Dear Readers...

Who’s Afraid of Social Democracy?

Stay Tuned For The Launch Of My New Book! COMING IN MAY 2026:

Who Calls The Shots On City Land Use

Developers Say Protection is “For The Birds”

Mayors Can Be Frontline “Climate Doers” – Just Not In Winnipeg

ABOUT ME

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