It's All Happening So Fast A Counter-History of the Modern Canadian Environment

In an age of unprecedented human impact on the planet, certain countries stand out for their privileged positions and the complexity of their relationships with the land. Canadas environmental record is among the poorest when compared to other wealthy nations, a fact that suggests ambivalence and the actions of competing interests, most often exposed in moments of disorder and disregard for the unexpected consequences of managing the countrys seemingly endless bounty. This companion to the exhibition at Canadian Centre for Architecture (November 2016April 2017) assembles 15 case studies that reframe Canada since 1945. Grounding them are conversations about cultural myths and the legal environment, changing ideas of natural resources and environmental risk, indigenous engagement with environmentalism and development, and the impacts of the environmentalist movement. Featured are 26 contributions and texts by Taiaiake Alfred, Elisa Birnbaum, David R. Boyd, Douglas Coupland, Bill Darnell, Margo Pfeiff, John Ralston Saul, David Suzuki, Charles Wilkins and Mirko Zardini, among others.