Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
Instructions
For Exercise #3, you will make connections between what you have learned in the course about the past and what is happening today through contemporary media.
- Find two recent media items thematically connected in some way to two of the three topics covered in Unit 3: conservation, parks, and urbanization. For each of these, post a paragraph of three to five sentences, connecting the media story to what you learned, or were challenged to consider, from the resources in Unit 3. Provide the web link to the article in each post.
- These postings may be informal but should be grammatically correct. You should be respectful of other students’ opinions, but that does not mean you must agree with their ideas.
- Post your response by clicking ‘Add Submission’ below.
- Then post two separate comments responding to any other student’s posts.
- Please note, you should write and edit your submission in a separate file then copy and paste it into the submission box. Once submitted to the HIST 3991 trubox site, you will not be able to edit your post.
Are you a student of HIST 3991? Click here to add a submission to this assignment.
Submissions
Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
May 8, 2026 By: Yanran Lu
The Conservation Movement Article: “Canada Falls Short of 2025 Conservation Target,” The Narwhal, January 22, 2026. https://thenarwhal.ca/canada-misses-2025-conservation-target/ Canada promised to protect 25% of its land and water by 2025. It didn’t come close. By December 2024, only 13.8% had actually been conserved. That felt really familiar to me. It’s the same debate we’ve been reading about all unit: how do you use natural resources for economic growth while still protecting them? Pinchot thought science could help us do both. But this article shows that tension was never really resolved. Canada now wants to mine lithium and copper for electric car…
Connecting Past and Present
April 25, 2026 By: Autumn Rehbein
A recent article from CBC News discusses ongoing concerns about woodland caribou populations in Alberta and the challenges of balancing conservation with industrial development. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-caribou-conservation-1.7021456 This connects closely to Unit 3’s discussion of conservation as a contested process rather than a simple protection effort. The article highlights how conservation policies often conflict with economic interests, particularly in resource-rich regions like northern Alberta. In the course materials, conservation was framed as historically shaped by political priorities and scientific knowledge, which is clearly reflected in current debates over habitat protection versus oil and gas development. What stands out is how conservation today…
Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
April 21, 2026 By: AN CHEN
The CBC recently reported that Canada has only four years left to meet its goal of protecting 30% of its lands and oceans by 2030, which is roughly double what is currently protected. The government is now leaning on private companies and local communities to help reach that target, instead of relying only on traditional parks and reserves. This connects directly to the Unit 3 about how conservation has always involved a mix of government action, Indigenous stewardship, and grassroots efforts. The article also points out a major challenge that echoes our course discussions, which is making sure these “other-conserved…
Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
April 17, 2026 By: Alexander Charlton
Trans Mountain Pipeline and Deforestation Article: https://globalnews.ca/news/11574208/trans-mountain-pipeline-fine-2024-flooding/ This article by Global News looks at why the Trans Mountain pipeline was issued a fine after environmental lapses. When the January 2024 storm hit the area, there was an insufficient number of workers on site which led to a small landslide, and sediment-laden floodwater. Global News writes “measures to control erosion needed maintenance and pumps needed repairs, the inspector noted. Sediment-laden water was also getting into a nearby stream.” This shows non-compliance and disregard for the regulations that are put in place to stop these disasters from…
Connecting Past and Present
March 17, 2026 By: Daphnee Cairns
Urbanization For urbanization, I looked at the article Limiting urban sprawl requires establishing clear targets and limits to expansion, new Concordia study proposes. The article argues that greenbelts alone are not enough and that cities also need clear growth limits and policies. That really connected with my own experience living in the Greater Toronto Area, where I watched massive farms turn into housing developments in less than a year. It also aligns with what we learned about urban environmental history: urban growth is not just a housing issue, but a process that changes land, ecosystems, and the relationships between…