Canada Special Report On Our Site Canada Overview Environment and Resource Management Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia, but large parts of its territory are so far north that only the hardiest people and wildlife can survive there. Nearly 90 percent of Canada's 30.3 million residents live within 100 miles of the U.S. border. But like other religious debates, Canadian disputes over the use of these resources can quickly turn bitter.
Nuclear power remains controversial.
Ontario Hydro, North America's largest electric utility and one of the few remaining major investors in nuclear energy, decided in mid-1997 to shut down a third of the company's reactors. An internal company study found years of shoddy safety practices and maintenance. Canada is also facing the near-collapse of fishing industries in the North Atlantic as a result of over fishing. Fish populations are so low that they may take years to recover, experts say. Canada's environmental matters are often closely tied to those of the United States.