Special offer for Christmas 2025

This shiny, handmade redside dace pin makes a beautiful gift, lovingly created by local artist Zsuzsa Monostory at the Williams Mill in Glen Williams.  Wear it on a lapel, a hat, a dress or a scarf.  You can support our work by purchasing one of these unique pins for $35, with no tax and free delivery in Halton Hills.

If you wear it yourself, talk to friends about this tiny but mighty endangered minnow that is holding back construction of Highway 413.

Don’t wait. We have a very limited supply and when they’re gone, they’re gone – just like the dace will be if this unnecessary, expensive and sprawl-enabling highway goes through.

The pin is about 6 cm long (2 1/2”), hand painted with a glossy finish.

To order:

Send an e-transfer for $35 to haltonhillsclimateaction@gmail.com, then send a separate message to the same address telling us where you live.  We’ll arrange for local delivery. (This page will disappear when the last pin is gone.)

More about the Ontario Redside Dace

 I am a small but vital fish that thrives in the cool, clear streams of this province. My shimmering scales once flashed beneath the water’s surface, a sign of Ontario’s rich biodiversity. As a key species in freshwater ecosystems, I help control insect populations and support the delicate balance of life in our rivers and streams.

But I am disappearing. Habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change have pushed me to the edge of extinction in Ontario. Now, my greatest threat comes from Ontario Bill 5, which weakens the protections that safeguard endangered species like me. By replacing the Endangered Species Act with the Species Conservation Act, this bill prioritizes development over conservation, stripping away the safeguards that ensure Ontario’s wildlife can survive.

Jeannine we need a sentence in here mentioning why this fish still threatens the 413.

Without strong environmental protections, and if Highway 413 goes through, I—and many others—will vanish. My loss would signal the decline of Ontario’s waterways, disrupting ecosystems that support amphibians, fish, and countless other species. Protecting me means protecting the integrity of our freshwater habitats, ensuring future generations inherit a province rich in biodiversity.

Jeannine; If you don’t think it’s cricket to use Kristina’s picture, I could substitute the other picture of the dace you sent me with the plain background. Please confirm that the pin is hand-painted, as stated above. Maybe also confirm that Zsuzsa is OK with what I’ve said?