Ontario Public Interest Research Group is a decentralized network of local

Public Interest Research Groups Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) are a federation of U.S. and Canadian non-profit organizations that employ grassroots organizing and direct advocacy on issues such as consumer protection, public health and transportation. The PIRGs are c ...

located in the province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. OPIRG was founded in 1972 after a speech by

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

at the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality ...

. Unlike the U.S. PIRG, each OPIRG operates independently on the local level, with members deciding which action projects to pursue. OPIRG has no affiliations with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Multiple OPIRG groups have been targets of defunding campaigns by

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

groups.https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/defunding-the-public-interest , Claire O'Connor and Kalin Stacey. (September 1, 2012). Briarpatch Magazine - Defunding the public interest.

References

External links

OPIRG NetworkLaurier Students’ Public Interest Research GroupMohawk PIRGOPIRG BrockOPIRG CarletonOPIRG GuelphOPIRG KingstonOPIRG McMasterOPIRG PeterboroughOPIRG TorontoOPIRG WindsorOPIRG YorkOPIRG-GRIPO OttawaWPIRG
{, class="wikitable" , - ! {{Canada-org-stub Public Interest Research Groups Organizations based in Ontario