in the spring of 2005, rideout joined sarah harmer to read her poetry on harmer's "i love the escarpment tour" to draw attention to damage being done to the niagara escarpment by ongoing quarrying, and appears in the 2006 june award-winning documentary "escarpment blues". in august 2006 she was named the poet laureate for lake ontario by the lake ontario waterkeeper and joined gord downie (of canadian band the tragically hip) on a tour to promote environmental justice on the lake.