Toronto's marvellous waterfront
One of the successes of Ontario’s 40 years of environmental law and enforcement is Toronto’s marvellous waterfront. Yes, I admit that some of the gains are hard to see from land. But a few minutes’ paddle is all it takes to glory in swans and egrets, swallows and terns, cor…
View the post titled Toronto's marvellous waterfrontAir Pollution: what's really there?
industries already subject to Regulation 419 have found it to be much more difficult and expensive than they expected.
View the post titled Air Pollution: what's really there?When a tree falls…
Yesterday’s crash of a heritage tree in High Park is another reminder of our need to pay more attention to the law regarding trees. Climate change greatly increases the importance of having trees in urban areas, for shade, to protect water, to provide wildlife and bird habitat and to k…
View the post titled When a tree falls…What is "storage"?
A recent Alberta case casts some light on the meaning of waste “storage”. Custom Environmental Services (CESL) sorts and recycles contaminated material, including PCBs. PCB material is brought to the CESL, sorted, cleaned, perhaps processed and placed in containers. Once a truckl…
View the post titled What is "storage"?Ontario joins Western Climate Initiative
Ontario has joined the Western Climate Initiative, North America’s largest green partnership, just in time for its third major Stakeholder Workshop. Most Canadian provinces are now Partners or Observers in the WCI, with the notable exceptions of Alberta and the Atlantic provinces. In f…
View the post titled Ontario joins Western Climate InitiativeMore on Drugs in Drinking Water
Are tiny levels of drugs in bottled or tap water a health risk? We just don't know.
View the post titled More on Drugs in Drinking WaterBerendsen wins costs too
In February, we told you about the landmark decision in Berendsen v. Ontario, a precedent-setting case holding the Ontario government liable for contamination of a dairy farm by road waste. On July 11, Berendsen’s victory became doubly sweet when Judge Seppi awarded them $655,000 in le…
View the post titled Berendsen wins costs tooStrong Interest in Green Shift
A wide cross section of knowledgeable people showed strong interest this week in the Liberal proposal to start shifting federal taxes from income to carbon pollution. Representatives of business, NGOs, universities, environmental consultants and the legal bar gathered on short notice to ques…
View the post titled Strong Interest in Green ShiftTransit EA
Ontario has pushed through a regulation that gives residents no say in the type or location of most future transit projects. Ontario regulation 231/08, which came into effect June 24, exempts virtually all transit projects from conventional environmental assessment. Instead, major transit pr…
View the post titled Transit EAFederal Court of Appeal narrows CEAA
The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld the federal government’s narrow interpretation of its Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (“CEAA”). In Red Chris Development Co. Ltd. versus Miningwatch Canada, Miningwatch tried, unsuccessfully, to compel the federal government to c…
View the post titled Federal Court of Appeal narrows CEAAReceive Blog Posts
By subscribing to our blog, you will receive an email when a new post is added. You can unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to us at [email protected] with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.