American energy use in one chart
US energy policy has an outsize effect on Canadian law, regulation and policy. It’s therefore fascinating to see, in a single graph, how much of what type of energy they use, and how that changes year-over-year. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory publishes annual energy flow…
View the post titled American energy use in one chartErickson wind appeal delay
The Environmental Review Tribunal is hearing final arguments this week in Erickson v. Director, Ministry of the Environment. This is the first ERT appeal on renewable energy approvals under the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, and the first renewable energy approval for a major wind farm …
View the post titled Erickson wind appeal delayWater meters inexorable
Pay for use or flat rates? Flat rates are often popular, but they are poor public policy. Flat rates encourage waste. Flat rates discourage conservation of water and energy, and devalue their importance. Flat rates make conscientious citizens pay for the bad habits of wasteful neighbours. An…
View the post titled Water meters inexorablePharmaceuticals, drinking water, and liability
The better our detection ability becomes, the more things we find in the water. One important group of those things is pharmaceuticals and their metabolites. Pharmaceuticals are specifically designed to affect the bodies, brains and behaviour of humans and other animals, at comparatively low…
View the post titled Pharmaceuticals, drinking water, and liabilityContaminated sites reminder
If a qualified person and owner of property wish to have a record of site condition (RSC) filed and acknowledged before the changes come into effect, and have not yet submitted the RSC, the Ministry strongly encourages them to submit the RSC with all required documentation well before Jun…
View the post titled Contaminated sites reminderA top North American environmental law blog
“Dear Ms. Saxe, We are pleased to announce that Environmental Law & Litigation has been selected as one of the LexisNexis Top 50 Environmental Law & Climate Change Community Blogs for 2011. You can read the full announcement and list of honorees here.
View the post titled A top North American environmental law blogSpring flooding and climate change
One of the key forecasts that Natural Resources Canada made, years ago, about climate change was that it would increase spring flooding and severe storms. This spring there are catastrophic floods and tornadoes in both Canada and the US. Is climate change partly to blame? Here is Living on E…
View the post titled Spring flooding and climate changeSo Who is an Employee Anyway?
As we start a new labour and employment blog it seems fitting to note that the way in which we define “employee” is still very much a work in progress. And with so many statutes impacting every workplace, you practically need a scorecard to keep track as to what kind of relationship will be …
View the post titled So Who is an Employee Anyway?The Dollars and Cents of Drinking and Driving
Labour and employment lawyers often write articles at the holiday season about liability for employers arising from their social events at which alcohol is served. And many clients seek opinions or draft workplace policies on the issue. Whether the employer is seeking to manage this issue fo…
View the post titled The Dollars and Cents of Drinking and DrivingFracking, methane and drinking water
The Ernst v. Encana fracking lawsuit gained strength this month with the publication of Rob Jackson’s peer-reviewed paper: Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Jackson is a professor at Duke University, and his paper is publis…
View the post titled Fracking, methane and drinking waterReceive Blog Posts
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