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For the second time in a year, the federal House of Commons has passed climate change legislation put forward by the opposition parties. On June 4, the House gave third reading to Bill C-377, an Act to ensure Canada assumes its responsibilities in preventing dangerous climate change:

Since Toronto’s 2000 Environmental Plan, the Toronto Board of Health has been concerned about inadequacies in federal and provincial environmental toxics reporting, especially its failure to require reporting from small and medium-sized businesses. Early this year, the City proposed a …

Under Toronto’s Sewer Bylaw, Toronto companies are obliged to thoroughly update their pollution prevention plans every six years. For manufacturers, the first plans were due June 30, 2002; this means that new plans are due next Monday. Minor updates must be submitted every two years.

The Ontario Divisional Court has given a resounding victory to the Environmental Review Tribunal and to neighbours who oppose tire burning at the Lafarge cement plant in Bath. Last spring, the ERT granted neighbours leave to appeal two certificates of approval, issued by the Ministry of the …

Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation is proposing a $15 million, 4 year pilot project to help businesses buy new, fuel-efficient, low greenhouse gas emitting commercial vehicles. Grantees will have to track and report the emission reductions they achieve.

Cooperation on GHG emissions? Uh-uh — Feds’ knickers in a knot over pact between Ontario and Quebec Ontario and Québec signed a memorandum of understanding on climate change during Canadian Environment Week, on June 2. Premiers McGuinty and Charest propose that an inter-provincia…

To allow innocent third parties to build or operate on historically contaminated lands, we often use a legal structure known as a “piecrust”. For a presentation that describes the concept, click Introduction to Piecrusts.

To no one’s surprise, the Harper government has again approved Imperial Oil’s Kearl oil sands mine. In May, a court ruled that the mine’s environmental assessment had not been properly completed because it gave no credible reasons why the mine’s massive greenhouse gas…