Lead, Children and Crime
This summer’s flurry of concern about lead in Ontario drinking water gets extra power from a growing body of research linking preschool blood lead and subsequent crime rates. Rick Nevin, for example, has tracked blood lead levels and violent crime over several decades in the USA, Brita…
View the post titled Lead, Children and CrimeActivist Agenda?
Premier McGuinty has promised “a busy and activist legislative session” starting with a Speech from the Throne on November 29, 2007. In light of his election promises, we look forward to learning more about: • His “tough new toxic reduction law”;• How his government p…
View the post titled Activist Agenda?Abusive Prosecution
An abusive MOE prosecution has been thrown out of court, with costs. Roger Arcand was charged with providing the MOE with false information concerning a municipal water system. The City pled guilty, but Arcand insisted on his innocence and repeatedly demanded particulars and disclosure of th…
View the post titled Abusive ProsecutionWhat is Nuisance Worth?
A recent Ontario case is a discouraging reminder of how little is the compensation available for even deliberate and serious nuisance, and how rarely it pays for homeowners to sue. In Ivall v. Aguiar, the plaintiffs bought a small rural house as their “dream home”. Unfortunately,…
View the post titled What is Nuisance Worth?New Minister of the Environment
The new Ontario Minister of Environment is John Gerretsen, MPP Kingston and The Islands. This is an encouraging appointment for anyone interested in brownfields development, as Mr. Gerretsen has been Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for the last several years. During this time, the …
View the post titled New Minister of the EnvironmentBicycle Commuting in London
In the federal Throne speech, Canada again claims to be leading the world on climate change, when in fact we are an international embarrassment. My recent trip to London, England, drove home again how far we are behind. Climate change is a matter of frequent public and private discourse in t…
View the post titled Bicycle Commuting in LondonWho is responsible for fixing lead-contaminated drinking water?
Recent attention to lead-contaminated drinking water has many Ontarians questioning the safety of the water in their own homes. So, how do you know if there’s lead in your drinking water? How much lead is unsafe? And, who is responsible for fixing the problem? The most likely source of lead …
View the post titled Who is responsible for fixing lead-contaminated drinking water?Who’s responsible for reducing local air pollution?
Air pollution is wide-spread across Ontario, coming from many sources and moving with large air masses from one region to the next. It’s resulting in health effects, including cancer and respiratory illnesses like asthma. Last year, more than 5000 premature deaths were attributed to poor a…
View the post titled Who’s responsible for reducing local air pollution?Sad Story: Subbor
There is no doubt that we need better ways to handle municipal waste. But it is discouragingly rare for technological innovations to succeed. Now ideas always seem to cost much more and take much longer than their proponents could possibly believe. One of the latest such examples is the sad …
View the post titled Sad Story: SubborContaminated soil from home heating fuel oil
Many older homes that were once heated with oil, or still are, had big tanks by the side of the house, buried underground or in the basement. These tanks held enough oil to keep families warm throughout the winter. But whether an old tank is still there, or was removed long ago, escaped home…
View the post titled Contaminated soil from home heating fuel oilReceive Blog Posts
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