SIDS on track to pioneer new international treaty on climate change
Despite their comparatively insignificant contribution to climate change, Small Island Developing States (“SIDS”) are among the most vulnerable nations to the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels, an increase in extreme weather events, desertification, warming marine habits, and othe…
View the post titled SIDS on track to pioneer new international treaty on climate changeCO Exposure can be Lethal
A property maintenance business plead guilty and was fined $75,000 for failing to protect their workers from exposure to carbon monoxide gas while power washing an underground parking garage. Ground Maintenance Cleaning Contractors Inc. (“GMCC”), was hired to power wash the underground garag…
View the post titled CO Exposure can be LethalHow Sierra Club became a player in the coal business
As strange as it might sound, the US chapter of the Sierra Club has acquired control over a large coal reserve in the Appalachians. In 2014, Sierra Club and two other environmental non-governmental organizations (“ENGO”s) sued a coal producer, Alpha Natural Resources, for polluting several s…
View the post titled How Sierra Club became a player in the coal businessA Break for Employers on Termination Clauses
Finally! The Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a termination clause in an employment contract that did NOT reference benefit continuation (when indeed there were benefits) or severance (when the employer had a payroll of $2.5 million or more and the employee qualified for the severance payment …
View the post titled A Break for Employers on Termination ClausesThe Virtual Office: Working From Home Considerations
With the advancement of technology, employers looking to cut overhead costs, and family and lifestyle accommodations growing, working from home is becoming more and more common. However, there are some considerations that must be explored before such practices are approved. Policies If emplo…
View the post titled The Virtual Office: Working From Home ConsiderationsNationwide flurry of activity on Environmental Bills of Rights
Hot on the heels of several provinces introducing Environmental Bills of Rights (“EBRs”), Ontario has just announced a review of its Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993. In March 2016, both British Columbia (Bill M 236-2016) and Manitoba (Bill 20) introduced EBRs (this was a re-introduction o…
View the post titled Nationwide flurry of activity on Environmental Bills of RightsHunting Convictions for Shooting Decoys
A conservation officer saw two individuals sitting in their truck strategically located in order to observe the decoys with binoculars. The conservation officers placed the stationary moose decoys along the travelled portion of a maintained and travelled forest resource access corridor. Afte…
View the post titled Hunting Convictions for Shooting DecoysProvincial renewable energy goals trump municipal by-laws
Since the Green Energy and Economy Act, 2009 came into force on May 14, 2009, the debate continues about whether municipalities can regulate renewable energy projects. At least three court decisions have now been made which indicate that other possible avenues of municipal regulation of rene…
View the post titled Provincial renewable energy goals trump municipal by-lawsDo environmental permits have value for the purposes of property tax assessment?
A recent decision of the Assessment Review Board (“ARB”) (Waste Management of Canada Corporation v MPAC, ID 138737 (ARB)) has concluded that the market value of the rights associated with an Environmental Compliance Approval (“ECA”) should be reflected in the current value of a landfill for …
View the post titled Do environmental permits have value for the purposes of property tax assessment?The Safety Dance: Right to Refuse Work Under Health and Safety Legislation
The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) provides workers with a number of rights, including the right to refuse work that is “likely to endanger” the worker.[1] When a work refusal occurs there are a number of procedures outlined in the legislation that must be followed and, …
View the post titled The Safety Dance: Right to Refuse Work Under Health and Safety LegislationReceive Blog Posts
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