De-polluting end of life vehicles, at last?
After years of effort by Ontario’s mainstream auto recyclers, in cooperation with automobile manufacturers, the Ministry of the Environment is getting close to a permit-by-rule system for recycling end of life vehicles. Given the elaborate market that already exists for vehicle recycling, this is far better than the MOE’s standard “extended producer responsibility” model for...
Continue reading the post titled De-polluting end of life vehicles, at last?Final Report of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Focused on Energy Conservation
As of today, April 1, 2019, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario’s (ECO) website reads: From 1994 to 2019, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), an independent officer of the Legislature, reported on government progress on climate change, energy and other environmental issues. As of April 1, 2019, the ECO became a part of the Office...
Continue reading the post titled Final Report of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Focused on Energy ConservationBuyer Beware: What happens to your real estate deposit when conditions aren’t fulfilled
In most circumstances, a buyer will submit a deposit on acceptance of their offer to purchase residential property. These deposits are typically held in trust by the seller’s brokerage and can range anywhere from $100 to $50,000 or more depending on the location and nature of the property. For their protection, the buyer may also...
Continue reading the post titled Buyer Beware: What happens to your real estate deposit when conditions aren’t fulfilledCOVID-19 exposure in the workplace: will WSIB approve the claims?
Are workers entitled to WSIB benefits if they contract COVID-19 at work? The answer, in some circumstances, is yes. The WSIB has stated that workers will be entitled to benefits for COVID-19 “arising out of and in the course of the worker’s employment”; this is simply a reflection of the standard approach to adjudicating whether an injury or...
Continue reading the post titled COVID-19 exposure in the workplace: will WSIB approve the claims?Can employers ask job-applicants if they are eligible to work in Canada on a “permanent basis”? That’s the $120k question.
As a part of their job-application process, many employers ask applicants a question about the applicant’s ability or eligibility to work in Canada. Depending on the exact wording of that question, it may violate the Human Rights Code (the “Code”). Such a violation could be costly. In 2018, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal issued the...
Continue reading the post titled Can employers ask job-applicants if they are eligible to work in Canada on a “permanent basis”? That’s the $120k question.Endangered species- what will MNR actually do?
The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has started work on government response statements, now that recovery strategies for eleven endangered species have been finalized, as required by the Endangered Species Act, 2007: See EBR Registry Number: 011-2480.
Continue reading the post titled Endangered species- what will MNR actually do?Municipal incentives for Brownfields
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has released a very useful website, Municipal Financial Incentives for Brownfield Redevelopment – Trends among Ontario Municipalities to provide information and analysis on how Ontario municipalities are employing planning and financial tools to encourage brownfield redevelopment in their communities. This report includes a municipal chart and map to help locate...
Continue reading the post titled Municipal incentives for BrownfieldsBruce to Milton transmission line progress
One of Ontario’s most promising areas for wind power development is the Bruce Peninsula. However, renewable energy development on the peninsula has been severely constrained by Ontario’s contractual commitment to devote most of the existing transmission capacity to the Bruce nuclear plant. The resulting “Orange Zone” will only be released when the new Bruce to...
Continue reading the post titled Bruce to Milton transmission line progressWhen is an investigation “appropriate in the circumstances”?
Every investigator has had one of “those” files. Allegations are abundant, historical, and/or about things like “he walked past me once without speaking to me.” Can an investigator refuse to look into allegations if they are ancient? What if they wouldn’t constitute harassment even if they can be proven? So far, the case law has...
Continue reading the post titled When is an investigation “appropriate in the circumstances”?Fracking and hazardous waste
Nova Scotia has followed Quebec, and has launched its own investigation into the potential environmental hazards of hydraulic fracturing to produce shale gas, especially the impacts on water. Meanwhile, the US EPA is anxious to formally start its own review. Its Science Advisory Board will hold two full-day sessions later this month to review the...
Continue reading the post titled Fracking and hazardous wasteReceive Blog Posts
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