More on killing birds with buildings as an environmental offence
Ecojustice has settled its bird-killing prosecution against the Menkes Developments (Consilium Place) office complex. As described in a previous post, Ecojustice (as counsel for Ontario Nature) charged Menkes with environmental offences. They proved that these buildings were unusually dangerous to birds, killing or injuring 900 birds during 2008 and 2009 as a result of collisions with their reflective glass. At trial,...
Continue reading the post titled More on killing birds with buildings as an environmental offenceRuling: Wind turbine approvals comply with the Charter
While some people find wind turbines annoying, subjective annoyance is not so serious an infringement of personal security to constitute a breach of the Charter.
Continue reading the post titled Ruling: Wind turbine approvals comply with the CharterAnother small step for environmental research at the Experimental Lakes Area
The long, painful process of rescuing the irreplaceable Experimental Lakes Area of fresh water environmental research has taken another small but essential step. The Ministry of the Environment has made the decision to proceed with proposed regulations under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) and Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA) to create a mechanism to authorize experiments...
Continue reading the post titled Another small step for environmental research at the Experimental Lakes AreaCourt of Appeal stays Ostrander wind approval pending appeal to protect turtles
The Ontario Court of Appeal has stayed the Ostrander Point wind approval pending an appeal by the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists.
Continue reading the post titled Court of Appeal stays Ostrander wind approval pending appeal to protect turtlesAnti-fracking bylaws: US Lawyer wins green Nobel prize
Helen Slottje, a lawyer in Ithaca, New York, was recently awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work “helping towns across New York defend themselves from oil and gas companies by passing local bans on fracking” (the US equivalent of anti-fracking bylaws). Her legal research concluded that individual townships could use zoning laws, through “home rule”, to...
Continue reading the post titled Anti-fracking bylaws: US Lawyer wins green Nobel prize2014 Pesticide Prosecution “Roundup”
Earlier this summer we reported that Ontario Pesticide Act prosecutions have become infrequent since the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOE) stopped having specialized pesticide enforcement staff. Now that the season is soon to change over, we decided to take a look at the year’s violation reports to see if MOE’s intentions with...
Continue reading the post titled 2014 Pesticide Prosecution “Roundup”Lead Pipes and Drinking Water, #2
The Ministry of the Environment has responded to the furore over lead in drinking water with new regulations, and a proposal for more. Most of the resulting financial burden will, as usual, fall on the municipalities. • O.Reg. 243/07 (Schools, Private Schools and Day Nurseries – EBR posting 010-0734), is already in effect. it –...
Continue reading the post titled Lead Pipes and Drinking Water, #2Municipal Anti-Wind By-Laws Inoperative
Another Ontario municipality’s attempts to block wind energy development have been thrown out by the courts. Municipalities cannot use anti-wind by-laws to frustrate Renewable Energy Approvals (REA), under the Green Energy Act, S.O. 2009, c. 12 (“Green Energy Act”).
Continue reading the post titled Municipal Anti-Wind By-Laws InoperativeClass Action for Harming Bees with Neonicotinoids
This is the first Canadian class action lawsuit filed for harm caused by Neonicotinoid pesticides, potentially responsible for the worldwide collapse of bee and other pollinator populations.
Continue reading the post titled Class Action for Harming Bees with NeonicotinoidsEnvironmental orders: no stay pending appeal
Is the "public interest" in getting environmental work done immediately more important than whether there is a sound legal basis for making a particular person pay for it?
Continue reading the post titled Environmental orders: no stay pending appealReceive Blog Posts
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