Water meters inexorable
Pay for use or flat rates? Flat rates are often popular, but they are poor public policy. Flat rates encourage waste. Flat rates discourage conservation of water and energy, and devalue their importance. Flat rates make conscientious citizens pay for the bad habits of wasteful neighbours. And flat rates are generally too low to pay...
Continue reading the post titled Water meters inexorableFurther wind litigation and the Oak Ridges Moraine: Part I
Another appeal of a Renewable Energy Approval (“REA”) for a wind turbine project has made its way to, and been refused by, the Environmental Review Tribunal (“ERT”). The appeal in SR Opposition Corp v Director, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, 2015 CanLII 86926 (ON ERT) concerned the construction and operation of a Class...
Continue reading the post titled Further wind litigation and the Oak Ridges Moraine: Part IMethane catastrophe in California: implications for cap and trade
Southern California is, at this very moment, in the throes of what is potentially the most prolific gas leak to have ever occurred. The disaster–a methane leak at a natural gas storage facility in Porter Ranch, California–has yet to galvanize the kind of media and popular attention that attended the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010. However, particularly...
Continue reading the post titled Methane catastrophe in California: implications for cap and tradeTransCanada to sue US under NAFTA over Keystone XL decision
Calgary-based pipeline company TransCanada has filed a Notice of Intent to Arbitrate (“Notice”) under article 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”). It issued the Notice in response to US president Barack Obama’s November 6, 2015 refusal to grant the necessary approval to complete construction of Keystone XL, a proposed trans-national pipeline that would deliver crude oil...
Continue reading the post titled TransCanada to sue US under NAFTA over Keystone XL decisionThe (Contaminated) Ground Beneath our Feet
The extent and nature of contaminated land in Canada — the toxic legacy of our collective history of poor environmental stewardship, including through weak environmental regulation — continues to invade the headlines. A few weeks ago, a CBC/Radio-Canada report revealed that dozens of former dumps on the island of Montreal have been covered over without ever having been decontaminated. Numerous municipal...
Continue reading the post titled The (Contaminated) Ground Beneath our FeetThe Paris Agreement
Over the weekend, representatives from 195 countries signed an historic agreement aimed at curbing climate change. The “Paris Agreement,” which has yet, of course, to be ratified, is being touted as a “universal” climate agreement, with 195 signatories. Industry, policy-makers, ENGOs, and others will no doubt continue to digest the Agreement, and its implications, over the...
Continue reading the post titled The Paris AgreementFurther momentum on cap and trade
The Ontario government announced earlier this week the signing of an MOU between Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba to link their respective cap and trade programmes. The agreement was signed while the Premiers of the three provinces were participating in the Paris Conference on Climate change (COP21) that is wrapping up this week. Manitoba is a...
Continue reading the post titled Further momentum on cap and tradeBird-building collisions and ECAs
The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (“MOECC”) has posted to the Environmental Registry (“ER”) a proposal for a draft regulatory amendment to exempt reflective building surfaces (such as the windows of office buildings) from requiring an Environmental Compliance Approval (“ECA”). (Unfortunately, the date for providing comments has just passed). Reflective building surfaces are...
Continue reading the post titled Bird-building collisions and ECAsPlastic-bottled water ban on the horizon in Montreal?
Not long after announcing his city’s intention to ban single-use plastic bags by 2018, Montreal mayor Denis Coderre has indicated that banning plastic-bottled water may be next. Bottled water has long been decried for its heavy environmental footprint. Not only is it unnecessary where safe and effective municipal systems exist, plastic bottles create an enormous...
Continue reading the post titled Plastic-bottled water ban on the horizon in Montreal?Drive Clean tweaked
Ontario’s vehicle emissions control program, Drive Clean, is getting a tuneup. Amendments to Ontario Regulation 361/98[i] (Motor Vehicles) under the Environmental Protection Act will modernize the Drive Clean program.[ii] By December 12, 2012, the Acceleration Simulation Mode (dynamometer) tailpipe test will be replaced with: [iii],[iv]
Continue reading the post titled Drive Clean tweakedReceive Blog Posts
By subscribing to our blog, you will receive an email when a new post is added. You can unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to us at [email protected] with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.