Making the environmental grade: Ontario leads while Canada lags
A recent report published by the Conference Board of Canada has found Ontario to be the top environmental performing province in the country based on 9 criteria. But in the larger scheme of things, the same report found that the environmental record of Canada as a whole is woefully lacking compared to that of its...
Continue reading the post titled Making the environmental grade: Ontario leads while Canada lagsAnother Hefty Fisheries Act Fine
Another significant penalty has been ordered in relation to an offence under the Fisheries Act. Earlier this month, a Nova Scotia pulp and paper company was ordered by a provincial court to pay $225,000 in relation to a pipeline break that released 47 million litres of untreated effluent into the environment. The spill occurred in...
Continue reading the post titled Another Hefty Fisheries Act FineNew Trails Legislation Introduced in Ontario
Just in time for the upcoming summer holiday season, Ontario has passed new legislation designed to improve and protect the province’s trails system. The new act, the Supporting Ontario’s Trails Act, 2016, act introduces a new piece of legislation, the Ontario Trails Act, 2016. The Ontario Trails Act, 2016 aims to (s. 1): To increase...
Continue reading the post titled New Trails Legislation Introduced in OntarioShell fined $500,000, pays $200,000 to First Nation following 2013 spill
In case you missed it, nearly 3 years following the event, Shell Canada Ltd has been sentenced for a spill of “flare knock-out liquids” at a Sarnia-area refinery. The January 2013 spill affected members of the nearby Aamjiwnaang First Nation, who experienced a variety of adverse health effects (including sore eyes and throats, vomiting, nausea,...
Continue reading the post titled Shell fined $500,000, pays $200,000 to First Nation following 2013 spillOntario's proposed approach to cap and trade
Last week, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (“MOECC”) posted to the Environmental Registry its proposed approach to establishing a cap and trade regime in the province. Preferred and considered options for such a regime were are outlined in a “Cap and Trade Program Design Options” document, upon which the MOECC is accepting comments...
Continue reading the post titled Ontario's proposed approach to cap and tradePCBs in fish
PCBs in your fish dinner? Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were used for decades in industry and to make electrical equipment like transformers and capacitors.[i] They are slow to break down and hard to destroy. PCB are known carcinogens and have been linked to adverse reproductive, immune, nervous and endocrine effects, among others.[ii] Trace levels are found...
Continue reading the post titled PCBs in fishMore on approvals reform
Bill 68, the 166 page Open for Business Act [i] is now available for download. The Bill establishes a framework for reform of environmental approvals, as part of a three-year initiative intended to foster more efficient government services to business, while continuing to protect the environment and the public interest. This long-overdue Bill received first...
Continue reading the post titled More on approvals reformDrive 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 tweakedWater 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 inexorableOzempic for weight loss? Know the risks of off-label prescriptions
Ozempic (semaglutide) is a prescription drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes that has become one of the most in-demand medications in North America in recent years. Demand for Ozempic, which is manufactured by Novo Nordisk, has driven shortages in the United States. Health Canada observed a significant surge in demand for the drug in 2023, prompting...
Continue reading the post titled Ozempic for weight loss? Know the risks of off-label prescriptionsReceive Blog Posts
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