What does it mean to “opt-out” of a class action?
What does it meant to “opt-out” of a class action? In her latest article, Siskinds Associate Linda Visser looks at what it means to opt-out of a class action. She considers the benefits of participating in class actions and provides an example of a situation where it may be worthwhile to not participate in a...
Continue reading the post titled What does it mean to “opt-out” of a class action?Understanding Environmental Regulation Structure in Canada
In this blog post Paula reviews the statutory regime in Ontario and outlines strict liability offences and its impact on companies. Understanding your environmental obligations and responsibilities can be a confusing and a daunting task. There are multiple government departments involved with overlapping jurisdictions and each having its own set of laws, regulations, policies, directives and...
Continue reading the post titled Understanding Environmental Regulation Structure in CanadaNew brownfields rules
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has quietly adopted sweeping changes to the regulation of brownfields and other contaminated sites. Some of the changes were extensively reviewed with stakeholders during the past three years; others were surprises: See the 87 pages of Regulation 511/09 at http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_040153_e.htm. The most important change will be the new standards...
Continue reading the post titled New brownfields rulesPaul Ekins and green taxes
Prof John Ekins told a packed house today that wetern economies have to improve the productivity of carbon by a factor of 10 by mid century. Every knowledgeable person knows that depends on pricing carbon. Prof Ekins cites numerous studies that green tax shifts can also produce the necessay carbon reductions with higher employment and...
Continue reading the post titled Paul Ekins and green taxesExpert witnesses: preparation
How do lawyers use Expert Witnesses in Environmental Litigation? Here’s an outline from one of Dianne’s seminars:
Continue reading the post titled Expert witnesses: preparationEco fee reset
Ontario takes a second stab at funding household hazardous waste collection.
Continue reading the post titled Eco fee resetWhy do new fuel tanks leak?
New fuel tanks leak because our safety standards are too lax, according to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. In Muskoka Fuels v Hassan Steel Fabricators, the plaintiff petroleum distributor purchased a fuel tank manufactured by Hassan. Diesel oil leaked from the tank into a bog less than 5 months after installation. The tank had...
Continue reading the post titled Why do new fuel tanks leak?New cars: greenhouse gas limits and ethanol
Canada will control greenhouse gases, although only when the US does. Last week, Canada and the US jointly announced stricter limits on GHG emissions from new cars (light-duty vehicles). This is the first-ever federal regulation to directly control GHG emissions across Canada. Our federal government also announced proposed regulations to require an average renewable fuel...
Continue reading the post titled New cars: greenhouse gas limits and ethanolHappy Earth Day!
Today is the 40th anniversary of the original Earth Day. Unfortunately, I am far too engaged in trial preparation to write a thoughtful evaluation of the last 40 years, other than the obvious: we have accomplished something useful, but not nearly enough. And to express kudos to Environment Minister John Gerretsen, who will announce more...
Continue reading the post titled Happy Earth Day!Better Ontario toilets
Conserve water: us? Ontario residents and businesses have never worried much about conserving water; as a result, we are among the world’s most wasteful water users: a drowning 260 litres per person per day. Calls for voluntary conservation have had little effect. Now, water conservation rules are being tightened.
Continue reading the post titled Better Ontario toiletsReceive 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.