Statoil to plead guilty to oilsands offences
Statoil, the 2/3 state-owned Norwegian oil company, is well known for promising to develop the oil sands sustainably. This fall, it will plead guilty to charges relating to its Alberta oil sands project.[1]
Continue reading the post titled Statoil to plead guilty to oilsands offencesGuidance for Environmental Site Assessments
Now that Reg. 153/04 sets strict new standards for Environmental Site Assessments of contaminated sites, it is good news that the Ministry of the Environment has finally released its guidance document for performing those ESAs. Although the new rules are only mandatory when seeking a Record of Site Condition, they set an industrywide benchmark for...
Continue reading the post titled Guidance for Environmental Site AssessmentsNorthern Gateway, oil tankers and spills
One of the issues in the Northern Gateway pipeline hearing is the threat that oil tankers will pose in the dangerous channels and sensitive ocean environments near the proposed port, Kitimat. Enbridge soothingly predicts that major spills will be inconceivably rare:
Continue reading the post titled Northern Gateway, oil tankers and spillsLimitation periods – Often overlooked, yet potentially fatal to your legal rights
It is inevitable that at some point a business will experience a harmful event that causes it to suffer a financial loss. Examples include a third party breaking a contract or a warehouse fire due to faulty electrical wiring. Therefore, businesses need to be aware of the time limits that restrict their right to start...
Continue reading the post titled Limitation periods – Often overlooked, yet potentially fatal to your legal rightsBrownfield Regulation amended
The Ministry of the Environment has amended Ontario Regulation 153/04, under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), related to brownfields. According to the MOE, the amendments “are technical and are consistent with the policy intent of the existing O. Reg. 153/04, as amended in December 2009. The amendments clarify the intent and scope of certain provisions,...
Continue reading the post titled Brownfield Regulation amendedContaminated sites reminder
If a qualified person and owner of property wish to have a record of site condition (RSC) filed and acknowledged before the changes come into effect, and have not yet submitted the RSC, the Ministry strongly encourages them to submit the RSC with all required documentation well before June 30, 2011.
Continue reading the post titled Contaminated sites reminderTransit, loss, and compensation
Our column in today’s award-winning SLAW revisits the Heyes case. “Public works often impose heavy losses on those in private property nearby. Under what circumstances should they be compensated? That should have been the question in Heyes v. Vancouver, now Susan Heyes Inc. (Hazel & Co.) v. South Coast B.C. Transportation Authority. Alas, it was...
Continue reading the post titled Transit, loss, and compensationCourt of Appeal Upholds ERT Finding in Blanding’s Turtle Case
On April 20, 2015, the Ontario Court of Appeal restored the finding of the Environmental Review Tribunal (“ERT”) that the proposed Ostrander Point wind farm would result in “serious and irreversible” harm to the Blanding’s turtle. The Ostrander Point wind farm project is a nine-turbine 22.5 megawatt wind farm on Crown land in Prince Edward...
Continue reading the post titled Court of Appeal Upholds ERT Finding in Blanding’s Turtle CaseMumbling about climate change
As you’ve probably noticed, no one is talking about climate change in the federal election. The Ontario government is keeping the issue pretty low key too. They quietly released both their annual GHG mitigation report as well as its climate change adaptation plan and strategy with no fanfare last Thursday (just prior to the Easter...
Continue reading the post titled Mumbling about climate changeMinimum Wage increasing on October 1, 2015
Employers in Ontario should take note that effective October 1, 2015, the minimum wage in Ontario is increasing. The general minimum wage will increase from $11.00/hour to $11.25/hour. Student minimum wage will increase from $10.30/hour to $10.55/hour. Liquor servers’ minimum wage will increase from $9.55/hour to $9.80. For more information, visit the Ministry of Labour’s...
Continue reading the post titled Minimum Wage increasing on October 1, 2015Receive Blog Posts
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