Environmental Assessment: Foreigners keep out?
According to Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, “Anyone looking at the record of approvals for certain major projects across Canada cannot help but come to the conclusion that many of these projects have been delayed too long. In many cases, these projects would create thousands upon th…
View the post titled Environmental Assessment: Foreigners keep out?Congratulations to Environmental Commissioners
I am late in congratulating both the Ontario and the federal Environmental Commissioners for their invaluable annual reports, and will try to look more closely at their findings as time permits. The Ontario Commissioner emphasizes how much the Ontario Ministry of the Environment is doing wit…
View the post titled Congratulations to Environmental CommissionersExpropriating contaminated land
When a municipality expropriates contaminated land, can it deduct the full cost of remediating the contamination from the amount paid to the reluctant seller? Surprisingly, the answer is still not clear.
View the post titled Expropriating contaminated landPolar bears at risk: petition against Canada
A U.S. biodiversity group has petitioned the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, alleging that Canada has failed to enforce its species at risk law by failing to list and protect polar bears as endangered species. Such petitions can lead to a full scale investigation, and possibly an e…
View the post titled Polar bears at risk: petition against CanadaIntro to environmental law for construction
Interested in an overview of environmental law for those involved in construction? Dianne recently gave one to the Ontario Bar Association Construction Law section. To see it, click OBA Construction Intro.
View the post titled Intro to environmental law for constructionLead from airplanes still widespread
In 2003, Friends of the Earth petitioned the US EPAto get lead out of aviation gasoline. While there had been much discussion about taking lead out of racing vehicle gasoline, aviation gasoline actually releases much more lead into the environment than racing.
View the post titled Lead from airplanes still widespreadEnvironment Canada: more cuts, less science?
Sometimes, it feels like the 1990s again. In both Canada and the US, budget shortfalls and political preferences are resulting in significant cuts to environmental scientists and regulators. For example, Environment Canada has announced that its current round of cuts will eliminate approxima…
View the post titled Environment Canada: more cuts, less science?Consumer products banned for lead- in the US
The US is far more active than Canada in detecting lead in consumer products, and in requiring that they be withdrawn from the market. The Centers for Disease Control post a fascinating list of high lead consumer products, many of them marketed for children, which can no longer be sold in th…
View the post titled Consumer products banned for lead- in the USKeystone pipeline
If approved, the Keystone XL pipeline would carry oil extracted from Northern Alberta’s oil sands to refineries and markets in the United States. Vocal opponents of the project hope to convince President Obama not to approve the project, but their chances seem poor. The Canadian portion of t…
View the post titled Keystone pipelineHow fish farms can hurt wild salmon
Here in Ontario, we are hearing almost nothing from the British Columbia Cohen Commission inquiry into the decline of sockeye salmon, whose final report will not be released until next June. It was therefore fascinating, and horrifying, to discover Alexandra Morton’s blog on the eviden…
View the post titled How fish farms can hurt wild salmonReceive Blog Posts
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