Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal Upholds Another Wind Turbine Approval
On January 4th, 2019, the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal (“Tribunal” or “ERT”) issued another decision in the long list of dismissed appeals of wind turbine approvals (“Renewable Energy Approvals” or “REAs”). The crux of the 143 page decision in Concerned Citizens of North Stormont v.…
View the post titled Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal Upholds Another Wind Turbine ApprovalEnvironmental Commissioner’s 2018 Greenhouse Gas Progress Report
On September 25, 2018, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario released the 2018 Greenhouse Gas Progress Report: Climate Action in Ontario: What’s Next? The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) is an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario created by the Environme…
View the post titled Environmental Commissioner’s 2018 Greenhouse Gas Progress ReportImperial Oil Limited Ordered to pay $650,000.00 by Ontario Court of Justice
Imperial Oil Limited was recently convicted of breaching s.14 of Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act (“EPA”) for permitting the discharge of a contaminant into the natural environment. Imperial Oil, who pled guilty to the offence, was sentenced to pay $650,000.00, in addition to a $162,50…
View the post titled Imperial Oil Limited Ordered to pay $650,000.00 by Ontario Court of JusticeEnvironmental Assessment in the Courts
A duo of recent decisions underscore yet again the need for an overhaul of the existing environmental assessment (“EA”) regime. Environmental groups Greenpeace Canada, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Northwatch, and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (the “Applicants”) filed two judicial r…
View the post titled Environmental Assessment in the CourtsEnergy East pipeline project faces further legal hurdles
Regional concerns over the contentious Energy East project have taken on an interesting twist recently. Quebec is seeking an injunction against the proponent of the proposed Energy East pipeline project, Trans Canada Corporation, forcing the company to submit the project to provincial enviro…
View the post titled Energy East pipeline project faces further legal hurdlesNew regulations to reduce coal?
Getting rid of coal in electricity generation made Ontario Canada’s leader in reducing GHG emissions. Now that we have a remarkably climate-friendly electrical system, what about other uses of coal in Ontario? The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) says it will ge…
View the post titled New regulations to reduce coal?Follow Up on Seller's Environmental Assessment Reports
Last month we blogged about a case out of Newfoundland in which a buyer’s negligence lawsuit against a seller’s environmental consultant was tossed out because the buyer had no right to rely on the environmental assessment report issued by the consultant for the seller. That arti…
View the post titled Follow Up on Seller's Environmental Assessment ReportsBuyer can't rely on Seller's Environmental Reports
A recent decision out of Newfoundland should remind prospective purchasers of real estate NOT to count on Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) or other environmental reports commissioned by the seller, unless they acquire a specific contractual right to rely on that report, e.g. through a r…
View the post titled Buyer can't rely on Seller's Environmental ReportsMore on Giant Mine remediation environmental assessment
Giant Mine remediation illustrates one of many ways that current environmental assessment processes for major projects raise public expectations that they cannot meet.
View the post titled More on Giant Mine remediation environmental assessmentGiant Mine $1B contaminated site remediation milestone
Canada’s most contaminated site, the Yellowknife Giant Mine, has reached a milestone in its $1 billion taxpayer-funded remedial plan. The dangerous and badly contaminated roaster building, which created hundreds of thousands of tonnes of highly poisonous arsenic trioxide, (enough to ki…
View the post titled Giant Mine $1B contaminated site remediation milestoneReceive 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.