The Rise of Citizen Lawsuits for Environmental Change
Urgenda Foundation v Kingdom of the Netherlands Recently, on October 9, 2018, The Hague Court of Appeal made an unprecedented ruling in finding that the preservation of a stable climate system is a fundamental human right and ordered the Dutch government to meet its commitment of reducing it…
View the post titled The Rise of Citizen Lawsuits for Environmental ChangeWestern Chorus Frog Stops Development
The western chorus frog weighing approximately one-gram and measuring 2.5 centimetres from its nose to its back end stopped a private development proposal. The western chorus frog was listed as threatened species under the Species at Risk Act (“SARA”) in 2010. It is estimated that approximat…
View the post titled Western Chorus Frog Stops DevelopmentOntario to intervene in Saskatchewan’s Court Challenge of Federal Carbon Tax
Last week, at the Council of the Federation talks in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Ontario Premier, Doug Ford announced Ontario’s intention to intervene in Saskatchewan’s court reference to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal challenging the Federal government’s proposed carbon tax. The court r…
View the post titled Ontario to intervene in Saskatchewan’s Court Challenge of Federal Carbon TaxAnother 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 int…
View the post titled Another Hefty Fisheries Act FineDry Cleaner Sentenced to House Arrest for Improper Storage of Tetrachloroethylene
An Edmonton businessman and owner of a dry cleaning operation, First Class Cleaners, was given an four-month conditional sentence on that is to be served in the community. The owner of First Class Cleaners plead guilty to five Canadian Environmental Protection Act offences relating to the us…
View the post titled Dry Cleaner Sentenced to House Arrest for Improper Storage of TetrachloroethyleneShell 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 effec…
View the post titled Shell fined $500,000, pays $200,000 to First Nation following 2013 spillPlastic-bottled water ban on the horizon in Montreal?
Not long after announcing his city’s intention to ban single-use plastic bags by 2018, Montreal mayor Denis Coderre has indicated that banning plastic-bottled water may be next. Bottled water has long been decried for its heavy environmental footprint. Not only is it unnecessary where safe a…
View the post titled Plastic-bottled water ban on the horizon in Montreal?$750,000 Fine for Killing Migratory Birds
On November 5, 2015 Canaport LNG Limited Partnership plead guilty to charges under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 and the Species at Risk Act and was ordered to pay a total penalty of $750,000 by the New Brunswick Provincial court. The investigation conducted by Environment Canada …
View the post titled $750,000 Fine for Killing Migratory BirdsNational Energy Board to release safety reports
The National Energy Board (NEB) has decided to make more information about the safety of its regulated pipelines accessible to the public. It will be the first energy regulator in North America to do so. The NEB will be posting its inspections reports on the NEB website. The inspection repo…
View the post titled National Energy Board to release safety reportsDust in the wind: big fine for blowing tailings dust
The recent conviction of Unimin Canada Ltd (R v Unimin Canada Ltd, 2015 CarswellOnt 11640) underscores again the potential regulatory costs of failing to take appropriate preventative measures to ensure compliance with the Environmental Protection Act, RSO 1990, c E.19 (“EPA”)&…
View the post titled Dust in the wind: big fine for blowing tailings dustReceive Blog Posts
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