Government “Eco Fees” on New Tires Eliminated
If you recently purchased winter tires in Ontario you may have noticed that the government “eco-fees” charged on the purchase of new tires was eliminated as of October 1, 2018. The fee, which was approximately $3.30 per tire for passenger and light trucks was levied by the government to supp…
View the post titled Government “Eco Fees” on New Tires EliminatedWill Toronto go to full cost recovery in Surcharge Agreements?
In 2008, Toronto’s Auditor General’s Report on Protecting Water Quality and Preventing Pollution recommended that Toronto should charge industries the full cost of sampling, testing and treating their high strength sewage. In November 2012, Toronto Council considered, and rejected, the…
View the post titled Will Toronto go to full cost recovery in Surcharge Agreements?More cities adopting stormwater fees: you pave, you pay
In 2011, we wrote about the innovative stormwater fee adopted by Kitchener, Ontario, following English and American precedents. Instead of funding storm water management through fees for municipal water, which penalizes heavy water users such as laundries, these municipalities fund the cost…
View the post titled More cities adopting stormwater fees: you pave, you payHealth, wind, science, and our sad federal priorities
Since Ontario regulations already require mitigation if noise is predicted to exceed 40 dBA at sensitive receptors, will it help to spend two years proving that there ought to be mitigation at 45 dBA?
View the post titled Health, wind, science, and our sad federal prioritiesBP to spend $400M to reduce emissions from tar sands refinery
When BP received approval to re-engineer its Whiting operation in Indiana, intended to refine oil from Canada’s tar sands, environmental groups challenged the permits. It turned out that BP’s air permit application did not accurately reflect the real emissions from the refinery. As exp…
View the post titled BP to spend $400M to reduce emissions from tar sands refineryCericola Farms fined $80,000 for wastewater runoff
On February 8, 2012, Cericola Farms Limited of Bradford, Ontario, pleaded guilty to three violations under the Ontario Water Resources Act for discharging chicken processing effluent into a creek that may impair the quality of the water and two counts of failing to comply with their Certific…
View the post titled Cericola Farms fined $80,000 for wastewater runoff2011 Environmental penalty orders
Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment issued 10 environmental penalty orders in 2011, for 32 violations, all against MISA companies for discharging too much contamination to water. The total penalty value associated with these orders was $167,642.95.How does this compare to previous years?
View the post titled 2011 Environmental penalty ordersPonoka fined $70,000 for sewage discharge permitted by province
While federal environmental enforcement is less frequent these days, the fines imposed are getting larger. The small town of Ponoka, Alberta (population about 7000) was fined $70,000 after pleading guilty to one count under the Fisheries Act. The Town was releasing effluent from their wastew…
View the post titled Ponoka fined $70,000 for sewage discharge permitted by provinceDownspout disconnection- why bother?
A dinner guest recently grumbled about municipal requirements that he disconnect his downspouts. Why are they making us do such a stupid thing, he complained. What’s the point? Do we really have to do it?
View the post titled Downspout disconnection- why bother?New federal wastewater regulations a challenge for municipalities
Dianne spoke last month at the annual Canadian Water and Wastewater Association “Window on Ottawa”, on potential risks to municipalities of the new Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations under the Fisheries Act, expected to appear shortly in the Canada Gazette. Bottom line, the …
View the post titled New federal wastewater regulations a challenge for municipalitiesReceive Blog Posts
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