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 ChangeAnother 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 FineNorthern 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:
View the post titled Northern Gateway, oil tankers and spillsHungarian sludge spill and our tailings ponds
The Hungarian sludge spill disaster is just another reminder of the large scale havoc and devastation that industrial sludge impoundments can create. Every few years we read about another one. On April 25, 1998, a tailings dam failure of the Los Frailes lead-zinc mine at Aznalcóllar near Sev…
View the post titled Hungarian sludge spill and our tailings pondsNot every spill is an offence
It’s encouraging to see the courts rejecting prosecutions for minor, low fault spills that are quickly and professionally managed.
View the post titled Not every spill is an offenceWastewater billions
Environment Canada is of the view that the ...proposed regulations are affordable if all jurisdictions make wastewater funding a priority….
View the post titled Wastewater billionsFairness, non-polluter pays and Kawartha Lakes
Should municipalities have to pay to cleanup private spills? See today’s article in Lawyer’s Weekly.
View the post titled Fairness, non-polluter pays and Kawartha LakesWhy is fairness irrelevant?
Innocent parties forced to pay unfair environmental costs should seek compensation in the civil courts, and should not expect any help from the ERT.
View the post titled Why is fairness irrelevant?$1,000,000 penalty for odour
Fines for industrial accidents keep climbing. On November 4, 2009, BP Canada Energy Company pleaded guilty to one count of causing an odorous discharge that caused an adverse effect. BP was fined $800,000 plus the 25% victim fine surcharge. BP operates a natural gas liquid fractionation plan…
View the post titled $1,000,000 penalty for odourQuick Overview of Canadian Environmental Law
Please checkout our new page, with its quick summary of Canadian environmental in an easy-to-read, question and answer format. It starts: Legislation 1 Main environmental regulations What are the main statutes and regulations relating to the environment? Under Canada’s constitution, environm…
View the post titled Quick Overview of Canadian Environmental LawReceive Blog Posts
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