Environmental penalties gaining steam
Ontario’s environmental penalties regime for spills is gathering steam. The final count for 2009 was 13 penalties totalling $112,143.20, most under the Environmental Protection Act. The highest penalty was $23,750. Thirteen more penalties have already been issued in the first four months of …
View the post titled Environmental penalties gaining steamSewage, Environment Canada and surprising statistics
According to Environment Canada, people in Nova Scotia are willing to pay much more for sewage treatment than other Canadians. To justify the multi-billion dollar cost of the new Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations under the Fisheries Act, Environment Canada has produced a table full of …
View the post titled Sewage, Environment Canada and surprising statisticsWastewater 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 billionsOil sands tailing wastes and dead ducks
In Alberta provincial court, Syncrude is on trial for the death of 1600 migratory ducks, who were unable to escape from its oil sands tailing ponds in 2008. Federal and provincial governments allow Syncrude to create the giant, deadly ponds, as long as they take reasonable care to frighten t…
View the post titled Oil sands tailing wastes and dead ducksDesigning a holdback clause
Real estate transactions often include holdbacks to deal with environmental issues. Unfortunately, the holdback clauses are often poorly worded, which can lead to unnecessary disputes. A recent case in the Ontario Superior Court illustrates the problem:
View the post titled Designing a holdback clauseKeeping drugs out of our drinking water – an update
Leftover drugs should never be flushed down toilets or discarded with regular garbage. Consumers should return unused drugs to their pharmacies for incineration.
View the post titled Keeping drugs out of our drinking water – an updateStormwater surprise
Why does so much filth pour out of Toronto sewer outfalls? Hundreds of the outfalls, which should only carry rainwater and perhaps noncontact cooling water, run even in dry weather. Toronto’s water department has identified 53 priority outfalls, places where the “water” p…
View the post titled Stormwater surpriseWhy do new fuel tanks leak?
New fuel tanks leak because our safety standards are too lax, according to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. In Muskoka Fuels v Hassan Steel Fabricators, the plaintiff petroleum distributor purchased a fuel tank manufactured by Hassan. Diesel oil leaked from the tank into a bog less th…
View the post titled Why do new fuel tanks leak?Making parent companies pay: a sting in the tail of approval reform
This should add some surprising complications to a wide variety of transactions.
View the post titled Making parent companies pay: a sting in the tail of approval reformApprovals Reform gets closer
For most businesses that need new or amended approvals, these changes probably cannot come quickly enough. But the transition period could be painful.
View the post titled Approvals Reform gets closerReceive Blog Posts
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