Staff changes at Ministry of Environment
Staff changes have been announced at the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Greg Sones is leaving the Waste Management Policy Branch and going back to enforcement. Wendy Ren will be acting director of Waste Management Policy Branch, whose Bill 91 (Waste Reduction Act) died on the order pap…
View the post titled Staff changes at Ministry of EnvironmentProviding Expert Opinion: be the best witness you can be
Providing expert evidence is an essential part of the legal system, Judges and Juries place significant weight on your opinion. This article outlines the legal duties of an expert and suggests some strategies for making the best presentation in court. Overview The purpose of a trial is to al…
View the post titled Providing Expert Opinion: be the best witness you can beAnother anti-wind power appeal dismissed
Ontario’s Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) has dismissed another anti-wind power appeal: May 14, 2014, Pitt v. MOE ERT Registry Number: 13-121. The Wainfleet Wind Energy Project can now proceed, despite objections from a skydiving club. The ERT ruled that the club had not shown that…
View the post titled Another anti-wind power appeal dismissedFirst affidavits, Blue Box funding arbitration
For those interested in the Blue Box funding arbitration, which will decide how much stewards (brand owners) must pay of the annual net $228 million cost under the Waste Diversion Act, here are the affidavits of the witnesses who have already completed their testimony on behalf of the munici…
View the post titled First affidavits, Blue Box funding arbitrationClimate warning labels on gasoline may become a reality
The municipality of West Vancouver, prompted by Grade 10 student Emily Kelsall, may be the first in Canada to put labels on gas nozzles warning of the dangers of climate change. The municipality is looking into whether it has the necessary power to enact such a bylaw, we think that they migh…
View the post titled Climate warning labels on gasoline may become a realitySeek Legal Advice Immediately Upon Receipt of a Request from the MOE
Landowners will often comply voluntarily with requests from the Ministry of the Environment (“MOE”), but cooperating may not always be in their best interest. Seeking early legal advice is important to determine what course of action, upon receiving notification, correspondence or an adminis…
View the post titled Seek Legal Advice Immediately Upon Receipt of a Request from the MOEVermont adopts first US GMO food labelling law
Food produced from genetic engineering should be labeled as such
View the post titled Vermont adopts first US GMO food labelling lawSecond shoe falls: flyrock discharge after Castonguay
If every rock that flies through the air, and does damage, is a "pollution" offence, what else is?
View the post titled Second shoe falls: flyrock discharge after CastonguayA rare pesticide prosecution
Ontario Pesticide Act prosecutions have become infrequent since the Ministry of the Environment stopped having specialized pesticide enforcement staff. It’s hard to know how much actual offences have decreased. The ban on cosmetic uses of pesticides may have helped, and pesticide opera…
View the post titled A rare pesticide prosecutionHuge manure spill fines: $120,000 plus surcharge
Two hog farming businesses and a Director must pay manure spill fines of $120,000, plus $30,000 victim fine surcharges, for discharging pig manure into the Thames River and Sweets Creek. The manure impaired the quality of water, contrary to the Ontario Water Resources Act. The individual Dir…
View the post titled Huge manure spill fines: $120,000 plus surchargeReceive Blog Posts
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