Goodbye to Nanticoke, and all that coal
January 8 marked the last day of operation of the Nanticoke Generating Station, the last operating coal-fired electrical generating facility in southern Ontario. This latest shut down will help mark 2014 as the year Ontario will become a coal-free jurisdiction. Nanticoke was once the worst a…
View the post titled Goodbye to Nanticoke, and all that coalDisclose that contamination? Or not?
Owners of contaminated sites are sometimes reluctant to disclose what they know, hoping to get rid of the liability with the property. Anyone who is so tempted will want to follow what happens in 1623242 Ontario Inc. v. Great Lakes Copper Inc., 2013 ONSC 7935 and 2013 ONSC 2548. In this case…
View the post titled Disclose that contamination? Or not?Ruling: Wind turbine approvals comply with the Charter
While some people find wind turbines annoying, subjective annoyance is not so serious an infringement of personal security to constitute a breach of the Charter.
View the post titled Ruling: Wind turbine approvals comply with the CharterBill 138: Ending Coal for Cleaner Air Act, 2013
The Ontario government has introduced Bill 138, Ending Coal for Cleaner Air Act, 2013, to confirm their longstanding decision to end the use of coal at Ontario’s electricity generating facilities and to prohibit new stand-alone coal-fired generating facilities. Coal-fired electricity genera…
View the post titled Bill 138: Ending Coal for Cleaner Air Act, 2013More on killing birds with buildings as an environmental offence
Ecojustice has settled its bird-killing prosecution against the Menkes Developments (Consilium Place) office complex. As described in a previous post, Ecojustice (as counsel for Ontario Nature) charged Menkes with environmental offences. They proved that these buildings were unusually danger…
View the post titled More on killing birds with buildings as an environmental offenceInstitute of Corporate Directors Webinar on No-fault Director's Liability
Many of you will be attending the Institute of Corporate Directors’ very popular webinar this Thursday, on the Ministry of the Environment’s campaign to impose no-fault environmental liability on corporate officers and directors. I will be one of the presenters, together with Nei…
View the post titled Institute of Corporate Directors Webinar on No-fault Director's LiabilitySome Ontario action on nine endangered species
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is taking another small step towards doing something for nine endangered species. Recovery “strategies” have been announced; now the government has to say what they will actually do to implement them. The nine species at risk are:• …
View the post titled Some Ontario action on nine endangered speciesLondon fined $20,000 for wastewater plant spill
The City of London was fined $20,000, plus the 25% victim fine surcharge, for breaching its Ministry of the Environment approval for a wastewater treatment plant, contrary to the Ontario Water Resources Act. The City of London owns and operates the Greenway Pollution Control Centre. The faci…
View the post titled London fined $20,000 for wastewater plant spillCan investigators be personally liable for the damage they do to their suspects?
The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that it is not “plain and obvious” that regulatory investigators owe no duty of care to suspects under investigation. The same logic should apply to environmental investigators: shouldn’t they be personally liable to their suspects, if they misuse …
View the post titled Can investigators be personally liable for the damage they do to their suspects?Environmental Tribunal reluctantly approves wind turbines near eagles' nest
The Environmental Review Tribunal has issued another decision approving a 45 turbine wind farm, but strongly recommended that the proponent defer or relocate the two turbines within 800 metres of a bald eagles’ nest. Lewis v. MOE, 13-044 is an appeal from a Renewable Energy Approval Nu…
View the post titled Environmental Tribunal reluctantly approves wind turbines near eagles' nestReceive Blog Posts
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