Giving the MOE False Information?
An environmental consultant and his firm have been heavily penalized for the serious offence of giving false information to the Ministry of the Environment. The consultant, Ron Carter, was hired to sample the notorious Bakelite site for PCBs. While some of his samples did detect PCBs, he tol…
Continue reading the post titled Giving the MOE False Information?Tenant's Contamination
Does the covenant to leave the property “in a clean and neat condition” at the end of a long term lease require the tenant to clean up all its contamination? Or only the contamination that has occurred since the last renewal of the lease? And does the tenant have to pay rent unti…
Continue reading the post titled Tenant's ContaminationLead, Children and Crime
This summer’s flurry of concern about lead in Ontario drinking water gets extra power from a growing body of research linking preschool blood lead and subsequent crime rates. Rick Nevin, for example, has tracked blood lead levels and violent crime over several decades in the USA, Brita…
Continue reading the post titled Lead, Children and CrimeActivist Agenda?
Premier McGuinty has promised “a busy and activist legislative session” starting with a Speech from the Throne on November 29, 2007. In light of his election promises, we look forward to learning more about: • His “tough new toxic reduction law”;• How his government p…
Continue reading the post titled Activist Agenda?Abusive Prosecution
An abusive MOE prosecution has been thrown out of court, with costs. Roger Arcand was charged with providing the MOE with false information concerning a municipal water system. The City pled guilty, but Arcand insisted on his innocence and repeatedly demanded particulars and disclosure of th…
Continue reading the post titled Abusive ProsecutionWhat is Nuisance Worth?
A recent Ontario case is a discouraging reminder of how little is the compensation available for even deliberate and serious nuisance, and how rarely it pays for homeowners to sue. In Ivall v. Aguiar, the plaintiffs bought a small rural house as their “dream home”. Unfortunately,…
Continue reading the post titled What is Nuisance Worth?New Minister of the Environment
The new Ontario Minister of Environment is John Gerretsen, MPP Kingston and The Islands. This is an encouraging appointment for anyone interested in brownfields development, as Mr. Gerretsen has been Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for the last several years. During this time, the …
Continue reading the post titled New Minister of the EnvironmentBicycle Commuting in London
In the federal Throne speech, Canada again claims to be leading the world on climate change, when in fact we are an international embarrassment. My recent trip to London, England, drove home again how far we are behind. Climate change is a matter of frequent public and private discourse in t…
Continue reading the post titled Bicycle Commuting in LondonWho is responsible for fixing lead-contaminated drinking water?
Recent attention to lead-contaminated drinking water has many Ontarians questioning the safety of the water in their own homes. So, how do you know if there’s lead in your drinking water? How much lead is unsafe? And, who is responsible for fixing the problem? The most likely source of lead …
Continue reading the post titled Who is responsible for fixing lead-contaminated drinking water?Who’s responsible for reducing local air pollution?
Air pollution is wide-spread across Ontario, coming from many sources and moving with large air masses from one region to the next. It’s resulting in health effects, including cancer and respiratory illnesses like asthma. Last year, more than 5000 premature deaths were attributed to poor a…
Continue reading the post titled Who’s responsible for reducing local air pollution?