How Sierra Club became a player in the coal business
As strange as it might sound, the US chapter of the Sierra Club has acquired control over a large coal reserve in the Appalachians. In 2014, Sierra Club and two other environmental non-governmental organizations (“ENGO”s) sued a coal producer, Alpha Natural Resources, for polluting several s…
View the post titled How Sierra Club became a player in the coal businessA Break for Employers on Termination Clauses
Finally! The Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a termination clause in an employment contract that did NOT reference benefit continuation (when indeed there were benefits) or severance (when the employer had a payroll of $2.5 million or more and the employee qualified for the severance payment …
View the post titled A Break for Employers on Termination ClausesThe Virtual Office: Working From Home Considerations
With the advancement of technology, employers looking to cut overhead costs, and family and lifestyle accommodations growing, working from home is becoming more and more common. However, there are some considerations that must be explored before such practices are approved. Policies If emplo…
View the post titled The Virtual Office: Working From Home ConsiderationsNationwide flurry of activity on Environmental Bills of Rights
Hot on the heels of several provinces introducing Environmental Bills of Rights (“EBRs”), Ontario has just announced a review of its Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993. In March 2016, both British Columbia (Bill M 236-2016) and Manitoba (Bill 20) introduced EBRs (this was a re-introduction o…
View the post titled Nationwide flurry of activity on Environmental Bills of RightsHunting Convictions for Shooting Decoys
A conservation officer saw two individuals sitting in their truck strategically located in order to observe the decoys with binoculars. The conservation officers placed the stationary moose decoys along the travelled portion of a maintained and travelled forest resource access corridor. Afte…
View the post titled Hunting Convictions for Shooting DecoysProvincial renewable energy goals trump municipal by-laws
Since the Green Energy and Economy Act, 2009 came into force on May 14, 2009, the debate continues about whether municipalities can regulate renewable energy projects. At least three court decisions have now been made which indicate that other possible avenues of municipal regulation of rene…
View the post titled Provincial renewable energy goals trump municipal by-lawsDo environmental permits have value for the purposes of property tax assessment?
A recent decision of the Assessment Review Board (“ARB”) (Waste Management of Canada Corporation v MPAC, ID 138737 (ARB)) has concluded that the market value of the rights associated with an Environmental Compliance Approval (“ECA”) should be reflected in the current value of a landfill for …
View the post titled Do environmental permits have value for the purposes of property tax assessment?The Safety Dance: Right to Refuse Work Under Health and Safety Legislation
The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) provides workers with a number of rights, including the right to refuse work that is “likely to endanger” the worker.[1] When a work refusal occurs there are a number of procedures outlined in the legislation that must be followed and, …
View the post titled The Safety Dance: Right to Refuse Work Under Health and Safety LegislationSlips, Trips and Falls: Understanding Occupiers’ Liability
What is Occupiers’ Liability? In Ontario, the Occupiers’ Liability Act governs all claims relating to occupiers’ liability. Anyone who is in physical possession of a property, or has responsibility for and control over a property (the “occupier”) owes a duty of care to take reasonable precau…
View the post titled Slips, Trips and Falls: Understanding Occupiers’ LiabilityPoint-of-sale notice programme coming for Toronto dry cleaners?
The Board of Health of the City of Toronto has recently moved on recommendations from Toronto Public Health to look into ways to increase regulation of dry cleaning operations in the city. The increased restrictions were in response to lobbying efforts from a number of environmental organiza…
View the post titled Point-of-sale notice programme coming for Toronto dry cleaners?Receive Blog Posts
By subscribing to our blog, you will receive an email when a new post is added. You can unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to us at [email protected] with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.