Have taxpayers “had it” with Union tactics and benefits?
How times have changed! Back in the dark ages of my youth, we took postal strikes for granted. Every few years, the posties got restless and our Sears catalogue was delayed for a week or two. Unless it was the Wish Book, most people pretty much took it in stride. Not so today. Judging by...
Continue reading the post titled Have taxpayers “had it” with Union tactics and benefits?Three questions for PLCs
Here are three key questions that could improve the functioning of any Public Liaison Committee about a controversial facility. PLCs often get bogged down in attack and defence, with the facility operator trying to defend itself by controlling information, and aggrieved neighbours trying to …
Continue reading the post titled Three questions for PLCsEnergy conservation plans for public agencies
A proposed regulation under the Green Energy Act, 2009 (section 6) would require public agencies (i.e. Municipalities, Universities/Colleges, Schools, Hospitals) to submit annual energy consumption and building characteristic info as outlined in the proposed template. In addition, these publ…
Continue reading the post titled Energy conservation plans for public agenciesWind Power & Human Health Scientific Forum
Infrasound from wind turbines is not a health problem.
Continue reading the post titled Wind Power & Human Health Scientific ForumClimate prospects ever bleaker
Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were the highest in history
Continue reading the post titled Climate prospects ever bleakerRed tape, green economy?
Some federal Conservatives are reportedly interested in finding “red tape obstacles to a green economy”. At one level, this is good news; I’m glad to hear of any government trying to build a green economy. The International Energy Agency issued an extraordinarily bleak report last week abou…
Continue reading the post titled Red tape, green economy?Transit, loss, and compensation
Our column in today’s award-winning SLAW revisits the Heyes case. “Public works often impose heavy losses on those in private property nearby. Under what circumstances should they be compensated? That should have been the question in Heyes v. Vancouver, now Susan Heyes Inc. (Haz…
Continue reading the post titled Transit, loss, and compensationSLAPPS, wind and libel chill
We really need legislation to stop SLAPPs. According to the Ontario Anti-SLAPP panel report: “Strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPP) has been defined as a lawsuit initiated against one or more individuals or groups that speak out or take a position on an issue of pub…
Continue reading the post titled SLAPPS, wind and libel chillHow reliable are odour units?
345 Given that there are many steps in the process of attempting to calculate odour units which are problematic, and which contain so many points of bias and subjectivity, the Panel finds that the ultimate number or value coming out of an odour unit measurement cannot be relied upon as me…
Continue reading the post titled How reliable are odour units?Brownfield Regulation amended
The Ministry of the Environment has amended Ontario Regulation 153/04, under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), related to brownfields. According to the MOE, the amendments “are technical and are consistent with the policy intent of the existing O. Reg. 153/04, as amended in Decem…
Continue reading the post titled Brownfield Regulation amended