When will Ontario courts refuse to impose minimum environmental fines?
Now that mandatory minimum environmental fines are so high, courts occasionally refuse to impose them. For example, in R v. KIE Farms Ltd., a justice of the peace refused to impose a $25,000 minimum fine on a local farm, even though seepage from its corn silo made a local watercourse toxic…
View the post titled When will Ontario courts refuse to impose minimum environmental fines?Jurisdictional Issues in Canadian Defamation Law: Can you sue in your home province?
In this new article Siskinds Associate Mike Polvere takes an in depth look at the issue of cross border litigation and defamation. He discusses how the courts go about choosing the best jurisdiction to hear the matter. Is it prudent to start a libel action in Canada if the person who defamed…
View the post titled Jurisdictional Issues in Canadian Defamation Law: Can you sue in your home province?Waterpower projects can't be reviewed because they don't get review?
So, waterpower development can't be reviewed by the ERT, because it gets only minimal scrutiny under the Environmental Assessment Act. Given the substantial adverse environmental impacts that waterpower development can have, it is incongruous to exempt it so fully from public review.
View the post titled Waterpower projects can't be reviewed because they don't get review?Twitter Moot: Common law right to a healthy atmosphere?
Saxe Law Office is proudly sponsoring the environmental law Twitter Moot for the second year. The question being debated by Canadian law students (in 140 characters or less) is: Do Canadians have a legally recognized right to a healthy global atmosphere? If so, large scale emissions of green…
View the post titled Twitter Moot: Common law right to a healthy atmosphere?Directors and officers to be liable for contamination on escheated land?
What happens to contaminated sites when their corporate owner goes bust? Most of them end up escheating to the province, which is increasingly concerned about costs of managing them. Now, Ontario’s Ministry of Infrastructure is seeking comments on a proposed new management framework for forf…
View the post titled Directors and officers to be liable for contamination on escheated land?An introduction to the law of noise pollution
Dianne gave a well received introduction to the law of noise pollution at the Ontario Bar Association’s Halloween breakfast. Topics included what is noise, who regulates it, how the Environmental Protection Act applies, enforcement under the EPA, bylaws and the OMB, and civil suits fo…
View the post titled An introduction to the law of noise pollutionNew Canadian environmental assessments exclude stakeholders and issues
The new standing rules in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, have now been interpreted the first two times, with contradictory results. The Prosperity Mine panel, in BC, has wisely interpreted the new standing rules broadly, including experts, Non-Governmental Organizations, Fi…
View the post titled New Canadian environmental assessments exclude stakeholders and issuesActivists sue nuclear plant for water pollution
Cape Cod Baywatch and Pilgrim Watch residents have given notice of their intent to sue Entergy for water pollution and fish kills caused by its Massachusetts nuclear plant.
View the post titled Activists sue nuclear plant for water pollutionEnvironmental regulation: Municipalities v province, province v. federal government
What happens when municipal bylaws try to control energy or resource projects authorized by the federal or provincial governments? (They have some scope). How far will the Spraytech precedent take them? Can corporations use federal insolvency laws to cleanse themselves of irksome environment…
View the post titled Environmental regulation: Municipalities v province, province v. federal governmentEnviro West v Copper Mountain, everyone is liable
A long running lawsuit over liability for PCB wastes may finally be over. In Enviro West Inc v. Copper Mountain Mining Corp. a waste hauler, Enviro West, unknowingly picked up waste oil highly contaminated with PCBs and mixed it with uncontaminated oil, resulting in substantial damages. At …
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