Managing fill: when is surplus soil “waste”, and where can it go?
Soil movement is big business in Ontario, involving perhaps 170 million tonnes/ year, and adding about 15% to infrastructure costs. Last year’s changes to the contaminated sites regulation Reg. 153/04 have made soil movement more difficult and expensive than ever, and further cost increases …
View the post titled Managing fill: when is surplus soil “waste”, and where can it go?Environmental Review Tribunal appeal notices must be complete
The Environmental Review Tribunal has dismissed an anti-wind appeal, because the neighbours opposed to the project did not file a proper notice of appeal: Ball v. Director. Several appeals were also dismissed in Monture v. Ontario, Ministry of the Environment, because the notices of appeal w…
View the post titled Environmental Review Tribunal appeal notices must be completeLiability insurer need not pay for voluntary delineation and cleanup
According to Ontario’s Court of Appeal, General Electric Canada (GE) can’t make its liability insurer pay for the delineation and cleanup of a former GE property contaminated with trichloroethylene (“TCE”), because it voluntarily complied with a Ministry of the Environment …
View the post titled Liability insurer need not pay for voluntary delineation and cleanupCertificate of analysis ok as evidence despite minor error and delay?
A court accepted a Maxxam certificate of analysis into evidence in an environmental prosecution, despite a minor error in an internal chain of custody, and a two month delay in issuing the certificate. The decision is useful for anyone who takes samples, analyses them or uses the result in court.
View the post titled Certificate of analysis ok as evidence despite minor error and delay?Science, proof and causation: when courts and scientists disagree
Bad science should be thrown out of court. When alleged scientific data fails to meet relevant, objective quality standards specifically developed for that kind of data, no one knows whether the claimed result is either reliable or correct. It is fundamentally unfair to punish anyone base…
View the post titled Science, proof and causation: when courts and scientists disagreeSoil remediation: smell test stands up in court
The latest decision in the Horvath saga has upheld the “smell test” in delineating home furnace oil contamination for remediation.
View the post titled Soil remediation: smell test stands up in courtMore Regulation for Geothermal Heat Pumps
The Ministry of the Environment moved swiftly this spring to increase regulation of geothermal (ground-sourced) heat pump installations, because of an urgent risk of releasing hazardous underground gases. Ontario revoked the old regulation governing Ground Source Heat Pumps and replaced it w…
View the post titled More Regulation for Geothermal Heat PumpsKawartha Lakes to seek leave to appeal
The City of Kawartha Lakes has given notice that it will seek leave to appeal the Divisional Court’s decision, which upheld an MOE order against it. The Order required Kawartha Lakes, the victim of a third party oil spill, to pay for the cleanup of that spill on public property. This i…
View the post titled Kawartha Lakes to seek leave to appealQuarry approved on Escarpment
Did you think the Niagara Escarpment was actually protected? A Joint Board of the Ontario Municipal Board and the Environmental Review Tribunal have conditionally approved a massive new Walker Brothers quarry on the Niagara Escarpment, over the objections of the Niagara Escarpment Commission…
View the post titled Quarry approved on EscarpmentLiability for recreational trails
In our December article for Municipal World, we wrote about municipal liability to cyclists for failing to maintain roads in a proper state of repair. Municipalities could similarly find themselves liable as the occupiers of recreational path systems, if the trails are not adequately maintained.
View the post titled Liability for recreational trailsReceive Blog Posts
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