Chevron, Ecuador, and court shopping
30,000 people, including indigenous tribes, suing Chevron (for toxic waste discharges by its predecessor, Texaco) obtained an $8.6 billion judgment this week from the Provincial Court of Justice of Sucumbios in Lago Agrio, Ecuador. The penalty is reportedly to be doubled if Chevron does not…
Continue reading the post titled Chevron, Ecuador, and court shoppingSpeaking for the public: who pays?
"There is an obligation for each member of the public to accept some responsibility of bringing environmental issues to the forefront."
Continue reading the post titled Speaking for the public: who pays?Fielding suing Canada re PCB waste export ban
Fielding Chemical can now sue the federal government for damages, for the extra costs it incurred in disposing of PCB waste because of federal orders closing the US border to PCB exports, and as a result of storing the PCB waste at its facility for additional years while losing the opportuni…
Continue reading the post titled Fielding suing Canada re PCB waste export banBerendsen v. Queen in the Supreme Court
The important case on contaminated sites, Berendsen v. the Queen, was scheduled to be argued in the Supreme Court of Canada today. But they settled at the last minute. This leaves the Court of Appeal’s decision (rejecting the claim) as the last word.
Continue reading the post titled Berendsen v. Queen in the Supreme CourtClimate change lawsuits
Climate change creates winners and losers. When the losers look for someone to blame, and someone to pay, whom will they find? A few cases have begun to explore how the common law can be used, either to seek damages for climate destruction, or to enjoin further emissions. As with any new sci…
Continue reading the post titled Climate change lawsuitsPCB Cleanup Dispute goes to the CEC
Bennett Environmental has filed a complaint with the Commission on Environmental Cooperation, alleging that Canada, and more specifically the province of Québec, is failing to effectively enforce Québec’s Environment Quality Act (EQA) and the Regulation Respecting the Burial of Contami…
Continue reading the post titled PCB Cleanup Dispute goes to the CECWho pays for basement flooding?
It will likely be increasingly difficult for home and business owners to find anyone willing to pay for basement flooding. According to the insurers’ Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, “basement flooding is one of the biggest challenges facing homeowners, municipal governments…
Continue reading the post titled Who pays for basement flooding?SLAPP Panel recommends anti-SLAPP law
The Ministry of the Attorney General has published the report of the Anti-SLAPP Advisory Panel. The report is on the Ministry’s web site at: http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/anti_slapp/anti_slapp_final_report_en.pdf. The panel adopted most of the Ontario Bar Association recom…
Continue reading the post titled SLAPP Panel recommends anti-SLAPP lawLaw Society rule change eases investigations
Ontario’s Law Society has changed the rules of professional conduct to make it easier for lawyers investigating a case to communicate with employees and agents of the other side. Rule 6.03 (9) used to prohibit lawyers from communicating with employees and agents of any organization who…
Continue reading the post titled Law Society rule change eases investigationsEndangered species: Ecojustice killer whale win
Congratulations to Ecojustice for its killer whale win. They successfully sued the federal government for its failure to protect the habitat of endangered species, killer whales in British Columbia. The 126 page judgment concludes that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has utterly faile…
Continue reading the post titled Endangered species: Ecojustice killer whale win