Quick Overview of Canadian Environmental Law
Please checkout our new page, with its quick summary of Canadian environmental in an easy-to-read, question and answer format. It starts: Legislation 1 Main environmental regulations What are the main statutes and regulations relating to the environment? Under Canada’s constitution, environm…
Continue reading the post titled Quick Overview of Canadian Environmental LawHow big are 25,000 tonnes of GHG?
Ontario is proposing to follow the US lead, and require mandatory greenhouse gas emission reporting from organizations and facilities that emit more than 25,000 tonnes of CO2e per year. (Our federal reporting threshold has just dropped from 100,000 tonnes to 50,000.) Even 25,000 tonnes will …
Continue reading the post titled How big are 25,000 tonnes of GHG?Renewable Energy Approvals
Missed this week’s executive workshop on Carbon Finance? Renewable energy approvals is Dianne’s presentation on how renewable energy approvals will work in Ontario under the Green Energy Act and the Environmental Protection Act, and on the lawsuit that is trying to block wind. Bo…
Continue reading the post titled Renewable Energy ApprovalsFederal Court of Appeal rejects KPIA appeal
Friends of the Earth have lost their appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal against Canada’s defiance of the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, a Canadian statute. Just days before the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that climate change nuisance lawsuits are justiciable, in Comer v…
Continue reading the post titled Federal Court of Appeal rejects KPIA appealMore worries about Reg. 419/05
The Ontario Bar Association has adopted our submission_reg_419-05_06oct09 about the uncontrolled discretion being exercised under O.Reg. 419/05, and the regulated community’s need for a right of appeal from arbitrary decisions. The Minister of the Environment says he is carefully consi…
Continue reading the post titled More worries about Reg. 419/05How will nuisance law affect P3?
Read our comments on Heyes v. Vancouver in the National Post this week.
Continue reading the post titled How will nuisance law affect P3?New brownfields standards coming soon
Ministry of the Environment staff are seeking approval for proposed changes to the brownfields regulation, 153/04. Last year, the MOE proposed far-reaching changes, including: much more stringent generic cleanup standards, to be phased in 12 months later, a more flexible Tier 2 for risk assessment,
Continue reading the post titled New brownfields standards coming soonTaking climate change to the courts
On Friday, October 16, a second major US appeals court ruled that victims of climate change can sue polluters. In Comer v. Murphy Oil USA (5th Cir.), victims of Hurricane Katrina sued a number of companies that produce fossil fuels for causing greenhouse gas emissions that contributed to cli…
Continue reading the post titled Taking climate change to the courtsCan the precautionary principle be used to block wind energy?
A Big Island resident, Ian Hanna, launched judicial review today to block renewable energy approvals under the regulations recently adopted to implement Bill 150, the Green Energy Act. Mr. Hanna argues that it is contrary to the precautionary principle to allow wind energy development in Ont…
Continue reading the post titled Can the precautionary principle be used to block wind energy?Ontario's GHG reporting regulation
The Ministry of the Environment is seeking comments until November 6 on a draft Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reporting regulation and guideline. The draft is very similar to the US GHG reporting regulation which was adopted last month. The regulation proposes:
Continue reading the post titled Ontario's GHG reporting regulation