Why so many environmental sample results are misleading
A knowledgeable reader writes: “Dear Diane, …Reading through the various “Environmental Law and Litigation” articles excellently written by your staff, I’m increasingly frustrated by the universal failure throughout the industry to recognize a very serious flaw at the root of environmental site assessments/cleanups and it is one that has serious consequences for all involved, particularly...
Continue reading the post titled Why so many environmental sample results are misleading"Enhanced" Records of Site Condition
According to the Ministry of the Environment, one of its key changes to Reg. 153/04 (in Reg. 511/09) are its “enhancements” to the Record of Site Condition process. These “enhancements” have three major components: A quality control / audit process for Records of Site Condition, before they are acknowledged by the Ministry of the Environment;...
Continue reading the post titled "Enhanced" Records of Site ConditionCompost maker fined $125,000
Compost maker Scott Environmental Group Limited has been fined $125,000 plus the 25% victim fine surcharge, for breaching multiple conditions of its Certificate of Approval. Scott (operating as Norterra Organics in Kingston) pleaded guilty to accepting too much daily waste, storing more than its limit of 100 tonnes of biosolids per day, and storing biosolids outside, contrary to ministry requirements...
Continue reading the post titled Compost maker fined $125,000Giant Mine $1B contaminated site remediation milestone
Canada’s most contaminated site, the Yellowknife Giant Mine, has reached a milestone in its $1 billion taxpayer-funded remedial plan. The dangerous and badly contaminated roaster building, which created hundreds of thousands of tonnes of highly poisonous arsenic trioxide, (enough to kill every human in the world) has finally been demolished. Between 1948 and 2004, the Giant Mine was...
Continue reading the post titled Giant Mine $1B contaminated site remediation milestoneThe dirty side of "clean fill"
Consumers and businesses frequently purchase or accept “clean fill” for use on their properties, without requiring environmental testing. But if the fill is contaminated, the ultimate costs can be very high.
Continue reading the post titled The dirty side of "clean fill"Shell fined $500,000, pays $200,000 to First Nation following 2013 spill
In case you missed it, nearly 3 years following the event, Shell Canada Ltd has been sentenced for a spill of “flare knock-out liquids” at a Sarnia-area refinery. The January 2013 spill affected members of the nearby Aamjiwnaang First Nation, who experienced a variety of adverse health effects (including sore eyes and throats, vomiting, nausea,...
Continue reading the post titled Shell fined $500,000, pays $200,000 to First Nation following 2013 spillPriestly Demolition fined $70,000 for Spill and Failure to Report
The defendant, Priestly Demolition Inc. caused chlorine gas to be discharged into the environment when an employee operating a magnetic grapple attempted to move old pressurized gas cylinders. During the move, a valve snapped releasing the gas. The employee experienced a burning sensation and was taken to the hospital where he received treatment and stayed overnight....
Continue reading the post titled Priestly Demolition fined $70,000 for Spill and Failure to ReportDrinking water standards getting a little tighter
Health Canada has released its new Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, prepared by the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water (CDW).[1] This replaces the existing 1996 edition. Bottom line: the numbers are a little stricter than 15 years ago.
Continue reading the post titled Drinking water standards getting a little tighter$9.5 Billion Dollar Claim to Enforce Judgment Dismissed
On Thursday, April 4, 2019 the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the attempts of Ecuador’s Lago Agrio Region requiring Chevron to pay for water and soil contamination relating to Texaco’s activities in the area. The contamination was caused by Texaco’s activities between the years 1964 and 1992. Chevron acquired Texaco in 2001. In 2011 the...
Continue reading the post titled $9.5 Billion Dollar Claim to Enforce Judgment DismissedThe Duty To Accommodate Does Not Require an Employer to Turn Customers Away
A Store Manager for a leather company injured her wrist. Ultimately, the store terminated her position, prompting a human rights application to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. As part of this application, the employee argued that the accommodation process required: Prior to the full hearing, the Store Manager ultimately conceded that this was outside the...
Continue reading the post titled The Duty To Accommodate Does Not Require an Employer to Turn Customers AwayReceive Blog Posts
By subscribing to our blog, you will receive an email when a new post is added. You can unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to us at [email protected] with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.