Who is responsible for fixing lead-contaminated drinking water?
Recent attention to lead-contaminated drinking water has many Ontarians questioning the safety of the water in their own homes. So, how do you know if there’s lead in your drinking water? How much lead is unsafe? And, who is responsible for fixing the problem? The most likely source of lead in drinking water is plumbing...
Continue reading the post titled Who is responsible for fixing lead-contaminated drinking water?Why I'm supporting the Green Shift
The basic concept of the Green Shift is simple: we should tax income less, and pollution more. And the great advantage for consumers is this: for most of us, it’s much less painful to reduce pollution (and thus tax) than it is to reduce income.
Continue reading the post titled Why I'm supporting the Green ShiftMore on Drugs in Drinking Water
Are tiny levels of drugs in bottled or tap water a health risk? We just don't know.
Continue reading the post titled More on Drugs in Drinking WaterGHG threaten public health and the environment
The US EPA has released its long-awaited, long-overdue endangerment finding: yes, human greenhouse gas emissions threaten human health and the environment.
Continue reading the post titled GHG threaten public health and the environmentWaste diversion, odour and climate change
Clare Booth Luce, the famous American playwright, journalist, ambassador, and Congresswoman, used to say, “no good deed goes unpunished”. To my regret, this sardonic and rather depressing phrase is, all too often, a good description of environmental laws. One example is the management of odour issues from waste diversion.
Continue reading the post titled Waste diversion, odour and climate changeOntario Anti-SLAPP law soon after all?
Yesterday, we noted that Environment Minister Glen Murray’s mandate letter includes no reference to a new anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit against Public Participation) law: https://www.siskinds.com/environment-minister-murrays-mandate-letter/, even though SLAPPs are often directed against environmental protection groups. A faithful reader has helpfully pointed out that, thankfully, that is because bringing the anti-SLAPP law back to the Legislature is mandated to...
Continue reading the post titled Ontario Anti-SLAPP law soon after all?Money for Brownfields
Until September 19, 2007, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund (GMF) is accepting applications from municipalities for low-interest loans to fund brownfield remediation projects. The projects must result in conservation of heritage buildings or construction of new buildings to at least a LEED™ Silver rating. (LEED has really caught on as benchmark of...
Continue reading the post titled Money for BrownfieldsCan Oakville make power plant get municipal air permit?
Can municipalities insist that local industries obtain municipal air permits, in addition to those issued by the province?
Continue reading the post titled Can Oakville make power plant get municipal air permit?Guardianship: What is it, when is it required and other FAQs
Have you been told that you need to obtain “guardianship” to assist a loved one with their property and finances? Are you uncertain what guardianship is, what being a guardian entails, or how to go about obtaining guardianship? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this article is a good starting point on...
Continue reading the post titled Guardianship: What is it, when is it required and other FAQsCy-prés distributions – Honouring “as close as possible”
In a previous blog post we had discussed the origin of cy-près distributions and their benefits. In sum, cy-près distributions help to enforce one of the public policy rationales behind class actions: behaviour modification by holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions. Where it is no longer economically feasible to distribute an award to individual class...
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