Freedom of expression before environmental regulators and tribunals?
Environmental regulators and tribunals bear substantial responsibilities and make important decisions regarding development in Canada. If they won’t listen to opponents of a project, will they breach the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms? The issue has been raised before the cour…
View the post titled Freedom of expression before environmental regulators and tribunals?London fined $20,000 for wastewater plant spill
The City of London was fined $20,000, plus the 25% victim fine surcharge, for breaching its Ministry of the Environment approval for a wastewater treatment plant, contrary to the Ontario Water Resources Act. The City of London owns and operates the Greenway Pollution Control Centre. The faci…
View the post titled London fined $20,000 for wastewater plant spillGood news: updated Ontario noise guideline
After three years of consideration, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment has adopted a more up-to-date guideline for assessing noise impacts. “Environmental Noise Guideline Stationary and Transportation Sources – Approval and Planning, Publication NPC-300” is now in force. See NPC 300 o…
View the post titled Good news: updated Ontario noise guidelineApprovals Reform to tackle Brownfields/ Surplus soil issues
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has announced another round of consultations on Modernization of Approvals. This time, they say, they will tackle the high stakes problems of surplus soil movements and contaminated sites. See presentation, Brownfields Modernization.
View the post titled Approvals Reform to tackle Brownfields/ Surplus soil issuesModernization of Approvals a big step in the right direction
The Ministry of the Environment’s Modernization of Approvals process is starting to make a real difference: kudos to Marcia Wallace, Doris Dumais and the others involved. It still takes far too long to get many kinds of Environmental Compliance Approvals (often well over a year), but t…
View the post titled Modernization of Approvals a big step in the right directionEnvironmental Tribunal blocks afterthought grounds for leave to appeal
Ontario’s Environmental Review Tribunal has refused to allow a developer to completely change its proposed grounds for seeking leave to appeal an Environmental Compliance Approval given to an existing industry, under the Environmental Bill of Rights and the Environmental Protection Act…
View the post titled Environmental Tribunal blocks afterthought grounds for leave to appealMore approvals reform: generators, cooling towers, retail dust collection
Environmental Approvals Reform: The third wave of Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (permit by rule) sectors are now under evaluation: small electricity generators, cooling towers for comfort cooling and retail dust collection. If approved, these activities would no longer require e…
View the post titled More approvals reform: generators, cooling towers, retail dust collectionRenewable Energy Approvals regulations amended again
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has made more amendments to O. Reg. 359/09, the Renewable Energy Approvals Regulation. As a result of concerns raised during the last round of amendments (July 1), these amendments focus on: Re-issuance of draft site plans to reflect changes to the loc…
View the post titled Renewable Energy Approvals regulations amended againEnvironmental 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 completeApprovals reform making progress
What are Ontario’s biggest obstacles to job creation? According to employers contacting the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation, the Ministry of the Environment is usually on their top 5 list. And approvals problems (including delay) are high among them. Approvals reform i…
View the post titled Approvals reform making progressReceive Blog Posts
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