New rules for boreholes and other test wells
The Ministry of the Environment is seeking public comment on a draft manual on test holes and dewatering wells. A “test hole” is a type of “well” that is made to obtain information about groundwater, and is not used or intended for use as a source of water for consumption. It includes virtua…
View the post titled New rules for boreholes and other test wellsAustralian Parliament Senate rejects anti-wind bill, notes nocebo effect
An anti-wind nocebo response is developing, caused by the reproduction and dissemination of claims about adverse health impacts – claims not grounded in the peer-reviewed literature
View the post titled Australian Parliament Senate rejects anti-wind bill, notes nocebo effectAbitibi wins, Newfoundland cleanup order unenforceable after insolvency
Provincial governments must do more to ensure that cleanup costs are provided by financial assurance during the active life of a business, and not rely on getting innocent third parties to pay for cleanups after the fact.
View the post titled Abitibi wins, Newfoundland cleanup order unenforceable after insolvencyA reader writes about environmental management systems
Dear Dianne Saxe, I read some of your postings this am. I cannot help but think that if robust, credible and reliable EMS (aligned to ISO 14001) were more wide spread that some of these challenges could have been avoided. Not only would they have avoided the environmental damage, but the fin…
View the post titled A reader writes about environmental management systemsWhen can municipalities regulate environmental impacts?
Eleven years after the landmark Spraytech case, how far have municipalities been able to go in regulating environmental impacts of federally and provincially regulated activities? The people who must live closest to a resource or energy project often turn to their municipalities to protect t…
View the post titled When can municipalities regulate environmental impacts?Combined sewer overflows into Great Lakes going down
This month’s issue of Water Canada has some good news about what has been done to cut the flow of untreated sewage into the Great Lakes over the last 40 years. “Curbing the Flow” chronicles the steps that have been taken to slash raw and combined sewer overflows in four Can…
View the post titled Combined sewer overflows into Great Lakes going downInnocent victim, Kawartha Lakes, gets leave to appeal spill cleanup order
The Ontario Court of Appeal has granted leave to appeal the Ministry of the Environment Order requiring an innocent victim of a spill, the City of Kawartha Lakes, to clean up oil from a domestic fuel spill.
View the post titled Innocent victim, Kawartha Lakes, gets leave to appeal spill cleanup orderTown liable for negligence re developer's storm sewer
Property owners often suffered damage when storm and sanitary sewers malfunction. Canadian municipalities are generally exempt from civil suits in nuisance relating to their sewers, due to special statutes adopted across the country. However, they can be successfully sued in negligence. Such…
View the post titled Town liable for negligence re developer's storm sewerWaterpower projects can't be reviewed because they don't get review?
So, waterpower development can't be reviewed by the ERT, because it gets only minimal scrutiny under the Environmental Assessment Act. Given the substantial adverse environmental impacts that waterpower development can have, it is incongruous to exempt it so fully from public review.
View the post titled Waterpower projects can't be reviewed because they don't get review?Enforcement of PCB Regulations ramping up
Environment Canada is ramping up its enforcement of the federal PCB regulations. Surprisingly, they are finding illegal PCBs in municipal facilities. This could have serious consequences for municipalities, and for the individuals in charge.
View the post titled Enforcement of PCB Regulations ramping upReceive 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.