Half of World’s Natural Heritage Sites Are Under Threat
A chilling report recently released by WWF (formerly World Wildlife Fund) has found that nearly half of the world’s UNESCO-designated natural World Heritage Sites are threatened by industrial activities including oil, gas, and mineral extraction, overfishing, and illegal logging. Sadly, some…
View the post titled Half of World’s Natural Heritage Sites Are Under Threat"Resource Recovery" not "Waste Management"
What’s in a name? The Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has renamed its longstanding Waste Management Policy Branch the “Resource Recovery Policy Branch“. The renaming is part of Minister Glenn Murray’s vision of a low-carbon circular economy, and of …
View the post titled "Resource Recovery" not "Waste Management"Pope Francis encyclical coming on climate change
The Vatican confirmed this week that Pope Francis’ encyclical letter on the environment is now finalized and is being translated, with an expected release date in June. An encyclical letter is considered the most important form of papal teaching. This will be the first-ever encyclical entire…
View the post titled Pope Francis encyclical coming on climate changeDivisional Court rejects anti-wind constitutional claim
Special Environmental Protection Act rules for approval of renewable energy projects, including wind farms, do not contravene the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
View the post titled Divisional Court rejects anti-wind constitutional claimAnother waste diversion victory: batteries
A Saxe Law Office client enjoyed another waste diversion victory last week, when Waste Diversion Ontario rejected a flawed battery recycling proposal by Call2Recycle.
View the post titled Another waste diversion victory: batteriesShould Energy Board consider climate before approving pipelines?
Can, and should, the National Energy Board consider climate impacts before approving oil pipelines? The federal government says no, objectors say yes. Now the courts must decide.
View the post titled Should Energy Board consider climate before approving pipelines?Wind opponents lose health challenges around the world
A recent report by the Energy and Policy Institute documents the rejection of anti-wind health claims by 48 courts and tribunals in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the US. In one anomalous US case, two turbines which had had a known problem were ordered to be shut d…
View the post titled Wind opponents lose health challenges around the worldWaste Diversion Ontario and Stewardship Ontario to arbitrate
Waste diversion in Ontario is spawning an unusual amount of litigation this year. Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO), the delegated administrative authority which oversees several waste diversion programs under the Waste Diversion Act, is sending its breach of contract dispute with Stewardship On…
View the post titled Waste Diversion Ontario and Stewardship Ontario to arbitrateGood news: clarity to come on single use battery “recycling” in Ontario
What should count as battery “recycling”? Is it good enough to melt single use batteries into nickel mill slag, which is put in roadbeds as “aggregate”? Or should we insist on up-cycling end of life batteries, i.e. carefully separating and reusing each of the hazardous components…
View the post titled Good news: clarity to come on single use battery “recycling” in OntarioDe-polluting end of life vehicles, at last?
After years of effort by Ontario’s mainstream auto recyclers, in cooperation with automobile manufacturers, the Ministry of the Environment is getting close to a permit-by-rule system for recycling end of life vehicles. Given the elaborate market that already exists for vehicle recycli…
View the post titled De-polluting end of life vehicles, at last?Receive Blog Posts
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