Just as last year, the entire survey consisted of one question: “What is the most important environmental issue facing the regulated community in Ontario or Canada wide?” We offered no explanation beyond this.
We spoke with people from a wide range of industry groups, municipal governments, lawyers, consultants & contractors, and regulators. We interviewed those in areas of high-density populations to remote areas.
Water and Odour
Increasingly, odour was a concern for companies. Notably, these individuals pointed out that nothing had changed with respect to the size of the operations or the process in general. The population surrounding them, however, had grown significantly. They were once remote, but due to urban sprawl, notably in the growing GTA, they were now surrounded by communities.
This (odour) issue is what the agricultural community has been dealing with for some time and for the same reason…encroaching communities. This is especially true for our agricultural clients in the United States.
Municipal and township planners need to be aware of air-quality issues and evaluate set-back distances for new residential developments.
Water-related concerns included managing stormwater runoff to effluent concerns. At least one person mentioned the concern about nutrients in water discharge and the potential impact on the algae issue in Lake Erie. There were also concerns about water withdrawal and how regulations with respect to withdrawal may impact future operations.
Water-conservation practices are required in many parts of North America. Industries need to evaluate their water-resource needs and make efforts to reduce and conserve.
Source: Informal Survey by Dragun Corporation
Changes in Regulations and Communication
We heard from a few people that said it is increasingly difficult to stay up to date on changing environmental regulations. This comment came from both the regulators and the regulated. Along the same lines was communication from regulators to the regulated and how best to share information from Environmental Health and Safety professionals to their colleagues doing the day-to-day operations.
Presumably, this was one of the reasons why people were attending CANECT. Also, as an aside, this is one of the reasons we started writing our blogs, compliance tips, and newsletters, and provide webinars, etc… to help fill this void.
It was also interesting to hear that the regulators and regulated were frustrated that projects were not reaching an end point. These comments included permits that are, seemingly, never issued and assessment and remediation projects that don’t seem to end.
Excess Soils and More
With the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change notice of changes to Excess Soil Management Policy (ERO#013-2477), this was a prominent point discussed. For those who are not familiar with this issue, it is closely associated with the growth of the GTA and how to best manage the soils from developments. For example, there have been instances where excavated soils have not been tested and were then used as fill on farm fields, only to discover later that the soils were impacted (see our previous article, How will Ontario’s Proposed excess soil management policy work?).
Not surprising was general frustration with turnaround time with respect to permits (a very common complaint heard for the past few years). We also heard concern about the lack of future landfill space, cumulative effects of air pollutants, and understanding the Record of Site Condition process.
While this was an entirely unscientific survey, and perhaps proves nothing more than misery loves company, there may be some comfort in knowing you are not alone.
If there is an environmental issue with which you require some assistance or would like to discuss, please feel free to contact me at 519-979-7300, Ext. 114.