We are often asked by lawyers if we can determine when a chemical release occurred or help determine who is responsible for a release. This can be important in allocating responsibility for contaminated groundwater, especially when more than one party may have released the same chemical from the same or a nearby location. To gain some insight regarding how you might go about dating a release or understanding complex groundwater conditions, we are providing a short question...
Read MorePrecautionary Principle and Canadian Environmental Law
While it may not be well known by many, the precautionary principle has clearly found its way into Canadian law and may impact future management decisions regarding environmental issues. What is the precautionary principle? Some have said it boils down to better safe than sorry. However, the working definition will depend, in part, on who you ask. In fact, there may be as many as a dozen definitions, but the two main definitions are the Rio Declaration and the Wingspread...
Read MoreRecent Environmental Fines
While not quite to the level of the attention-getting $7.5 million fine that Cliffs Natural Resources had to pay last December for environmental violations, there have been a few environmental fines that are at least worth noting. Also, notice that these violations were not the result of any spectacular release of some exotic chemical; they are all fairly relatable types of substances. Recent Environmental Enforcement Action On June 5, 2015, an electronic company in...
Read MoreReal Solutions and Practical Application of Environmental Forensics
On Wednesday, August 5th, Dr. Michael Sklash, P. Eng. will be among a group of scientists, engineers, and lawyers speaking at the International Network on Environmental Forensics, which is part of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The conference will be held at Victoria College in Toronto. The title of Mike’s presentation is, “How would Albert Einstein do as a forensics expert? The Art of Effectively Communicating Complex Information.” Mike will be co-presenting with...
Read MoreOntario Pesticide Regulation Begins July 1st
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) recently announced new regulations relating to neonicotinoids (or neonics) that will take effect July 1, 2015. According to the MOECC, “Ontario will be the first jurisdiction in North America to protect bees and other pollinators through new rules to reduce the number of acres planted with neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seeds by 80 per cent by 2017.” The MOECC states that the new requirements will be put in...
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