If you are in charge of environmental management, then no one needs to tell you that it can be complex and even frustrating. It requires knowing which regulations apply to your facilities, training your employees so they don’t unknowingly violate the regulations, and keeping a watchful eye on developing regulations. The three updates below provide us with a reminder of why environmental managers must not only develop and implement good internal policies, but why they also...
Read MoreFinding Solutions to Pervasive Environmental Contamination Issues
By nearly every measure, Canadians today live, work, and play in a cleaner and safer environment than in past generations. From required environmental permitting and limiting various discharges to assessing and tracking chemical use and the growth of less-toxic alternatives for personal products and manufacturing processes…we have made tremendous progress. But, and you knew a “but” was coming, there are still no shortages of issues that require our attention. Age-Old...
Read MoreRecent Environmental Problems and Using a “Multitude of Counsel” to Avoid Future Problems
The law of unintended consequences says actions of people, and especially of government, always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended. This may aptly describe the first of two recent environmental-related news stories below. These unintended consequences can, at times, be avoided, or at least limited, by careful planning and by full consideration in the multitude of counsel. At a minimum, we are reminded to thoroughly consider that next project before moving...
Read MoreUse and Environmental Management of Natural Resources in Canada
When it comes to natural resources in Canada, we’ve made the most of our abundant resources. So much so that our natural resources account for 17% of the Gross Domestic Product, and nearly two million people in Canada are employed (directly or indirectly) getting these resources to market. The mining, use, and management of various natural resources is often lauded and vilified in the same sentence. Some of these natural resources are essential for life. Improper uses or...
Read MoreFish Kills, Monetary Fines, Embarrassing Notices, and Concerns About Excess Soil
Most of the environmental issues that we routinely address in the regulated community are not going to make the evening news. They are just not newsworthy. However, when those issues reach the point of violations/enforcement, or when there is distrust regarding the proposed activity, there is plenty of press. From a “risk communication” standpoint, these prickly issues fall into consensus and crises communication. Release Leads to Fish Kill The fire and subsequent...
Read More