It’s quite a contrast how pollutants are viewed. A Thunder Bay Pulp Mill was fined $250,000 for, “…failing to ensure that effluent discharge and testing limits were maintained…” The company that was fined failed to ensure that the water was properly treated before discharge. Now, juxtapose the above non-compliance issue to the City of Montreal who was granted permission to discharge 8 billion litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River. Though the discharge turned...
Read MoreEnvironmental Contamination – Are You Personally Liable?
The recent case heard by the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) involving Trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in groundwater was not about contamination at all. As stated in the July 2015 ruling, “The existence of contamination in, on or under the Property and a plume of groundwater contamination in the immediate vicinity of the Property are not at issue in these proceedings…” If the issue of environmental contamination wasn’t about environmental contamination,...
Read MoreOntario’s GHG Cap and Trade Program Takes Shape
If you follow our blogs, then you may recall that on April 24th we discussed the pending Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Cap and Trade Program for Ontario. We mentioned then that we would keep you updated as we learn more about the nuts and bolts of this program. And what we know currently is based on a recent release from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC). On September 14, 2015, the MOECC issued a notice seeking comments on proposed amendments to the GHG...
Read MorePermitting Water Withdrawal in Ontario
Protecting Ontario’s more than 250,000 lakes, which represents about 20% of the world’s fresh water, while avoiding overly burdensome regulations is an ongoing challenge. One of the ways fresh water is protected in Ontario is by permitting more significant water withdrawal events. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) requires those who withdraw water to obtain a Permit to Take Water (PTTW). The source law regarding PTTW is found in the Ontario Water...
Read MorePlant Closures and Decommissioning: Essential Environmental Considerations
According to the technical definition of a two-quarter economic slump, we are in an official recession in Canada. While I’m not an economist, I would venture to guess that commodity prices, especially crude oil prices dropping so dramatically, have had a disproportionate impact on the Canadian economy. In any regard, as businesses mull over what this may or may not mean to future demands for goods and services, including at least a consideration of consolidation, we...
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