It’s rare when those on the political right and political left agree on an environmental issue. It’s even rarer when environmental groups and industry groups can agree on the same environmental issue. And, when this general agreement crosses boarders, not just between Canada and the United States, but across the “big pond,” we have something truly unique. Microbeads The subject of this (general) agreement surrounds the issue of the use of microbeads and their fate in the...
Read MoreNew Focus on Air Quality in Ontario
In case you missed it, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) recently proposed three “Air Zones” for the province. According to the June 22, 2015, announcement, the Zones will be the following: Air Zone 1 – Areas with limited pollution from either point or non-point sources or transboundary influence; where air quality management activities are focused on maintaining good air quality. Air Zone 2 – Areas under pressure from multiple sources including some or...
Read MoreShould Canadians be Concerned about Trends in US Environmental Regulations?
As a Canadian with 25 years of experience in the environmental business working both in Canada and United States, I “get” that our countries have very close ties. After all, we share a nearly 9,000-km border; the Windsor-Detroit border is the busiest, commercial-land, border crossing in North America. Thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement, we share the largest, free-trade region in the world. With all that Canada shares with the US, it’s not surprising that we...
Read MoreRegulating Nanoscale Materials
Chemical substances in Canada are regulated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. Substances are in one of two groups – existing or new. There are about 23,000 existing or current substances on the Domestic Substance List (DSL). In 2006, the 23,000 substances of the Domestic Substances List were “categorized” according to the potential risk they posed to human health and the environment. This set the priority by which substances were to be assessed under...
Read MoreOntario Companies Prepare for the Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade Program
Will Ontario’s Cap and Trade system for greenhouse gases impact industry? Yes. How will it impact industry? We don’t know yet. Ontario’s GHG Cap and Trade Program By now you know that Ontario has joined Quebec, California, and others in the Western Climate Initiative by establishing a cap and trade system for Greenhouse Gases (GHG) (Ontario actually joined the Western Climate Initiative in 2008). With the mandatory cap and trade system in place, it will build on the...
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