Legislation to enact Environmental Justice is moving forward. The concept of Environmental Justice or “EJ,” has been gaining momentum for several years. EJ in the United States Over the past two years, our neighbours in the United States have heavily integrated EJ into nearly every federal government agency. In the US, EJ originated in a 1994 Executive Order under President, Bill Clinton. Bill C-226 – Environmental Justice EJ is being advanced in Bill C-226, “An Act...
Read MorePFOS Still Detected and Update on Litigation over Plastics Ban
Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) said that perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is still leaching from the Hamilton International Airport Property above the threshold numbers. PFOS is one of the thousands of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have been found around the world that pose potential harm to human health and environment. PFOS at Hamilton Airport Health Canada states that the maximum acceptable concentration for PFOS...
Read MoreTwo One Million Dollar Environmental Fines
Complying with environmental regulations is becoming increasingly complex as there are more regulations (see our February 8, 2023, blog regarding increased regulatory activity) and more regulatory enforcement. Below we highlight some recent environmental enforcement activity. Release of Gasoline Ends with a $1 Million Fine Not exactly what you might consider a typical environmental enforcement “target,” but Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Enterprise) handles fuel, which poses a...
Read MoreCustomers of Lenders and Insurers Can Expect GHG Reporting
As we discussed in our November 4, 2022, blog, Canada is moving forward with mandatory climate-related risk disclosures for federally-regulated banks and insurance companies in 2024. It is anticipated that this will affect 400 institutions and their customers across Canada. On March 7, 2023, The Office of Superintendent of Financial Institution (OSFI) released “Guideline B-15: Climate Risk Management.” This guideline will govern the methods the financial sector in Canada...
Read MoreSeven Questions Regarding Excess Soil Management in Ontario
With the key phase of the excess soil regulation in Ontario now in place (as of January 1, 2023), preparing for and managing excess soil has become of vital importance for construction-related projects in 2023. For an overview of the Excess Soil Regulations, see our December 22, 2022, blog “Ontario Excess Soil Requirements for 2023.” Below are some common questions we have seen regarding Excess Soil. This is not comprehensive. We encourage you to read the regulations for...
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