Our monthly environmental compliance tips are typically focused on daily compliance issues for the regulated community. However, it’s also important to monitor the bigger-picture environmental issues as well. Before we look at some of those larger issues we want to mention the change at Ontario Ministry of the Environment. As of June 29, 2018, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) has been renamed to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and...
Read MoreManaging Excess Soils in Ontario
How you manage excess soils is increasingly important to the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP). The MECP might be more recognizable under its former name, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC). If it’s important to the MECP, it’s important to the regulated community. Concerns about managing excess soils was mentioned as one of the top environmental management priorities for the regulated community in our recent survey. That’s...
Read MoreSoil Vapour Intrusion: A Complex and Challenging Process
Last year, my colleagues “set out” to compile vapour intrusion (VI) standards in each Canadian Province, as well as in each US State. This effort, we soon found out, was not as easy as we had envisioned. More on these findings later. Understanding Vapour Intrusion Let’s begin by establishing the VI framework. Vapour intrusion is a process by which chemicals from soil and groundwater volatilize and migrate into buildings. These underlying vapours can find their way into...
Read MoreInsurance Companies Targeted by Environmentalists
For 30 years, Dragun has provided litigation support on a variety of environmental issues, so we always keep an eye on what is happening with potential environmental litigation activity. Environmental Groups have long targeted various industries or industry groups for their perceived violations of the public trust, specifically the environment. Historical Environmental Issues Early grass root efforts focused on mismanagement of waste by-products that led to the...
Read MoreEnvironmental Issues Most Important to You
What’s the most important environmental issue to you? This is the question we have asked the last two years while attending the CANECT Environmental Compliance and Due Diligence Training Conference in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Just as last year, the entire survey consisted of one question: “What is the most important environmental issue facing the regulated community in Ontario or Canada wide?” We offered no explanation beyond this. We spoke with people from a wide...
Read MoreCanadian Oil Refineries Focus of Articles
To say that our economy is dependent on “black gold” or fossil fuels is an understatement. The energy from fossil fuels, as well as the myriad of other natural resources, support our highly mobile, communicative, and knowledge-based economy. As we refine our various natural resources for “consumption,” there are environmental management considerations. While our consumer-based society certainly enjoys the end products (gasoline/diesel fuel, mobile phones, computers,...
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