In the eighth issue of the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) Progress report, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), along with Health Canada, provided their half-year update on the assessment of chemical substances. The 11-page document provides a more-detailed look at the evaluation process, including microbeads, which we have discussed in the past. Below are a couple of notable new updates to the CMP. Asbestos What’s the latest regarding asbestos prohibition? “The...
Read MoreThe Duty to Consult
In Duty to consult with Aboriginal peoples of Ontario, the Provincial Government of Ontario states that, “Ontario, as the Crown, has a legal obligation to consult with Aboriginal peoples where it contemplates decisions or actions that may adversely impact asserted or established Aboriginal or treaty rights. Ontario is committed to meeting its duty to consult with First Nations and Métis communities.” This consultation, according to a July 14, 2017, Ontario Divisional Court...
Read MoreLocal Control of Environmental Remediation
The more proximate you are to a problem, the more you are vested in finding a solution, quickly. While this may seem obvious, this hasn’t, in general, been applied to environmental remediation of impacted sites. For example, environmental issues at abandoned industrial sites or old historical federal sites are typically addressed by the federal or provincial governments. While they are likely well intentioned in their efforts, the outcome, or rate of the outcome, does not...
Read MoreEnvironmental Infractions are Getting More Costly
When I talk with my colleagues in our US office, they often comment that the fines for environmental violations seem far less severe in Canada than in the US. In fact, earlier this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency substantially increased the potential cost for non-compliance. However, as I shared with my colleagues, some recent cases in Canada may signal a change in environmental fines, as well as plaintiff awards. Larger Penalties The federal Fisheries Act was...
Read MoreCambridge TCE Site – One of the Largest
The Cambridge trichloroethylene (TCE) site is one of the largest TCE sites in Ontario. This, according to Amy Shaw, district manager with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC). The site is the former Northstar Aerospace facility site in Cambridge, Ontario, where it has been 12 years since the Bishop Street TCE plume was discovered. Earlier this spring, the Cambridge TCE issue was in the news again. The CBC reported that the MOECC did not have a timeline...
Read MoreNPRI: June 1st Reporting Deadline
Environmental compliance can seem like a race without a finishing line; you are never quite there. And as you, no doubt, are aware, it’s time again to make sure you have your National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) completed so you can meet your June 1st reporting deadline. While there have been some changes, the starting point is still to ask yourself if you have NPRI reporting obligations. For that, we turn to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC): “If one or...
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