What is THE MOST IMPORTANT environmental issue? In the environmental “world” including the regulated community, the regulators, and those who provide advice and services, the answer to this question will vary greatly. It will depend on your responsibilities and the individual pressures you face on a daily basis. Results of Informal Environmental Survey That was our conclusion from the unscientific survey we conducted while at the CANECT conference in Mississauga, Ontario....
Read MoreEnvironmental Regulations: Dry Cleaners and Their Suppliers
In the past few years, we’ve shared observations regarding several cases of enforcement at dry cleaners. The basis for enforcement is the Tetrachloroethylene Regulations, or PERC Regulations (SOR/2003-79). This is a federal (rather than provincial) regulation. It is administered under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. While there is little disputing the potential health and environmental impacts that can result from mishandling PERC or other chlorinated solvents,...
Read MoreCanada-Ontario Draft Action Plan for Phosphorus Control
Walkerton, Ontario – E. coli; Flint, Michigan – lead; and Toledo, Ohio – cyanobacteria. The common denominator is that all were public health issues involving drinking water. With these, in some cases, tragic incidents as background, there is increased focus on public water supply and infrastructure. And because there is a direct correlation between nutrient loading in lakes and algal blooms/cyanobacteria, there is a focus on the impact of nutrients on Lake Erie (and...
Read MoreEnvironmental Protection, Violations, and Enforcement
Environmental protection has a price tag, as do environmental violations. This is not exactly news to anyone involved in environmental protection/management. Staying on the protection side and avoiding the violation side requires constant diligence. Providing tips and reminders regarding compliance/assessment/remediation is one of the goals of our blogs and our monthly environmental compliance tips. On occasion, we also share with you some of our observations on the...
Read MoreGroundwater Awareness Week – Some Challenges and Advice
Across Canada and the United States, March 5-11 is recognized as National Groundwater Awareness Week (see NGWA). Groundwater protection is one of the most important aspects to any environmental protection program. Once impacted, remediation of groundwater can be a significant challenge and expense. Once depleted, groundwater supply aquifers are forever damaged. For Ontarians, you need only mention “Walkerton” to recall the profound and long-lasting negative impact of...
Read MoreEnvironmental Liability in Ontario and “Big Environmental Litigation in 2017”
Environmental liability and environmental litigation were in the news again recently. Below we share our observations regarding a couple of these developments. Environmental Liability in Ontario The first observation relates to the question of Ontario’s policy related to addressing liability for impacted soil and groundwater. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Dianne Saxe, discussed the issue of “environmental policy” in the province about a year ago. As Ms. Saxe...
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