The Environmental Emergency Regulations in Canada date back several years. These regulations, as you likely know, are undergoing some changes. To date, there have been no shortage of comments from the regulated community regarding the potential amendments to the regulations (see summary of comments as of October 6, 2016). Do these regulations apply to your company, and should you be concerned about these proposed amendments? At a minimum, you should be aware of the...
Read MoreEnvironmental Enforcement Roundup
Several times each year, we provide some of our observations on environmental enforcement. The enforcement actions are owed to a variety of reasons from accidents, to oversight, to regulatory confusion, to what might be described as “self-inflicted.” With this said, here are some of our observations. Environmental Enforcement at a Refinery An oil refinery in Sarnia, Ontario, was fined $812,000 for an incident that resulted in a release of hydrogen sulfide. According to...
Read MoreRegulatory Deadline for End-of-Life Vehicle Facilities
When an automobile reaches the end of its useful life, it faces the same relative fate all of the materials that we use face; they are disposed and, where applicable, recycled. Unlike simple household trash, disposal of vehicles poses a bit more of a challenge. The countless parts and components that are in our automobiles can pose an environmental threat if not properly managed. The various fluids, switches (that may contain mercury), paints and coatings (that may...
Read MoreMOECC Seeking Feedback on Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) wants your comments. Specifically, they want your comments (by November 8, 2016) regarding the Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR). Ontario’s EBR (1993) protects the environment by, “…ensuring that the public is informed, engaged, and consulted on matters of environmental significance.” The MOECC is reviewing components of the EBR and is seeking public feedback. Comments on the Environmental Bill of Rights Some...
Read MoreVapour Intrusion Update
Understanding the vapour intrusion (VI) pathway and exposure is still a relatively “young issue” in the environmental sciences. Not only is it new-ish, it is also loaded with potential pitfalls, liability, and controversy. One of the reasons that VI receives so much attention is because, unlike dermal exposure, for example, chemicals typically enter the bloodstream more easily through inhalation. Furthermore, the chemicals that are associated with VI (TCE, benzene) are...
Read MoreEnvironmental Violations and Fines in Ontario
While we haven’t gathered long-term data or plotted any trends as it relates to environmental enforcement in the Province of Ontario, there seems to be an uptick in enforcement news. The fines are not like we saw earlier this year following an explosion or at the seven-figure level that my colleagues in our US office have seen (see our July 13th blog for our US office); however, any environmental enforcement is “bad news” and can create some public relation challenges....
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