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Environmental Compliance Tips and Insights
If you have a question about an environmental compliance issue or would like us to address a specific environmental compliance concern in the future, please contact Christopher Paré, P.Geo., Q.P., at 519-948-7300, ext. 114. Are you managing excess soil? See our summary: Excess Soil Regulation by Province Environmental Compliance Tips and Insights 2026 November: RPRA 2027 Program Fees When will RPRA (Ontario) post the 2027 program fees? The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) published the 2027 fees on October 8, 2026. The...
read moreNew Federal Chemical Reporting Requirement
In our October Environmental Compliance Tip, we noted new chemical reporting requirements under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Below are more details on these requirements. New reporting requirements under the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP), pursuant to CEPA, will require reporting on over 200 chemicals in two phases, beginning in March 2027. There are 184 chemicals listed in Phase 1 and 16 chemicals listed in Phase 2. The reporting applies to those who have manufactured or imported specified volumes of listed...
read moreQuebec Increases Fines Tenfold and Some Enforcement News
We provide information on changes in the Quebec Environmental Quality Act that could be important for some industries operating in Quebec. We also provide a look at recent environmental enforcement activity, including enforcement at a goat farm in Ontario. Quebec Increases Environmental Fines for Industrial Sector Specific industrial sectors in Quebec face significantly higher fines for violations under the Environmental Quality Act. In a blog post by Fasken, they write, “Starting August 13, 2026, certain companies engaged in industrial...
read moreWhat Are the Proposed Changes to Ontario’s Air Emissions EASR?
On August 6, 2026, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) announced changes affecting some companies that hold an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA). Specifically, those companies that hold an ECA facing the deadline to transition to an Air Emissions Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR). EASR Background The EASR is an online self-registration registry established by the Ontario Environmental Protection Act (EPA) and implemented by the MECP in 2011. The EPA requires a person who is engaging in...
read moreDeveloping Canadian Natural Resources
In our October 31, 2025, blog post, we discussed the $61.8 million investment in the Ring of Fire region. On June 25, 2026, Premier Doug Ford and Webequie First Nation Chief Lorraine Whitehead et al. announced the “start of construction on the Webequie Supply Road, a historic milestone in the government’s plan to protect Ontario by building the roads to the Ring of Fire, five years ahead of schedule.” The announcement by Premier Ford continues the momentum across Canada to develop natural resources and to cut the red tape that has often...
read moreExtended Producer Responsibility – Requirements and Recent Enforcement
With much of the focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), management of Excess Soils, and day-to-day traditional environmental compliance issues, it’s easy for the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations to fly under the radar. A recent enforcement action against three battery companies for failing to meet their 2023 minimum management requirements for single-use batteries might put the EPR requirements back on the radar. The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) has resolved the Administrative Penalty...
read moreEnvironmental Liability in Canada: Company Directors and Officers
In our April 7, 2026, blog, we included a report about a company and its directors that were fined $1 million for environmental violations. We have covered this trend of holding officers and directors personally responsible for environmental violations in previous blogs as well. Just over a dozen years ago, corporate officers at Northstar were held liable for the TCE (Trichloroethylene) plume in Cambridge, Ontario. In a 2013 blog, the law firm Suskinds wrote, “Ten corporate officers and directors have paid $4.75 million to be released...
read moreAn Overview of Ontario’s Excess Soil Landfill Restrictions
In October 2024, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) announced they were delaying the final phase of the Excess Soil Regulation, the prohibition on landfilling certain soils, until January 1, 2027. That deadline is now just months away. The final phase of the Excess Soil Regulations, O. Reg. 406/19, will restrict most “clean” soils from being disposed of in landfills. For some companies, this may mean some additional planning will be necessary in anticipation of this deadline. Below is a summary of the...
read moreThe Watch List
There has been a lot of attention focused on Canada’s Risk Management approach to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as the rise of PFAS Class Action Lawsuits. While PFAS will continue to be the environmental issue du jour for the foreseeable future, what will be the next significant environmental issue? While we don’t know what the next emerging contaminant might be, it could come from the new “Watch List.” The Watch List As you may recall, Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act,...
read moreNatural Resources: Development and Environmental Compliance
There has been a significant push to develop Canada’s abundant natural resources in recent years. As we covered in our October 31, 2025, blog, one of the Key Measures of Ontario’s Bill 5 is to “Accelerate mining development in every part of the province.” In our January 13, 2026, blog, we covered the News Release from the Ontario Government regarding the One Project, One Process, One Decision model. The agreement between the provincial and federal governments is intended to “build infrastructure faster and unlock resource development...
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