With the COP 21 Paris Climate Change Conference as the backdrop, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama have agreed to focus on the reduction of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, “The federal government will impose regulations to cut methane emissions in the oil and gas industry by as much as 45 per cent as part of a bilateral climate deal announced Thursday during Prime Minister...
Read MoreJoint Environmental Enforcements and Investigations
Anyone involved in health and safety or environmental protection knows how diligent you must be to guard against accidents. These accidents can lead to fines, penalties, and, in some cases, can have tragic consequences. These unfortunate consequences were highlighted in some recent news stories. Joint Enforcement on Tragic Explosion In late January 2016, it was announced that a very substantial joint prosecution (Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the...
Read MoreRecent Environmental Litigation and Fines
As we wind down the year, we wanted to share just a couple of recent news items relating to fines/penalties/litigation associated with environmental releases. $1.3 Million for PHC Contamination Proving who is responsible for contaminated soil/groundwater has been one of the mainstays for Dragun since 1988 (working directly with lawyers). The recent case regarding a site in Toronto was not so much of a who-is-responsible mystery as much as a case of neglect. The site from...
Read MoreEnvironmental Contamination – Are You Personally Liable?
The recent case heard by the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) involving Trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in groundwater was not about contamination at all. As stated in the July 2015 ruling, “The existence of contamination in, on or under the Property and a plume of groundwater contamination in the immediate vicinity of the Property are not at issue in these proceedings…” If the issue of environmental contamination wasn’t about environmental contamination,...
Read MorePlant Closures and Decommissioning: Essential Environmental Considerations
According to the technical definition of a two-quarter economic slump, we are in an official recession in Canada. While I’m not an economist, I would venture to guess that commodity prices, especially crude oil prices dropping so dramatically, have had a disproportionate impact on the Canadian economy. In any regard, as businesses mull over what this may or may not mean to future demands for goods and services, including at least a consideration of consolidation, we...
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