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Building codes, waterless urinals and rooftop solar

February 19, 2010

Ontario has finally adopted the regulation that it promised last May, to prevent building codes and 23 other types of rules from blocking geothermal and rooftop solar projects.

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E-approvals

February 18, 2010

The Ministry of the Environment is starting Approval Reform by putting existing certificates of approval online. According to a recent EBR posting, they will start being available in March. An excellent step, long overdue.

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Olympic overhang- transit class action

February 17, 2010

Governments across the country have already passed laws blocking lawsuits in nuisance against municipalities for sewer and water overflows; it is time to expand those laws to cover the construction of transit.

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More about Oakville

February 16, 2010

Dear Readers,
Since you have shown so much interest in the Oakville air permit bylaw, here is some additional information:

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Can Oakville make power plant get municipal air permit?

February 15, 2010

Can municipalities insist that local industries obtain municipal air permits, in addition to those issued by the province?

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Feds to regulate municipal wastewater

February 12, 2010

Environment Canada has released 74 pages of proposed regulations on municipal sewage treatment. Once in force, these regulations will set standards for effluent and reporting from about 4000 municipal wastewater facilities, and will considerably tighten discharge standards for many of these plants.
Last year, the Canadian Council of Minister of the Environment endorsed a Canada-wide Strategy for the Management [...]

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What’s happening with BPA?

February 11, 2010

In the last two years, there has been lots of public concern about consumer exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) in soft drinks, baby bottles, etc.). Many vendors and retailers withdrew their BPA products; eco leaders now carry metal water bottles instead of plastic.
Environment Canada is now planning to regulate BPA, but not in consumer products. [...]

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MOE bracing for renewable energy approvals

February 9, 2010

The Ministry of Environment is bracing for the 500 to 800 renewable energy approval applications that they expect to receive once the Ontario Power Authority issues its Feed In Tariff contract offers, starting in March. An approvals team has been assembled. Amid extensive internal consultations and 150 pre-submission meetings, the necessary forms are being released; [...]

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Toxics Reduction Act rolling out

February 8, 2010

Ontario’s hard-pressed manufacturers and mineral processing operations of must therefore make an important choice when they define their “processes” for the first annual report.

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Noisy nosy neighbours

February 5, 2010

Mr. and Mrs. Monroe were forbidden to operate their air conditioner if it causes sound beyond 55 dB from 7 AM to 10 PM, and 45 dB overnight, measured anywhere along the property boundary.

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Game theory, climate change and Davos

February 4, 2010

This should have been an easy negotiation, infinitely easier than the climate crisis. Despite that, at least one group refused to to give up its separate existence, even at the price of certain death for all.

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Is your EPA up to date?

February 3, 2010

A reader has asked me to remind everyone: Make sure your copy of Ontario environmental laws is up to date. A number of amendments came into effect on January 1, 2010, especially those relating to enforcement powers and integration with other statutes such as the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Toxics Reduction Act. Others, [...]

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Approvals Reform, at last?

February 3, 2010

After years of complaints about the economic drag created by Ontario’s sclerotic environmental approval process, something may finally be about to change. Environment Minister Gerretsen has announced the formal beginning of consultations on the long-overdue transformation agenda for Approvals Reform, to be phased in over three years.

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Why no minimum fines in the SDWA?

February 2, 2010

Minimum fines would be particularly inappropriate in dealing with municipalities, almost all of whom already provided safe water before the Walkerton disaster.

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Courts, the environment and big fines

February 1, 2010

When I was a young lawyer, fines up for even the most egregious environmental offences tended to be very small. In one famous case, R.v. Cyanamid, proof of enormous pollution was punished with a $1 fine. Judges used to groan when we environmental prosecutors came into their courtrooms, complaining about the “frogs and logs brigade”.
Canadian [...]

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