Canadian law firm Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP has issued Blakes Guide to Environmental Law in Canada, an introductory summary of the principal laws and regulations of Canadian environmental law. The guide also provides an overview of environmental law in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia. Chapters include Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) Canadian
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On October 24, 2011, Environment Canada (EC) released the first independent review of a decision to declare a chemical substance toxic and add it to the List of Toxic Substances maintained pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Once added to that list, the government is required to develop risk management tools for the
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From Environment Canada. Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent announced in August that the Canadian government is moving forward with regulations for the coal-fired electricity sector. “Our strategy to lower our emissions is based on making improvements sector by sector to sustain our economy and protect our environment,” said Minister Kent. “We are taking action in the
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The surprising thing about Canada’s May 2, 2011 federal election is not so much that the Canadian electorate returned a majority at last for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government but that it deserted the Liberal Party in droves to catapult the National Democratic Party (NDP) into second position, making the NDP Canada’s official opposition party for the first time in its history. Politically polarized to the right and to the left, the Conservatives and the NDP are also at odds in their approach to the environment [...]

The Ontario Power Authority is developing two new Clean Energy Standard Offer Programs, one for natural gas-fired combined heat and power (CHPSOP), the other for energy recovery (ERSOP) from by-products fuel and under utilized energy resources. These programs potentially offer exciting opportunities for Ontario’s industries. Consultation will be carried out over the next couple of months.
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The Ontario Power Authority is introducing a new Feed-In Tariff for commercial aggregators, called the CFIT (commercial feed-in-tariff) Program. The program is intended for micro-fit generation projects where the proponent has multiple projects, is not eligible for the microFIT program or needs to give its lender step in rights. The proposed price is 71.3 cents/kWh)
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Since 2004, members of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) have been required to implement MAC’s Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative. This initiative requires member companies to implement programs to meet requirements under the following performance indicators: Tailings Management Energy Use and GHG Emissions Management Crisis Management Planning External Outreach Many mining companies are applying
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It has taken nearly three years to firm up the details, but the Ontario Ministry of the Environment has finally released its revised Registration Guidance Manual for Generators of Liquid Industrial and Hazardous Waste and its new Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) Handbook. Last updated in 2001, the Registration Manual incorporates significant new information related to
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On July 27th, the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) released a comprehensive blueprint for reducing regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The centerpiece will be a series of integrated, market-based cap-and-trade systems scheduled to begin operation on January 1, 2012. This will eventually address up to 90 percent of
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  The Ontario, Canada Ministry of the Environment (MOE) says it will be easier to apply for and obtain environmental approvals using its proposed risk-based approvals model. To be introduced over the next two years, the model will focus approvals resources on activities that pose the greatest risk to the environment and on businesses with poor
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