¶ Published Friday, April 16th In Environment - No Comments »
Speaking of lax enforcement, Hugo Tremblay (check out his Water Law Blog), comments on Alberta’s “endemic problem in water law and management.” Again, there is very little enforcement when it comes to monitoring water licence holders, which explain repeated abuses in illegal water withdrawals. Hugo attributes this mostly to lack of funding and political will.
¶ Published Friday, April 16th In Environment - No Comments »
The Gazette explains why Quebec has fallen so far behind Ontario when it comes to handing out fines to major polluters. Quebec was one of the first provinces to adopt the polluter pays principle, but essentially has failed to enforce it. All that will be coming to an end if the government follows through on its intention to legislate significant fine increases. Individuals caught emitting prohibited contaminants risk fines up to one million dollars — that’s 40 times where they are now. For company directors and officers, maximum fines will be raised to two million dollars, up from $25,000. JustRead the Rest…
¶ Published Monday, December 14th In Environment - No Comments »
Another sign that governments in Canada are beginning to tighten enforcement against environmental violations: The Manitoba government proclaimed this month several amendments to the province’s Environment Act. The changes bolster the inspection powers of environment officers and contain new reporting requirements for the release of pollutants. Environment officers are now able to inspect wastewater systems in sensitive areas (namely the north Red River corridor) and may intervene preemptively to avoid adverse environmental effects. Pollutants causing adverse effects to the environment must now be reported. Further, all proposed projects must now be evaluated with respect to potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsRead the Rest…
¶ Published Friday, August 28th In Environment - No Comments »
The days of a “slap on the wrist” are a thing of the past with seven figure penalties being assessed even against companies that inadvertently contribute to water pollution. – By Isaac Rudik at Compliance Solutions Canada – A Nimonik affiliate Along with acting against other pollution issues, the federal and provincial governments are cracking down on water contamination caused by industrial, agricultural and municipal sources. Not only is Ottawa pouring more money into dealing with water pollution, it’s nearly doubling the number of inspectors and enforcement officers to more than 320. Unlike water itself, it is increasingly difficult forRead the Rest…
¶ Published Wednesday, August 5th In Environment - No Comments »
Environment Canada has already trained 43 new enforcement officers who have completed Basic Enforcement Training and will soon be deployed across the country – likely in the Fall. It’s related to the Federal government’s push this year to increase fines and expand enforcement tools aimed at ensuring a greater respect of environmental laws and regulations. The government this year amended nine environmental laws to achieve this. The enforcement officers are being given new powers to investigate cases. At the same time, the courts have new sentencing guidelines that ensure penalties reflect the gravity of offences. The new rules also aimRead the Rest…
¶ Published Friday, March 6th In Environment - No Comments »
One thing about the Conservative government in Ottawa: they’re comfortable with the notion of law enforcement. You might have heard that under a new federal Environmental Enforcement Act introduced this week, corporate polluters would risk multi-million dollar fines — as high as $6 million. Even smaller companies would be exposed, albeit to lesser fines ($25,000 to $4 million). If passed the new law would also subject them to a public shaming by creating a registry for Canadians who want to check their environmental records. Its adoption would amend nine existing laws, principally the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), to harmonizeRead the Rest…
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