Teck Coal, a Canadian mining company, is facing $60 million in fines after pleading guilty to two charges of contaminating rivers in southeast British Columbia. This is the highest penalty ever assessed under the Fisheries Act and breaks down to $80,000 per offence per day. The majority of this fine, $58 million, will go towards ...
The suspension of limitation periods has almost been in effect for one year (which oddly feels like it was just yesterday, but also feels like ages ago, blame the “pandemic time warp”). On March 26, 2020, the government initiated a suspension of limitation periods. Previously, the suspension was tied to the provincial state of emergencies; ...
Back in January 2020, we posted about the proposed changes to BC’s site profile system to address the perceived gaps and weaknesses in the current site identification process. Well the time has come – those changes are about to become reality. The amendments to the Environmental Management Act (“EMR”) and the Contaminated Sites Regulation (“CSR”) ...
We recently posted about Bill C-12, the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. On December 11, 2020, the federal government announced a plan that help build a foundation to achieving this goal. The $15-billion plan entitled “A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy” aims to meet Canada’s climate change commitments and includes consistent increases to its ...
Joining hundreds of countries around the world, Canada has declared its intention to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. In an effort to make this a reality, Bill C-12, the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, was recently introduced into Parliament by Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Minister. Before we dive into the new law, let’s start ...
The Department of National Defence was recently fined $175,000 under the federal Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 for failing to comply with the Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations. This regulation came into force in 2008 to help reduce the risk of soil and groundwater contamination due to spills and ...
The City of Vancouver has recently released an amendment to its 2018 Groundwater Management Bulletin, which provides rezoning and development permit applicants with information on the process and submission requirements related to groundwater management at development sites throughout Vancouver. Of particular note, the submission of a hydrogeological study is required for: rezoning and subsequent development ...
In this installment of Lessons from the Trenches, I will share an experience where the tower was built, people and businesses were ready to move in, but the client, a developer, faced a last minute hold up: No Occupancy Permit. I know, this would never happen, right? How could a tower in a big city ...
Harper Grey’s environmental group argued this case on behalf of the City of Burnaby. A recent Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) decision highlights that property owners, whose land has been contaminated by migration from a neighbour, have recourse through an appeal to the EAB where they believe a neighbour’s cleanup was inadequate [Burnaby (City) v. Director ...
