GreenPAC: Environmental Leadership In Canadian Politics

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment recently published an updated Guidance Manual for Environmental Site Characterization in four volumes.

Pipelines, mines, ports, railways, reactors and power dams make federal environmental assessments prominent in current public affairs.

On June 17, 2026, the Alberta Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed an appeal by Fort McMurray 468 First Nation (FM468FN) challenging an Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) decision that the First Nation lacked...

The Ministry of the Environment has published an organization chart on its website.

In 2011, oil tankers spilt less oil than ever before since records began, according to the excellent International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation.

Canadian governments and producer-responsibility organizations are refining extended producer responsibility programs across the country, affecting packaging, batteries, electronics, and hazardous products. Recent regulatory changes include expanded collection obligations, adjusted compliance timelines, and new enforcement measures, with significant developments in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic provinces.

The federal government has introduced ambitious proposals to streamline infrastructure project approvals, building on last year's Building Canada Act. These reforms aim to reduce federal decision timelines to one year and consolidate Indigenous consultations through a new Crown Consultation Hub. The proposals include creating Federal Economic Zones that would exempt certain projects from individual impact assessments and granting Cabinet new authorities to expedite major infrastructure development.

On March 19, 2019, Finance Minister Bill Morneau tabled in the House of Commons the Liberal Government's fourth budget, Investing in the Middle Class ("Budget 2019").

On March 7, 2023, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions ("OSFI") issued its first prudential climate-related framework - Guideline B-15: Climate Risk Management (the "Guideline").

A sole proprietor of a drinking water well company was fined $12,000 plus the twenty-five per cent victim fine surcharge by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

Canada's federal government has announced a $3.5 billion rapid response support package in anticipation of retaliatory tariffs against the United States, introducing new temporary employment insurance measures and workforce retention programs. The package extends EI benefits, waives waiting periods, and creates funding opportunities for employers to retain and retrain workers rather than implement large-scale layoffs.

Nearly every recreational activity offered today requires the participant to sign a waiver of liability.

The Ministry of the Environment has published an organization chart on its website.

In 2011, oil tankers spilt less oil than ever before since records began, according to the excellent International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation.

A sole proprietor of a drinking water well company was fined $12,000 plus the twenty-five per cent victim fine surcharge by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

The Ontario Court of Appeal has granted leave to appeal the Ministry of the Environment Order requiring an innocent victim of a spill, the City of Kawartha Lakes, to clean up oil from a domestic fuel spill.

A serious traumatic brain injury can affect far more than a person’s physical health. Many people experience ongoing problems with memory, attention, fatigue, emotional regulation, relationships, and work. In the most severe cases, these impairments may qualify as a catastrophic impairment under Ontario’s Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (“SABS”).

Ontario is implementing major changes to auto insurance accident benefits starting July 1, 2026, shifting most coverage from mandatory to optional. Income replacement, caregiver benefits...

A Niagara Escarpment Hearing Officer recently had to decide how many unsuccessful efforts to contact an appellant were enough. Dr. Deborah Truscott appealed a proposed municipal park development.

Here is Dianne’s presentation to the Canadian Bar Association Mid-winter meeting in Halifax, on Contaminated Site Litigation after Inco.