Provincial Carbon Regimes: Mixed Bag To Fight Climate Change

The Government of Canada has amended regulations under the Impact Assessment Act to streamline environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects, particularly interprovincial pipelines. These changes shift regulatory responsibility for certain energy projects to the Canada Energy Regulator while removing other project types from federal review following the Supreme Court's 2024 constitutional ruling.

Dianne spoke last month at the annual Canadian Water and Wastewater Association "Window on Ottawa", on potential risks to municipalities of the new Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations under the Fisheries Act, expected to appear shortly in the Canada Gazette.

Yesterday, the Federal Government announced changes to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to exempt various projects funded under the Building Canada Plan from federal environmental assessment ("EA") requirements.

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

The Registry has been crucial to supporting public participation in environmental decision making in Ontario for nearly two decades.

The Ministry of Transportation ("MTO") is taking a closer look at what motivates the decisions Ontarians make about how they travel from city to city.

Ontario's Environment Industry Association wrote a thoughtful and helpful comment on the City of Toronto's proposed Policy for Accepting Potentially Contaminated Lands to be Conveyed to the City under the Planning Act.

On September 3, 2026, amendments to Canada's Physical Activities Regulations came into force, removing several project categories from federal Impact Assessment Act oversight and consolidating review authority with the Canada Energy Regulator. These changes eliminate overlapping federal review processes for international and interprovincial pipelines, electrical transmission lines, and certain energy facilities, aiming to streamline major project approvals while raising questions about Indigenous

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.

Today, the federal government announced that it has accepted Alberta's new Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction ("TIER")

Canada's federal government is seeking public input on AI transparency measures that could introduce new disclosure obligations, incident reporting requirements, and tracking mechanisms for AI systems. Organizations have until September 23, 2026 to influence the regulatory framework before it takes shape through potential legislation, standards, or mandatory requirements.

As a non-resident engaging in activities in Canada, it is important to understand whether your activities will result in income tax being levied.

Deepfakes are reaching courts. Learn how a U.S. case dismissed for AI-generated evidence and Canadian authentication rules are changing what litigators must do now.

A 2026 Ontario Court of Appeal decision reveals that construction contracts signed years after legislative reforms may still be governed by the old Construction Lien Act if the procurement process began before July 1, 2018. The ruling demonstrates how early project proposals and negotiations can determine which statutory regime applies, regardless of when the final contract was executed or where the project was ultimately built.

Canadian organizations developing, acquiring, deploying or using AI have until September 23, 2026 to contribute to shaping the federal government's approach to AI transparency through a public consultation. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is seeking input on five key areas that could lead to new disclosure obligations, incident reporting requirements, and AI agent tracking mechanisms.

A family trust is a tax and estate planning tool widely used by family businesses in Canada. Among other things, it can be used to establish an estate freeze, facilitate the gradual transfer of wealth to the next generation, maintain a degree of control over family assets and, in some cases, provide better assets protection. Historically, family trusts have also been used in a variety of income-splitting strategies.

Canada's IPO market has undergone fundamental restructuring rather than simple recovery, with companies staying private longer and institutional investors increasingly favoring rigorous long-form offerings over alternative listing structures. The mining sector remains a critical counterweight, representing over $1.1 trillion in market capitalization and demonstrating sustained capital-raising strength even as traditional IPO activity contracted sharply between 2022 and 2024.

A publicly listed REIT successfully restructured approximately $1 billion in defaulted debt through a CBCA plan of arrangement without filing for CCAA protection, demonstrating how corporate law mechanisms can serve as practical alternatives to formal insolvency proceedings. The Ontario Superior Court's decision in Re Ravelin Properties REIT also clarified that confidential restructuring negotiations do not necessarily trigger material change disclosure obligations for public companies.

Businesses dealing with consumers in British Columbia have just over one month to comply with significant new consumer protection requirements in the province. On August 1, 2026, amendments (PDF) to BC’s Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (“BPCPA”) come into force, introducing mandatory terms for most types of consumer contracts, new rules for subscription agreements, and stronger protections against high-pressure sales tactics, among other things.

Quebec's new Bill 24 prohibits businesses from using a person's identity or image in consumer advertising without consent, creating significant compliance obligations for companies using AI-generated content, synthetic voices, and digitally altered spokespersons. The legislation introduces broad enforcement powers and extends liability beyond content creators to platforms that distribute or facilitate unauthorized representations.