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ARTICLE · 24 JANUARY 2013

What Counts As Pollution?

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Two recent cases have reached opposite conclusions about what counts as a "contaminant" under Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act.

CanadaEnvironment
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Two recent cases have reached opposite conclusions about what counts as a "contaminant" under Ontario's Environmental Protection Act (EPA). Neither case seems to make much environmental sense. Why is flyrock a "contaminant", when reflected light that lures millions of birds to their deaths is not? Why does the EPA, and the Ministry of the Environment, protect buildings but not wildlife?

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