Dianne’s Halifax Presentation On Contaminated Site Litigation

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

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.

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").

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.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced on February 2, 2026, that it fined Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd. $750,000 for two violations of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).

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

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.

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.

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...

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.

Class actions can be a way to hold large companies to account when their products fall short of quality standards or pose risks to consumers. Class actions can also be a route to recovery if a manufacturer fails...

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...

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

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 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.

In the last month of 2023, Ontario's Bill 142, Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act, 2023 received Royal Assent, which repeals the Consumer Protection Act...

In Business Essentials, a limited-run podcast series, Chris Sinal of Siskinds' Labour & Employment Group sits down with some of the firm's business lawyers...

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.