Guilbeault a l'appui de Mashteuiatsh et Essipit dans ses démarches

Earlier this month and after consultations launched in 2023 and 2024, the federal government published Canada's State of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Report and proposed Risk Management Approach for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, Excluding Fluoropolymers.

Canada's Minister of the Environment issued a notice on July 27, 2024, announcing a new mandatory PFAS reporting rule. In some ways, the notice is similar to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS"), a group of several thousand man-made chemicals that include perfluorooctanoic ("PFOS"), perfluorooctanoic acid...

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.

The Canadian government has removed seven types of energy projects from federal impact assessment requirements, shifting review responsibilities to the Canada Energy Regulator and provincial processes. This regulatory change affects pipelines, electrical transmission lines, oil sands facilities, and power plants, fundamentally altering how major energy infrastructure projects will be evaluated and approved across Canada.

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.

Ontario has launched its first call for expressions of interest in carbon capture and storage licences under the new Geologic Carbon Storage Act, targeting Crown-owned pore space beneath lakebeds surrounding the Ontario Peninsula. The detailed submission requirements reveal expectations that proponents have advanced well beyond initial planning stages, with the process serving as a critical test of Ontario's emerging CCS framework and its attractiveness to industry.

Canada's carbon markets are undergoing significant transformation as federal and provincial governments reshape their climate policies. The federal consumer carbon tax has been eliminated while industrial carbon pricing remains in effect, and provinces like Québec and Alberta have introduced major regulatory reforms to their cap-and-trade and emissions reduction systems.

The amendments streamline multi-agency processes by designating a single responsible authority for each project and enabling one unified federal approval and the creation of a Transportation Project Office.

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.