Articles 2022

This timely article provides an overview of municipal powers to address sustainability in land development, which have been the subject of significant scrutiny in light of changes pursuant to Bill 23.

This article provides an overview of the impact Bill 23 and the changing role of Conservation Authorities in Ontario.

This article provides an update on the status of single-use plastic regulations and other regulatory measures – including recycling – taken to reduce the impact of plastics in the environment across Canada, and provides an overview of upcoming federal regulations on recycled content and labelling rules for products.

The sixth in McMillan LLP’s “Plan for the Ban” series, this bulletin summarizes two consultation papers published by the federal government: one on the creation of labelling rules to enhance the accuracy of recyclability and compostability information on plastic packaging and single-use plastics, and the other on the establishment of a federal plastics registry requiring plastic producers to report annually on their plastic contribution to the Canadian economy.

In this article, Matthew Gardner, Anand Srivastava, and Madiha Vallani provide an overview of the key provisions of Ontario's Excess Soil Laws. The article also includes a summary of the three phases of the roll out of the excess soil regime and important considerations for project leaders.

This article focuses on the Ontario Court of Appeal decision in Ontario (Natural Resources and Forestry) v. South Bruce Peninsula (Town), 2022 ONCA 315, which provides the first judicial interpretation of “damage” to habitat under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”).

This article reviews the decision of the Ontario Superior Court in the case of Kin v Ecclesiastical. The application was brought as a result of the claim brought by the purchaser of the property for damages due to the discovery of underground storage tanks. The applicants were the defendants in the claim and the issue dealt with by the court, and reviewed in this article, relates to the determination of insurance coverage and application of the pollution exclusion clauses.

This article provides an explanation and overview of the new administrative penalty regime (“AMP”) proposed for the enforcement of Ontario's environmental laws. The article reviews the process for the issuance of an AMP under the proposed regulations and the approach applied for the calculation of penalty amounts. Note that the associated draft regulations implementing the administrative penalty regime have not yet been posted on the ERO for review and comment.

This article provides an updated summary of the current state of legislation across Canada relating to single use plastic and explores the changes and trends businesses can expect over the next few years. The article concludes that the existing, pending and future regulations are likely to continue to expand over time resulting in an increased need for innovation and production in the area of reusable, recyclable and biodegradable alternatives for businesses and consumers.