Environmental Law
Bill 197 and the Construction Industry
The Provincial government release and passed Bill 197 on July 21, 2020. This omnibus Bill makes changes to 20 statues, including the Development Charges Act, the Planning Act, the Building Code Act, the Drainage Act, and the Environmental Assessment Act....
Ontario’s High Water – Part 1
High water in Ontario is becoming the norm. Two of the last four years have brought devastating floods to different regions of Ontario. Our system of lakes and rivers is overloaded and the largest indications of that are the water...
Regulatory changes for Ontario’s construction and environmental sectors
Ontario generates roughly 25 million cubic meters of excess construction soil, adding upwards of 14% to construction costs. For years, we have been expecting excess soil regulations from the province. Late last year, those regulations were finally filed. On July 1, 2020,...
How to Deal with Carbon Pricing
The federal carbon pricing regime will soon apply in more provinces across the country than it does not. Surely not a scenario envisioned or desired by the federal government but nonetheless the regime is alive in Ontario and will start...
After the Flood: What to do When Dealing with Flood Damages
As Ottawa grapples with the long-term impacts of climate change and extreme weather events, property owners living on or near a floodplain will need advice on what to do and where to turn to for support. This blog does not...
Rising Environmental Compliance Costs – Roxie Graystone interviewed for Ottawa Construction News
"Are general contractors, skilled trades and suppliers in Ottawa aware of the legal risks and challenges of currently evolving environmental issues and legislation?" Construction and environmental lawyer Roxie Graystone spoke with Ottawa Construction News this month regarding climate-related regulatory compliance...
Does the "polluter pays" principle hold up? – Roxie Graystone speaks to Law Times
The "polluter pays" principle states that the party who caused the contamination should be held responsible to pay for the costs of that contamination. It is one of the foundational principles of environmental law in Canada. However, there are other...
New Provincial Waste Plan Targets High-rises
Composting is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of organic waste. While encouraged throughout Ontario, only a quarter of homeowners living in high-rise units compost their organic waste.Ontario has proposed changes to increase composting throughout the province. An initiative was...
Flooding from neighbouring properties
Neighbouring properties are often the cause of residential and rural flooding. Flooding can arise through insufficient culverts, improper diversions of water, or interference with drainage or absorption of water from/by their land. Often there is a distinction between surface waters...
Liability for seasonal and exceptional flooding
The 100-year storm. The 50-year flood. We've been hearing these terms a lot over the last few years. Common understanding is that they are events that happen once every 100 years. Or once every 50 years. In reality, they are...
