Energy and Resources

Sage-Grouse petition ignored by federal government

January 18th, 2012 by Laura Bowman

Ecojustice filed a petition in November demanding that federal Environment Minister Peter Kent issue an emergency order to protect a sagebrush prairie bird from extirpation from Canada.  They relied on provisions in the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) (section 80(2)) allowing the Minister to recommend emergency protection of the endangered Sage-Grouse and stop further human disturbance in the habitat the birds need to survive. The petition, sent on behalf of an international coalition of 12 environmental groups, demanded that the Minister respond by Jan. 16.

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Wither Ontario’s Endangered Species?

January 12th, 2012 by Paula Boutis

On January 10, 2011, the Environmental Commissioner’s released his special report “Biodiversity:  A Nation’s Commitment, an Obligation for Ontario.”  The Commissioner’s Press release is aptly titled “Ontario Government Missing in Action to Halt the Loss of Biodiversity.”

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The Politics of enforcing laws protecting Polar Bears in Canada

January 11th, 2012 by Laura Bowman

The U.S. Center for Biological Diversity recently filed a petition at the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, that Canada is not effectively enforcing the Species At Risk Act (SARA) by failing to list and protect the Polar Bear as an endangered or threatened species.  Currently, the Polar Bear is listed as a species of special concern.  SARA sets up a process for listing that is intended to be based on objective science (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada or COSEWIC).  Although COSEWIC’s last evaluation raised alarm bells about the future of Polar Bears, the Minister has not listed them.  There are continued controversies over which population units of the Bears should be protected and how.

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Consultations on Approvals for the New Nuclear Plants at Darlington: what have we learned so far?

September 19th, 2011 by Iler Campbell LLP

Construction of new nuclear plants at Darlington has been a controversial issue for the past five years and only more so after the tragic meltdown at Fukushima, Japan. The handling of the various consultation processes for the Darlington nuclear approvals has been an extremely complex, fascinating and frustrating odyssey thus far. It highlights some of the flaws and limitations in public consultations for environmental approvals processes for massive infrastructure projects involving expenditures of billions of dollars. This article provides a brief summary of some of the main public policy developments and related approvals processes to date and explores some of the lessons we have learned so far.

Read more (pdf).

Community Energy Partnership Program Announced

May 12th, 2010 by Brian Iler

Last Monday, Ontario Energy Minister Brad Duguid announced a new funding program for community renewable energy projects, to be managed by the Community Power Fund. This is huge news for the community-based renewable energy sector, which includes many of our clients.

As a founding board member of the Community Power Fund, and a member of the negotiating team that worked out the details of the CEPP Program with the Ontario Power Authority, I’m particularly pleased.

More details on CEPP, and the application form, are found at http://www.communityenergyprogram.ca/

— Brian