A PDF version of this newsletter is found on the Canadian Environmental Law Archive website; click here to open it in a new tab.
World Water Day
World Water Day, held on March 22 every year since 1993, is an annual United Nations Observance focusing on the importance of freshwater. As we look ahead to World Water Day, we are taking two key actions, and encourage you to do the same.
1 – Learn more about this year’s World Water Day theme “Water for Peace“.
The UN website has excellent resources that discuss how water can create peace or spark conflict. “Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle.” At CELA, we’re committed to ensuring that underserved and underrepresented communities have equitable access to clean, safe drinking water.
2 – Learn about water in your home and community, and how you can engage in its protection.
For instance, CELA has recently launched an updated law reform page in our “Get the Lead Out of Drinking Water” campaign. It talks about how to get your water tested, what to do if you have lead in your water, and how you can take action to protect everyone’s drinking water – by asking your municipality to map and replace lead service lines, and by asking the province to strengthen Ontario’s standard for lead in drinking water.
Case Updates
Proposed Brownfield Development in Kingston
On behalf of our client group, CELA lawyers spent February participating in a multi-week hearing at the Ontario Land Tribunal in relation to the proposed development of a heavily contaminated property in Kingston’s inner harbour.
If approved, the development will remove part of a provincially significant wetland and eliminate significant woodlands that exist on-site. Among other things, our client’s expert witnesses will be addressing the development’s potential impacts to groundwater, surface water, natural heritage, ecological receptors, and public health and safety. The hearing is expected to be completed in early March.
Law Reform Updates
CELA Sees Hope for Major Improvements to Air Quality for Communities Near Oil and Gas Plants
CELA reacted this week to the recent posting by the federal government of significant new regulations that could improve air quality around petroleum refineries and other petroleum facilities. One of the ongoing major issues around such facilities is the continuing release of carcinogens such as benzene and other Volatile Organic Chemicals, impacting the surrounding environment and the health of nearby residents.
CELA has long been examining and calling for a reduction of toxic emissions of carcinogens and other pollutants around petroleum refineries and has been calling for improvements in their regulatory oversight. CELA is very hopeful that this proposed federal regulation is adopted expeditiously, and rigorously enforced.
CELA will be analyzing the proposal and providing comments, and may call for faster implementation and longer-term monitoring and reporting, in our forthcoming written suggestions. Comments are due by April 24th. Read CELA’s full media release here.
Inside CELA
Scrapbook
We are excited to announce the pre-sale of CELA’s first ever scrapbook! Showcasing the first two decades of CELA’s history, this 62-page hard cover scrapbook features newspaper clippings from the 70’s and 80’s.
Amidst the pages of the scrapbook lies a testament to CELA’s foundation as a voice for environmental justice more than five decades ago, and our unwavering commitment to safeguarding communities and our planet to protect each and every single one of us. The articles highlight legal victories and losses, and also demonstrate the perseverance and dedication to environmental issues that echo in the present day.
We invite you to pre-order a copy of the CELA scrapbook before Friday, March 15th. Click here to order on CELA’s online store, or call the office to order by phone (1-416-960-2284 or 1-844-755-1420).
2023 Annual Report
In CELA’s latest annual report, you’ll read stories that profile CELA’s work on extreme heat, air pollution, legacy contamination, and public participation in environmental decision-making. These stories represent just a few of the many ways CELA’s is dedicated to ensuring communities are healthy and thriving.
CELA’s work continues to expand and evolve as the intersections of multiple disproportionate burdens impact clients and communities we serve. We invite you to stay with us on the journey as we strive with our clients, colleagues and collaborators to work toward a world that is safe, healthy and equitable for all.
Hard copies are available upon request, and a French version will be available soon.
From the Foundation
February's Feature
This month’s feature from the Canadian Environmental Law Archive is a submission made to the Inquiry on Federal Water Policy in 1984. The submission focused on the problem of atmospheric deposition as a source of water quality contamination, and suggested considerations for the management of toxic contaminants.
Webinars & Resources
EAP Offers Free Heat Pumps for Eligible Ontario Residents
The Energy Affordability Program (EAP) recently released a new addition to the benefits for income eligible residents of Ontario who heat with electricity.
Cold climate air source heat pumps are now available free of cost to those who are income eligible. The EAP offers equipment-based measures to those seeking long term home energy solutions and heat pumps are the newest addition to these measures. From consultation to installation these heat pumps are completely cost free. Learn more in this new blog post.
Report: CELA Assessment and Recommendations on Ontario’s Proposed Workplace Heat Stress Regulation
CELA has evaluated Ontario’s proposed heat stress regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and made recommendations so the proposal can better protect agricultural workers. Key improvements to the proposed regulation include making engineering and administrative controls mandatory in outdoor workplaces, improving enforcement mechanisms to account for the well-understood vulnerabilities of migrant farm workers, and ensuring that adequate washroom facilities, water, sunscreen and hats are provided at no cost to workers. Download the full report here.
Looking for a Publication?
CELA’s charitable arm, the Canadian Environmental Law Foundation, maintains digital and physical collections that document the history of environmental protection across the country.
The Foundation recently launched a new website for the Canadian Environmental Law Archives, allowing you to browse and search all of CELA’s publications and historical records, as well as those of government agencies, watchdog authorities, nonprofit organizations, lawyers, and many of the country’s most influential environmental advocates.
CELA also knows how fragile gains are and how easily they can be lost. One of the driving forces behind the creation of the Foundation and the Archive was a desire to protect and document the history of environmental law and environmental decision-making.
February 2024 Newsletter – Intervenor, Volume 48, Number 2
A PDF version of this newsletter is found on the Canadian Environmental Law Archive website; click here to open it in a new tab.
World Water Day
World Water Day, held on March 22 every year since 1993, is an annual United Nations Observance focusing on the importance of freshwater. As we look ahead to World Water Day, we are taking two key actions, and encourage you to do the same.
1 – Learn more about this year’s World Water Day theme “Water for Peace“.
The UN website has excellent resources that discuss how water can create peace or spark conflict. “Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle.” At CELA, we’re committed to ensuring that underserved and underrepresented communities have equitable access to clean, safe drinking water.
2 – Learn about water in your home and community, and how you can engage in its protection.
For instance, CELA has recently launched an updated law reform page in our “Get the Lead Out of Drinking Water” campaign. It talks about how to get your water tested, what to do if you have lead in your water, and how you can take action to protect everyone’s drinking water – by asking your municipality to map and replace lead service lines, and by asking the province to strengthen Ontario’s standard for lead in drinking water.
Case Updates
Proposed Brownfield Development in Kingston
On behalf of our client group, CELA lawyers spent February participating in a multi-week hearing at the Ontario Land Tribunal in relation to the proposed development of a heavily contaminated property in Kingston’s inner harbour.
If approved, the development will remove part of a provincially significant wetland and eliminate significant woodlands that exist on-site. Among other things, our client’s expert witnesses will be addressing the development’s potential impacts to groundwater, surface water, natural heritage, ecological receptors, and public health and safety. The hearing is expected to be completed in early March.
Law Reform Updates
CELA Sees Hope for Major Improvements to Air Quality for Communities Near Oil and Gas Plants
CELA reacted this week to the recent posting by the federal government of significant new regulations that could improve air quality around petroleum refineries and other petroleum facilities. One of the ongoing major issues around such facilities is the continuing release of carcinogens such as benzene and other Volatile Organic Chemicals, impacting the surrounding environment and the health of nearby residents.
CELA has long been examining and calling for a reduction of toxic emissions of carcinogens and other pollutants around petroleum refineries and has been calling for improvements in their regulatory oversight. CELA is very hopeful that this proposed federal regulation is adopted expeditiously, and rigorously enforced.
CELA will be analyzing the proposal and providing comments, and may call for faster implementation and longer-term monitoring and reporting, in our forthcoming written suggestions. Comments are due by April 24th. Read CELA’s full media release here.
Inside CELA
Scrapbook
We are excited to announce the pre-sale of CELA’s first ever scrapbook! Showcasing the first two decades of CELA’s history, this 62-page hard cover scrapbook features newspaper clippings from the 70’s and 80’s.
Amidst the pages of the scrapbook lies a testament to CELA’s foundation as a voice for environmental justice more than five decades ago, and our unwavering commitment to safeguarding communities and our planet to protect each and every single one of us. The articles highlight legal victories and losses, and also demonstrate the perseverance and dedication to environmental issues that echo in the present day.
We invite you to pre-order a copy of the CELA scrapbook before Friday, March 15th. Click here to order on CELA’s online store, or call the office to order by phone (1-416-960-2284 or 1-844-755-1420).
2023 Annual Report
In CELA’s latest annual report, you’ll read stories that profile CELA’s work on extreme heat, air pollution, legacy contamination, and public participation in environmental decision-making. These stories represent just a few of the many ways CELA’s is dedicated to ensuring communities are healthy and thriving.
CELA’s work continues to expand and evolve as the intersections of multiple disproportionate burdens impact clients and communities we serve. We invite you to stay with us on the journey as we strive with our clients, colleagues and collaborators to work toward a world that is safe, healthy and equitable for all.
Hard copies are available upon request, and a French version will be available soon.
From the Foundation
February's Feature
This month’s feature from the Canadian Environmental Law Archive is a submission made to the Inquiry on Federal Water Policy in 1984. The submission focused on the problem of atmospheric deposition as a source of water quality contamination, and suggested considerations for the management of toxic contaminants.
Webinars & Resources
EAP Offers Free Heat Pumps for Eligible Ontario Residents
The Energy Affordability Program (EAP) recently released a new addition to the benefits for income eligible residents of Ontario who heat with electricity.
Cold climate air source heat pumps are now available free of cost to those who are income eligible. The EAP offers equipment-based measures to those seeking long term home energy solutions and heat pumps are the newest addition to these measures. From consultation to installation these heat pumps are completely cost free. Learn more in this new blog post.
Report: CELA Assessment and Recommendations on Ontario’s Proposed Workplace Heat Stress Regulation
CELA has evaluated Ontario’s proposed heat stress regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and made recommendations so the proposal can better protect agricultural workers. Key improvements to the proposed regulation include making engineering and administrative controls mandatory in outdoor workplaces, improving enforcement mechanisms to account for the well-understood vulnerabilities of migrant farm workers, and ensuring that adequate washroom facilities, water, sunscreen and hats are provided at no cost to workers. Download the full report here.
Looking for a Publication?
CELA’s charitable arm, the Canadian Environmental Law Foundation, maintains digital and physical collections that document the history of environmental protection across the country.
The Foundation recently launched a new website for the Canadian Environmental Law Archives, allowing you to browse and search all of CELA’s publications and historical records, as well as those of government agencies, watchdog authorities, nonprofit organizations, lawyers, and many of the country’s most influential environmental advocates.
CELA also knows how fragile gains are and how easily they can be lost. One of the driving forces behind the creation of the Foundation and the Archive was a desire to protect and document the history of environmental law and environmental decision-making.
Share: