An Ontario real estate development company, its president, a consulting firm, and its general manager, have been fined a total of $266,000 in relation to inadequate stormwater infrastructure that contributed to sediment discharge from a construction site into the Thames River and its floodplain in 2018.  According to the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, the construction site failed to implement adequate erosion and sediment control measures for the construction site’s stormwater management facility.  Ten charges were laid for multiple violations under the Envi ..read more

Following Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act amendment in late 2023 to fine landfills when non-compliance concerns arise, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has now identified some violations that would be subject to penalty. The new penalties will range from $1,000 per day for less serious violations to $100,000 per day for the most serious violations, and apply to both open and closed landfill sites with an approved capacity of 40,000 m³ or more. The Environmental Registry of Ontario bulletin posted on April 8 from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Pa ..read more

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has announced that it hopes to achieve carbon neutral operations at its Chalk River Laboratories campus in Ontario by 2040.    Among the actions already taken by CNL include updated engineering standards and climate resilience planning requirements for all new construction projects and retrofits; energy performance improvements through the adoption of electric heating and conservation measures; the electrification of its vehicle fleet; and the decommissioning and removal of outdated, inefficient buildings.  CNL has already reduced its gre ..read more

The K.J. Gardner, Canada’s largest quick-response flagship offshore supply vessel equipped for pollution cleanup, emergency towage and support duties, has a new home base in British Columbia’s Beecher Bay.   Packed with new spill-response equipment valued at about $6 million, the 74 metre-long K.J. Gardner can hold up to 1,000 tonnes of recovered oil and can act as an emergency towing vessel.   The vessel is now at a new base in Beecher Bay, some 30 km southwest of Victoria. Next to the Sc’ianew First Nations community, it joins other smaller spill-response vessels that are part of t ..read more

As the population grows in the City of Edmonton, and an organics collection program continues to roll out to apartments and condos, local officials are weighing their options for how to treat what could be 36% more organic waste by 2027.  According to a new report for Edmonton’s utility committee, city administration presented three options: construct a new outdoor composting site at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre; upgrade the high solids anaerobic digestion facility at the centre, or increase the use of third-party organics processing.   “While the current organics proces ..read more

A Quebec-based cosmetics company has been fined $500,000 for using perfluorononyl dimethicone in eye and lip pencil products without previously providing the government with the required regulatory information. The company, Groupe Marcelle Inc., pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The cosmetic ingredient perfluorononyl dimethicone is a silicone polymer used in cosmetic products to increase the hold, durability, spreadability, and water or oil resistance of cosmetics applied to the skin. It is one of the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl su ..read more

ControlChem Canada Ltd., a water treatment solutions supplier, is mourning the death of one of its workers, following an April 4 accident at its facility in Burlington, Ontario. According to an Ontario Ministry of Labour spokesperson, a ministry inspector has been assigned to investigate the cause of the death.  “Our thoughts and condolences are with the worker’s family, friends, and loved ones,” spokesperson Anuradha Dhar said in a statement to ES&E Magazine. “As the ministry’s investigation is ongoing, we cannot provide further details at this time.” Douglas Fast, a chemist and pres ..read more

Following a successful one-year pilot phase with 16 businesses in British Columbia, the Victoria-based Synergy Foundation’s Circular Economy Accelerator program identified 714 circular solutions that diverted 288 kilograms of waste from landfills, reduced an estimated 1,100 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions, and saved 22,565 m³ of water. Now, the Synergy Foundation is looking for a new crop of Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast businesses to join its Circular Economy Accelerator program in 2024, as it aims to expand and work with up to 85 businesses over the next two years. “This program – t ..read more

A new report from the Canadian Water & Wastewater Association (CWWA) reveals that more than 80% of survey respondents see the use of natural infrastructure as a potential solution for certain issues with stormwater management or flooding, while just 15% indicated the use of a single definition of natural infrastructure across their organization.  The survey of 60 questions was carried out by the CWWA over two months in 2023 to gauge the water sector’s current level of understanding and adoption around the concept of natural infrastructure.   The collected and analyzed results of ..read more

The federal government has proposed a new $6-billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund to accelerate the construction and upgrading of critical housing infrastructure, including water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste projects that would increase support for more homes.   The new fund under Budget 2024 proposes to make $1 billion available for municipalities to support urgent infrastructure needs that will directly create more housing, as well as $5 billion for agreements with provinces and territories to support long-term housing supply priorities.   “Supportive in ..read more