Zizzo Allan Climate Law LLP, the Pembina Institute, the Canadian Environmental Law Association and Ecojustice are pleased to announce the release of a new report today entitled Live Where You Go: encouraging location-efficient development in Ontario, which is the result of year-long “Cool Communities” project run by the report’s co-authors. The report recommends 5 key tools (discussed below) to make ... Read More »

In a decision released on July 17, 2012, Federal Court Justice Simon Noël held that the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol was not in violation of the rule of law, the principle of the separation of powers or the democratic principle. Justice Noël focused mainly on his holding that withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol did not violate the Kyoto Protocol Implementation ... Read More »

By Meghan Babin, Zizzo Allan Climate Law Summer Intern According to a recent study published in the journal Nature, Earth may be on the brink of an ecological tipping point, due in large part to the destruction of natural ecosystems, climate change and population growth.[1] Released just weeks shy of the United Nations Rio+20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, ... Read More »

In its recent budget, the federal government announced that the National Round Table on the Environment and Economy (NRTEE) would be eliminated as of March 31, 2013. In spite of this unfortunate news, the NRTEE is continuing to provide independent and non-partisan advice on sustainable development issues, with its most recent report entitled Reality Check: The State of Climate Progress ... Read More »

Travis Allan will be chairing a panel discussion on business adaptation to climate change and the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy’s new advisory report “Facing the Elements: Building Business Resilience in a Changing Climate.”  Please see the invitation below if you would like to join us. Climate Change Lawyers Network On Tuesday, June 5th at 5:30 p.m., please ... Read More »

The Federal Budget,  released on March 29, has a number of problematic environmental and climate related impacts.  The budget streamlines the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, eliminates the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) and gives the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) more power to scrutinize “green” charities. It generally provides insignificant “green” funding. The budget aims to ... Read More »

As of October 31, 2011 the Ontario Power Authority is undergoing its 2-year review of the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy. Both the legislation implementing the FIT and the province’s Long-term energy plan released in November 2010 require this review. The price schedule for FIT projects will be a major focus of the review. In its news release, the ... Read More »

A report released yesterday by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRT) estimates that the financial impacts of climate change for Canada could reach billions of dollars by 2020.  The report entitled Paying the Price: The Economic Impacts of Climate Change for Canada is the first report to assess the economic consequences of the physical impacts of ... Read More »

The Federal Government announced the Proposed Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations today (Friday, August 19, 2011). These new regulations will apply to all new builds and to facilities that have reached the end of their economic-life. The proposed regulations are divided into four parts: Performance standards for CO2 emissions intensity. This part also provides ... Read More »

While consumers want to know about environmental features, it is important for companies to make sure that all marketing claims (including green claims) are truthful, clear and supported by sufficient evidence. This includes claims like “green”, “eco-friendly” and also eco-labels. Travis Allan gives tips on making good green marketing claims in a recent post for the Ontario Ministry of Research ... Read More »