Topic Environmental
Why pollution liability brokers should pay attention to this auditor general report
December 9, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe Ontario government should re-visit a rule that leaves polluters off the hook for hazardous spills that cost less than $10,000 to clean up, the province’s auditor general suggests. In 2016, the Ontario environment ministry [now called the Ministry of…
B.C. moves to recovery management phase after floods; most military leaving province
December 7, 2021 by Dirk Meissner - THE CANADIAN PRESSVICTORIA – British Columbia is shifting into repair and recovery mode following devastating floods and landslides caused by record rains that crippled transportation links, deluged agricultural operations and forced the evacuations of thousands of people, says the province’s public safety…
Institutional investors increasingly likely to divest on ESG grounds
December 6, 2021 by Canadian Underwriter StaffLike insurers, Canada’s institutional investors are examining how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors weigh into their operational decisions. A new EY report on global institutional investors that includes Canada showed 74% are more likely to divest from companies with…
Can we blame climate change for B.C. ‘atmospheric river?’
December 2, 2021 by Greg MeckbachWe can’t say for sure that climate change has caused the heavy rainfall and severe floods and landslides currently affecting British Columbia, but global warming is making disasters like this more likely, a Swiss Re speaker suggested Thursday. “Warmer air…
Drought, wildfires, COVID-19 drive up Saskatchewan deficit to record $2.7B
December 2, 2021 by Mickey Djuric - THE CANADIAN PRESSREGINA – Saskatchewan’s latest financial report says drought, wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic have heavily contributed to what is projected to be a record deficit. The mid-year report released Monday shows a deficit of $2.7 billion, an increase of $97…
Alberta rolls out new rules forcing industry to pay for abandoned well cleanup
December 1, 2021 by The Canadian PressCALGARY – Alberta’s oil and gas regulator has rolled out new rules aimed at addressing the growing problem of inactive and abandoned wells in the province. The new rules will require the energy industry to spend $422 million next year…
Southwestern N.L. mayor says climate change talks needed after another dump of rain
November 30, 2021 by The Canadian PressCHANNEL-PORT AUX BASQUES, N.L. – The mayor of a small town on the southwestern tip of Newfoundland says it’s time to have serious conversations about the impact of changing weather on communities like his, after another night of heavy rain.…
Canada considers tougher greenhouse gas rules for shipping
November 23, 2021 by Bob Weber - THE CANADIAN PRESSCanada is considering an international proposal that would double the ambition of its greenhouse gas emissions targets from shipping – a plan observers say the country seems ready to support. A committee of the International Maritime Organization, which sets the…
Maritimes targeted for blast of torrential rain and powerful winds
November 22, 2021 by The Canadian PressHALIFAX – Much of the Maritime region is bracing for strong winds and heavy downpours that could dump up to 150 millimetres of rain in some areas by Wednesday. Total rainfall over the next 36 hours is expected to be…
Heavy rain sets off flooding, rocks and mudslides in southern B.C.
November 15, 2021 by The Canadian PressVANCOUVER – A local state of emergency has been declared in part of British Columbia’s eastern Fraser Valley where unrelenting rainfall caused flooding, mud and rock slides and the closure of highways to and from the southern Interior. Environment…
Damage being tallied from summer drought across Prairies
November 12, 2021 by Amanda Stephenson - THE CANADIAN PRESSCALGARY – The consequences of last summer’s searing drought are being felt on farms and ranches across the Prairies, where some livestock producers are heading into a long, cold winter with dangerously low supplies of feed and water. On his…
Is B.C.’s 2021 wildfire season the worst on record?
November 9, 2021 by Jason ContantBritish Columbia’s 2021 wildfire season was severe, but it wasn’t the costliest on record from a suppression standpoint, according to a summary report from the BC Wildfire Service. Between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, a total of 1,610 wildfires…