TRAINING.

Overview

After participating in this course, you will be able to do the following:

• Update your knowledge and skills in environmental contracting, data management and reporting, inspections and investigations, negotiating approvals and environmental management
• Gain an understanding of the legislation and applicable environmental regulations that directly impact solid waste, industrial effluents and air emissions
• Review practical approaches for environmental compliance as applicable to contaminated site and decommissioning projects, hazardous materials, storage tanks and spills
• Better manage environmental issues carrying substantial liabilities
• Understand the roles and obligations of various types of environmental professionals

Description

The command-and-control environmental compliance philosophy continues to dominate the government policy agenda. The only way to avoid liability for non-compliance is to thoroughly understand regulatory requirements. This course primarily deals with environmental regulations and the interrelationships among federal, provincial, and municipal agencies.

While the primary emphasis is on Ontario, the course compares aspects of regulatory impacts on projects across Canada.

Whether you have limited previous knowledge or simply need to maintain an up-to-date knowledge of important changes, it will add to your knowledge and skills by increasing your understanding of environmental regulations. First describing the regulations and providing references for information and then emphasizing the application of regulations in the various areas of concern to the industry.

Relevant legal judgements will be used to illustrate aspects of the legislation.

Course Outline

• Introduction - The environmental regulation system in Canada
• The environmental process for projects – variability with jurisdiction
• Federal Environmental Law, Regulations and Policy
• Provincial Environmental Law, Regulations and Policy
• Applications of Environmental Regulations to Processes and Projects
• Standards development
• Water-taking and effluent discharge regulation/reporting
• Air quality legislation – permits and operational aspects
• Nuisance – noise, vibration and odour
• Species legislation
• Dealing with wastes
• Spills
• Managing contaminated sites
• Working and Negotiating with the Regulator
• Working with the Community on Environmental Issues
• Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation
• Liability and Due Diligence
• Conclusion

Who Should Attend
Environmental Engineers • Plant Managers and Project Managers • Health and Safety Personnel • Environmental Corporate Managers • Directors and Officers • In-house counsel • Consultants • Regulatory Personnel • Municipal Personnel Responsible for Development and Environmental Affairs.

Please note: You can check other time zones here.

Syllabus

Day I

Introduction and Federal Legislation

• Introduction – the legal system
• The environmental regulatory process for projects
• Variability with jurisdiction
• Canadian Environmental Protection Act
• Regulation of toxic substances
• Spills and other releases
• Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
• Water and the Fisheries Act
• Species Legislation
• Climate change and regulation

 Working with the Community on Environmental Issues

• Indigenous communities
• An overview of indigenous consultation
• Key issues
• Third parties and consultation
• Creating and responding to public input
• Working with stakeholders

Day 2

Provincial Environmental Law, Regulations and Relation to Projects

• Overview of provincial regulatory schemes
• Primary statutes
• Project permitting and reporting
• Air regulation and air emissions management
• Water protection, water taking, effluent management and discharge
• GHG and energy transitions
• Nuisance issues: Noise and odour
• Waste Management, hazardous materials, recycling, and stewardship
• Recent decisions and case studies and how they affect environmental practitioners
• Role of the Municipality
• Planning, development, and the environment

Working and Negotiating with the Regulator

• When to meet with the regulator
• Criteria considered when granting approval
• Conditions on approvals
• Appeals respecting approvals, conditions or refusal

Day 3

Spills Management and Contaminated Sites

• Spills and spills reporting
• Impacted and contaminated sites
• Soil quality
• Site assessment protocols and remediation criteria
• Risk assessment and the conceptual site model
• Issues of regulatory concern
• Legal issues of concern to owner/tenant
• Excess soil management
• Discussion of options

Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation

• Steps that management may follow when faced with an inspection
• Company obligations 
• Search warrant requirements, solicitor-client privilege
• Liability and Due Diligence
• Prosecutions
• Duty to cooperate with orders
• Effect of compliance with duty or order
• Liability related to the company, officers, directors, employees and consultants
• Defence of environmental charges
• Case studies

Management of Environmental Information

• Environmental protection planning
• Monitoring and reporting
• Information management
• Regulatory, institutional and investor demands
• Global initiatives

Concluding Remarks and Final Adjournment

Instructor

Stephen Lamming, Ph.D., E.P.

Now mostly retired, Stephen was, until 2017, a Principal Consultant with the Wood Group (formerly Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure) in air quality management. With over 40 years of experience in air quality management, his expertise includes emissions assessment, air monitoring, dispersion modelling, and climate change mitigation/adaptation.

Dr. Lamming has worked with municipal, industrial, and resource sector clients across Canada and internationally to assess climate impacts, determine emissions, prepare and execute sampling programs, conduct transport and dispersion modelling, assess community impact, develop abatement and monitoring strategies, and prepare permit documentation. He has also been involved in air quality assessment and management studies (including greenhouse gases) as part of the federal and provincial environmental assessment process in the areas of oil & gas, mining, thermal power, major industry projects and forest products.

He has served as a Director of the AWMA Ontario Section, been a member of ISO technical committees, and continues to keep abreast of the latest regulatory implications for emission management.