Canada: Environment

The Government of Canada has amended regulations under the Impact Assessment Act to streamline environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects, particularly interprovincial pipelines. These changes shift regulatory responsibility for certain energy projects to the Canada Energy Regulator while removing other project types from federal review following the Supreme Court's 2024 constitutional ruling.

The Government of Canada has amended the Physical Activities Regulations, removing certain intraprovincial energy projects and facilities regulated by the Canada Energy Regulator from the federal Impact Assessment Act's Project List. This regulatory change eliminates automatic federal oversight for fossil fuel-fired power plants and specific oil sands facilities, while transferring assessment responsibilities for interprovincial pipelines and transmission lines to the Canada Energy Regulator, potentially re

On September 3, the Government of Canada published amendments removing seven types of energy projects from the Physical Activities Regulations (the Project List) under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA). As a result, these types of projects will no longer be subject to the IAA but will continue to be regulated by the Canada Energy Regulator Act (CER Act) or applicable provincial environmental assessment regimes.

On July 18, 2026, Environment and Climate Change Canada (“ECCC”) published a Notice of Intent to develop a new regulation under the Species at Risk Act (“SARA”) for the protection of the critical...

Canada's Clean Fuel Regulations have created a rapidly growing compliance credit market, with prices reaching $358.18 by June 2026. However, carbon dioxide removal technologies like bioenergy with carbon capture and storage remain excluded from participating in this valuable market, creating competitive disadvantages for Canadian CDR companies compared to their U.S. counterparts and raising questions about regulatory alignment with Canada's net-zero climate goals.

Osler's Legislative Update is a bi-weekly listing of new legislation. This issue covers legislation for the period 07/09 to 07/22.

Green Rise Foods Inc. v. N.V. Hagelunie, 2026 ONCA 334, is a recent decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal about insurance coverage for a business loss caused by a series of related events.

On May 15, 2026, the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of Alberta announced an agreement to implement the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced in November 2025. This implementation agreement (Agreement) is the latest announcement on intergovernmental cooperation and formalizes the draft cooperation agreement announced in April and discussed in our March 25, 2026 Update: “Canada and Alberta sign draft cooperation agreement on impact assessment after historic MOU”.

Sustainable living does not have to end with your lifetime. In today’s increasingly eco-conscious world, more and more individuals are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and leave things “greener” for future generations. Eco-friendly estate planning can integrate those values into practical decisions that reduce your environmental impact while caring for loved ones after your death.

On July 18, 2026, Environment and Climate Change Canada (“ECCC”) published a Notice of Intent to develop a new regulation under the Species at Risk Act (“SARA”) for the protection of the critical...

Le gouvernement du Québec a récemment publié un projet de règlement modifiant le Règlement sur les matières dangereuses. Il s’agit d’une révision en profondeur d’un régime demeuré largement inchangé depuis la fin des années 1990.

Québec's government has introduced a comprehensive draft regulation to modernize its hazardous materials management framework, marking the first major overhaul since the late 1990s. The reform introduces five key focus areas including enhanced traceability systems, new disposal charges, clearer rules for accidental releases, refined regulatory standards, and more stringent requirements for disposal sites. These changes aim to strengthen accountability across the hazardous materials management chain whi