Canada: Environmental Law

Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has proposed a significant shift in environmental permitting rules that could save industrial facility operators tens of thousands of dollars and help them avoid penalties. The proposal would replace the fixed January 31, 2027 deadline for transitioning from Environmental Compliance Approvals to the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry with a change-based approach, allowing facilities to defer registration until operational modifications ar

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.

Mining reporting expectations are evolving. Legal and finance teams are no longer assessed solely on the accuracy of individual disclosures, but on how consistently information is governed, aligned, and traceable across the full reporting set.

This comprehensive legislative update covers recent regulatory changes, proclamations, and proposed regulations across Canada's federal government and all provinces and territories.

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

The July 2026 Pathways Plus MOU establishes a groundbreaking framework linking quantified emissions reduction commitments to regulatory incentives under Alberta's TIER regime. How will company-specific carbon capture targets be allocated among Oil Sands Alliance participants, and what regulatory consequences will companies face if they fail to meet their commitments?

British Columbia is consolidating natural-resource compliance and enforcement functions from multiple ministries into a single agency. The BC Compliance and Enforcement Agency launches July 1, 2026, bringing together over 400 staff under the Ministry of Environment and Parks to deliver more consistent oversight across the province's resource sector.

Parliament has enacted Bill C-30, introducing significant amendments to Canada's Pest Control Products Act and Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act that grant Cabinet unprecedented authority to issue emergency orders overriding pesticide safety decisions. These new powers allow the government to temporarily authorize pesticide use or reinstate cancelled registrations based on national economic security and food security considerations, even when environmental risks are deemed unacceptable. The legislative ch

The British Columbia Court of Appeal has ruled that directors and officers can face personal criminal liability for environmental offences committed by their corporations based on control rather than knowledge.