What is environmental law?

Additionally, the new owners of land may have a claim for compensation, if they have suffered due to things such as polluted water wells, gasoline emissions in the home, toxic substances buried on the property and so forth.

Environmental Protection Act

The Environmental Protection Act is the key legislation for environmental protection in Ontario. It grants the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks broad powers to deal with the discharge of contaminants causing negative effects.

While the Act deals with commercial transactions involving contaminated land, it also:

• prohibits the discharge of any contaminants into the environment which cause or are likely to cause negative effects, and requires that some approved contaminants must not exceed approved and regulated limits; and
• requires that any spills of pollutants be reported and cleaned up in a timely fashion.

The Act also has the authority to establish liability on the party which is at fault, including corporate officers or directors who have failed to take all reasonable care to prevent unlawful discharges of contaminants into the environment.

If you need additional information about environmental law in Ontario, visit the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

For legal advice, contact an environmental law lawyer.