You are thinking about spending a lot of money on a brand-new quad, dirt-bike, snowmobile or something similar. What are the rules? Who makes them? Where will you be able to use it? Almost every human activity has the potential to affect the environment in some way. Regulating activities always creates perceived winners and losers. […]
A River Runs Across It: Solving Trans-border Disputes Over Water
September 8, 2017 By Jeff Surtees
People get very passionate about both water and borders. So how do we avoid or resolve disputes involving rivers and lakes that cross the border between Canada and the United States? At almost nine thousand kilometers, our border with our closest neighbour is the longest unprotected political border between two sovereign nations on Earth. The […]
The Environment and Aboriginal Rights
May 5, 2017 By Jeff Surtees
In my inaugural column for LawNow (here) I suggested five reasons that environmental law can be challenging to understand. One of those reasons was that it requires some understanding of Aboriginal law, a complex subject in its own right. Even if I were up to the task, it would be impossible to provide even an […]
Who’s The Boss? – Jurisdiction Over the Environment in Canada
March 2, 2017 By Jeff Surtees
In the last issue of LawNow I talked about some of the reasons environmental law can be challenging to understand. One of those reasons was that different levels of government in Canada have power to make rules about different things. In this article I want to discuss the basics of who has jurisdiction over the […]
What is Environmental Law and Why is it Hard to Understand?
January 4, 2017 By Jeff Surtees
Carbon taxes. Rules about where and how you can fish. A bylaw saying you can’t wash your car on a city street. Provincial rules telling you to keep your “wheels out of the water” when operating your quad or dirt bike. Tax breaks so you can install solar panels on your house. Alberta’s Land Use […]
