Natural Resources
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April 17, 2024
Bill Dermody: A true advocate for the environment | Brian and Rashne Baetz
The Pleasant View area in the former Town of Dundas is nestled between the south-facing Niagara Escarpment and the marshlands of Cootes Paradise. These predominantly rural lands are certainly very special in terms of natural ecology.
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April 16, 2024
Legal aid funding, auto theft crack down and redistribution of judgeships feature in federal budget
Funding for legal aid to reduce court delays; redistributing “unused” Alberta unified family court posts to other superior courts; and creating new offences and harsher penalties for auto theft are among dozens of justice-related measures proposed in the latest federal budget, which the minority Liberal government says aims to enhance the affordability of shelter, groceries, internet and other necessities for Canadians.
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April 16, 2024
Federal Court sets aside Impact Assessment Act designation of Highway 413 project
The governments of Canada and Ontario have agreed to a collaborative process to assess and manage the issues around federal species at risk throughout Ontario’s planning of the proposed Highway 413, a 52-kilometre highway and transitway connecting the York, Peel and Halton regions in Ontario.
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April 15, 2024
British Columbia legislation aims to restrict electrical power for cryptocurrency operations
The government of British Columbia has introduced legislation that, if passed, would allow electric utilities to prohibit, restrict or regulate power for energy-intensive cryptocurrency operations.
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April 15, 2024
B.C. formally recognizes First Nation’s title over traditional territory
In what is being characterized as a first in Canada, the B.C. government has negotiated an agreement that recognizes Aboriginal title over Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off the coast of the provincial mainland where the Haida people have lived for over 12,000 years.
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April 12, 2024
Yukon Court of Appeal quashes mineral project approval, citing First Nation’s rights
The Yukon Court of Appeal has upheld an order setting aside a Yukon government decision to allow a mineral exploration project to proceed through regulatory approval, finding that Yukon failed to address a First Nation’s concerns regarding land use planning.
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April 11, 2024
B.C. introduces legislation on legal profession reform; law society, bar association opposed
The B.C. government has unveiled long-promised legislation to bring lawyers, paralegals and notaries under the umbrella of one regulator. But the provincial law society and bar association have both come out swinging against the proposals, saying they would erode the independence of the legal profession.
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April 10, 2024
Coal regulation not advantage flowing to the state in respect of private property: court
Alberta’s top court has turned back arguments by an energy company that said its royalty interest in a coal mine had been expropriated by both the federal and provincial governments because of an agreement to end emissions from coal-fired power plants by 2030.
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April 10, 2024
Using AI to bring value to organizations | Connie L. Braun and Juliana Saxberg
For every risk inherent in AI adoption, there is a counter-argument that AI has the potential to unlock benefits and solve real-world problems that have heretofore eluded human capability. Machine Learning technologies are already recognized to be advancing medical research and patient care, improving decision-making, mitigating climate change and distributing food aid more effectively, among other benefits.
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April 09, 2024
Alberta Court of Appeal: No priority for private environmental claims over secured creditors
A private party seeking damages for land remediation costs cannot obtain priority over the claims of secured creditors, the Alberta Court of Appeal has held.