An Introduction to Toxins & Waste Law
This section will focus on legislation that governs the release of toxins and waste into our environment. Toxins and waste, and, in particular hazardous waste, are ugly by-products of industrial, agricultural, and other urban processes, such as manufacturing and oil and gas extraction. As you probably already know, these industries are important to the economic …
Toxins & Waste
The regulation of toxins and waste in Alberta relies on both federal and provincial legislation. Determining when the law of either the federal or provincial government (or both) is in effect depends primarily on an understanding of the constitutional division of powers. For example, the provincial Alberta Energy Regulator is in charge of tracking …
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act
The main federal legislation focused on pollution prevention and the regulation of toxins and waste is the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 [1] (CEPA). CEPA’s preamble begins by outlining the legislation’s overarching goals, including the prevention of pollution.[2] CEPA then goes on to define pollution prevention as, “the use of processes, practices, materials, products, substances or …
Alberta’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act
Alberta created its first environmentally focused government department in 1971 and it was this department that was responsible for developing pollution prevention legislation over the coming decades. Eventually, in 1992, the province combined numerous pieces of legislation including the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, among others, into the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA), came into force, …
Toxins & Waste: Canadian Case Studies
Air Pollution Despite our reputation for having pristine lakes, rivers, and air quality, in fact, Canada lacks any binding national standards to protect the quality of the air we breathe. For example, in comparison with the United States, we do not have anything similar to the American Clean Air Act which mandates plans to achieve …
Section Review
Now that you have finished this section on Toxins and Waste, you should be comfortable: Identifying some of the main statutes governing pollution prevention Describing the role of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 in preventing/governing toxins and waste Describing the role of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act in preventing/governing toxins and waste Identifying …
Toxins & Waste
- An Introduction to Toxins & Waste Law
- Toxins & Waste
- The Canadian Environmental Protection Act
- Alberta’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act
- Toxins & Waste: Canadian Case Studies
- Section Review
Curriculum Connections
Newsletter
Join our new Alberta Environmental Laws 101 Facebook group to ask questions, participate in discussions and keep up to date on environmental news. Please share this widely so that the high school teachers and students in your circles hear about this great new resource for supplemental online learning. Alberta Environmental Laws 101 Facebook Group
