#156 of 156 articles from the Special Report:
Food Insider
An updated Canadian Environmental Protection Act would help the government develop better regulations for toxic substances, including plastics. Photo by Chris Jordan / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
A new law could soon see toxic chemicals, including harmful plastics, undergo more rigorous assessments aimed at better protecting vulnerable Canadians, the Trudeau government has announced.
Under the proposed law, agencies responsible for regulating toxic chemicals, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada, would need to evaluate the cumulative impacts of exposure to multiple chemicals over long periods of time.
The proposed bill tabled by Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Tuesday, would bring in sweeping changes to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). It would fast-track the regulatory process for particularly harmful chemicals, making it easier to restrict their use; encourage companie
Plastics industry bracing for toxics listing this spring yorktonthisweek.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yorktonthisweek.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A group representing plastics manufacturers says it still expects the federal government to list some items as toxic this spring, despite the environment minister’s careful words on the matter at committee.
The comments from the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), which represents over 100 plastic manufacturers, come after an exchange Wednesday over the issue during the House of Commons environment committee between Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and two opposition MPs.
During the meeting, both Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux and NDP MP Laurel Collins tried unsuccessfully to get Wilkinson to confirm if the government was still committed to adding plastic manufactured items to the list of toxic substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), as it had proposed doing in October 2020.
Posted: Mar 11, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: March 12
Provinces fail to collect $1.3B in unpaid fines: CBC News investigation
The National27 days ago
2:55
At a time when provincial governments are starving for cash and looking to Ottawa for help, a CBC News investigation has found more than $1.3 billion in fines remain uncollected across the country and some are decades old.2:55
File photo of environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco. DeMarco photo
Canada’s federal environment commissioner should be made an independent officer of Parliament, three experts told a House of Commons committee Monday.
The commissioner of the environment and sustainable development is currently subordinate to the auditor general under federal law. Canada’s Auditor General Act says commissioner Jerry DeMarco reports directly to auditor general Karen Hogan and assists her in performing her duties.
Independent officers of Parliament, meanwhile, such as the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, the privacy commissioner or Hogan herself, report directly to Parliament instead of to ministers. They can also have their own dedicated budget and ability to hire expert staff.