Canada: Environment

On August 29, 2026, the Government of Canada published two mandatory notices (the notices) under paragraph 71(1)(b) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) that establish significant reporting obligations that require businesses that manufactured, imported or used certain listed substances during the 2025 calendar year to report to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC):

On October 9, 2026, the Court of Appeal of Alberta released its decision in Reference re Impact Assessment Act, as amended, 2026 ABCA 320 (2026 IAA Reference)

The Canadian government has designated the Pacific Link Pipeline as a project of national interest and introduced Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, which proposes sweeping reforms to federal environmental assessment and project approval processes. These changes aim to streamline permitting timelines, reduce regulatory duplication, and coordinate Crown consultations while maintaining environmental protections and Indigenous rights.

On August 29, 2026, the Government of Canada published two mandatory notices (the notices) under paragraph 71(1)(b) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) that establish significant reporting obligations that require businesses that manufactured, imported or used certain listed substances during the 2025 calendar year to report to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC):

On October 9, 2026, the Court of Appeal of Alberta released its decision in Reference re Impact Assessment Act, as amended, 2026 ABCA 320 (2026 IAA Reference)

Gowling WLG's Energy Innovator Roundtable explored how infrastructure finance can transform building decarbonization from isolated projects into scalable investments. Industry experts from infrastructure, lending, and building sectors identified six critical strategies for structuring bankable projects, from evaluating complete investment economics to addressing institutional conservatism in the building power sector.

Green Rise Foods Inc. v. N.V. Hagelunie, 2026 ONCA 334, is a recent decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal about insurance coverage for a business loss caused by a series of related events.

On May 15, 2026, the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of Alberta announced an agreement to implement the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced in November 2025. This implementation agreement (Agreement) is the latest announcement on intergovernmental cooperation and formalizes the draft cooperation agreement announced in April and discussed in our March 25, 2026 Update: “Canada and Alberta sign draft cooperation agreement on impact assessment after historic MOU”.

Sustainable living does not have to end with your lifetime. In today’s increasingly eco-conscious world, more and more individuals are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and leave things “greener” for future generations. Eco-friendly estate planning can integrate those values into practical decisions that reduce your environmental impact while caring for loved ones after your death.

Ontario has finalized significant amendments to its producer responsibility regime, introducing an 80% tire management target, expanding collection networks to 6,500 sites, and removing the $1 million cap on administrative penalties. The changes also establish new financial reporting requirements for producer responsibility organizations across multiple product categories, fundamentally reshaping compliance obligations for producers operating in the province.

On July 18, 2026, Environment and Climate Change Canada (“ECCC”) published a Notice of Intent to develop a new regulation under the Species at Risk Act (“SARA”) for the protection of the critical...

Le gouvernement du Québec a récemment publié un projet de règlement modifiant le Règlement sur les matières dangereuses. Il s’agit d’une révision en profondeur d’un régime demeuré largement inchangé depuis la fin des années 1990.