University of Calgary Faculty of Law ABLawg.ca logo over mountains

What are the Rules Governing Consents to Assignments of Pipeline Easements across Indian Reserves?

PDF Version: What are the Rules Governing Consents to Assignments of Pipeline Easements across Indian Reserves? 

Case commented on: Coldwater Indian Band v Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 2013 FC 1138

This case raises the question of the leverage available to a First Nation to claim hold-out rents where a pipeline crosses reserve lands and the current owner/operator of the pipeline has failed to obtain required consents to an assignment of the pipeline easement.

Psychological Stress and Workers’ Compensation in Alberta

PDF Version: Psychological Stress and Workers’ Compensation in Alberta 

Cases commented on: Martin v Alberta (Workers’ Compensation Board), 2012 ABCA 248, appeal heard December 10, 2013 (SCC); Ashraf v SNC Lavalin ATP Inc., 2013 ABQB 688

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of Canada heard argument in an Alberta case involving the interplay between federal and provincial legislation providing for the compensation of workers injured in workplace activities.  Workers’ Compensation Commissions from British Columbia, Quebec and Nova Scotia intervened in the case. The Court, which reserved judgment after its hearing, offers the following description of the case on its website:

Shell Jackpine Mine Expansion Project: The Mysterious Case of the Missing Justification

PDF Version: Shell Jackpine Mine Expansion Project: The Mysterious Case of the Missing Justification

Document commented on: Decision Statement Issued under Section 54 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 re: Shell Jackpine Mine Expansion Project (2013 ABAER 011/Decision 2013-011)

Last Friday (December 6, 2013), the federal Minister of the Environment, Leona Aglukkaq, released the long-awaited decision statement for Shell’s Jackpine Mine Expansion project. As I wrote here, the joint review panel concluded – for the first time in the oil sands context – that the project was likely to result in numerous significant adverse environmental effects. This conclusion triggered the application of subsection 52(2) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, SC 2012, c 19 (CEAA, 2012), pursuant to which the Governor in Council (GiC) must determine whether the project is nevertheless “justified in the circumstances.”  This the GiC did.  Or at least, we are told that it did.

Amended Rules of Practice for the Alberta Energy Regulator: More Bad News for Landowners and Environmental Groups

PDF Version: Amended Rules of Practice for the Alberta Energy Regulator: More Bad News for Landowners and Environmental Groups

Legislation commented on: Alberta Energy Regulator Rules of Practice as amended by Alta Reg 203/2013

In the Fall of 2012 ABlawg published a series of entries concerning the enactment of the Responsible Energy Development Act, SA 2012, c R-17.3 (REDA) and the transition to a single regulator for energy projects in Alberta.  That transition is now underway.  The Alberta Energy Regulator is responsible for the approval and ongoing oversight of energy projects – and will soon be responsible for all energy project approvals and oversight other than the disposition of mineral rights by Alberta Energy. 

The Captive Audience Doctrine: Protecting the Unwilling Listener’s Right to Privacy from Unwanted Speech

PDF Version: The Captive Audience Doctrine: Protecting the Unwilling Listener’s Right to Privacy from Unwanted Speech

Matter commented on: Section 2(b) of the Charter and the Captive Audience Doctrine

Consider the following scenarios:

  • Your lunch on an outdoor patio on Stephen Avenue Mall is interrupted by someone with a bullhorn blaring religious commandments, telling you that if you don’t follow their God, you are going to Hell;
  • You have given up taking your Sunday afternoon naps because a protest group has set up in a neighbouring park and conducts its meetings with the use of amplification which can be heard in your living room;
  • While you wait in line in a government building to pay an invoice, you have no choice but to endure a prayer service being conducted by a grassroots religious organization in the lobby of the building;
  • You are walking to work and someone confronts you, asking you to join their charitable cause.  You decline but the person follows you for several blocks, pressing you to change your mind and once that becomes futile, starts yelling at you.

Page 294 of 437

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén