tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24437414645284208962024-03-25T13:19:20.086-04:00The Enviro BlogUnderstand how environmental issues impact real estate, and make informed decisions.
Topics include: Brownfields, Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments, Remediation, Legal and Finance issues. You can reach us at 905-475-7755.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14337803396171776124noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-70087902038965574632017-03-17T15:53:00.000-04:002017-03-17T15:53:52.599-04:00New partner in Environmental DrillingFisher Environmental has teamed up with Terra Firma Environmental Services Ltd for environmental and geotechnical drilling.<br />
Take a look at their new website:<br />
<a href="http://www.terrafirmaservices.com/">www.terrafirmaservices.com</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14337803396171776124noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-3803498830823457932012-09-19T10:55:00.000-04:002012-09-19T10:55:34.228-04:00Brightfields: The Convergence of Green?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EIjwZ9twZIo/UFnNKfdBUTI/AAAAAAAAAL0/Rc2AomKIovU/s1600/brownfield+portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EIjwZ9twZIo/UFnNKfdBUTI/AAAAAAAAAL0/Rc2AomKIovU/s1600/brownfield+portrait.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contaminated Site, Toronto</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Everyone knows the electronic convergence of the computer, internet and television is happening right before our eyes. But there is a lesser-known environmental convergence developing in North America, called <i>'Brightfields'</i>. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;" /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Brightfields are environmentally contaminated properties that are used for clean energy production, usually solar or wind. Solar or wind production can be an ideal long-term use for sites that are highly contaminated and may require many years to clean-up or remediate. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b><br />
</b></i></span></span> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Recent and rapid advancements in clean energy technologies are what make this convergence possible</b></i></span></span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V7WMi5VTl20/UFnLbryQ2KI/AAAAAAAAALs/DPPpAtqMfbw/s1600/chicago+city+solar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V7WMi5VTl20/UFnLbryQ2KI/AAAAAAAAALs/DPPpAtqMfbw/s1600/chicago+city+solar.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City Solar Project, Chicago</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">The Brightfield sector is more established in the United States than Canada, with many large projects in full production, including Chicago’s Solar City 10-megawatt solar installation located on a 41-acre brownfield. However Canada’s Brightfield sector does already have some significant players and supporting funding channels. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;" /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Most Canadian banks will finance costs related to establishing qualified Clean Energy projects, and the <a href="http://www.fcm.ca/home/awards/fcm-sustainable-communities-awards/eligibility.htm#brownfields/">Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund</a> will consider additional financing related to characterizing and remediating the property. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;" /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Several companies like <a href="http://www.arcstarenergy.com/">ArcStar Energy</a> based in Toronto will finance, design, build and manage large-scale green energy projects for both Greenfield and Brownfield sites. With a multinational coverage ArcStar looks for sites that suitable for utility and large scale industrial power delivery, and for sites that are eligible for green energy incentives, such as <a href="http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/">Ontario’s Feed In Tariff</a> or ‘FIT’ program. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;" /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">The percentage of Brownfields sites that are suitable for renewable energy projects is quite small. However the large number of Brownfields in North America, over 1,000,000 by some estimates, means that there are likely 10,000 - 20,000 sites that are ideal candidates for a Brightfield devlopment. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;" /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Links:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><a href="http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/">Ontario Power Authority</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.fcm.ca/home/awards/fcm-sustainable-communities-awards/eligibility.htm#brownfields/">Federation of Canadian Municipalities</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.arcstarenergy.com/">ArcStar Energy </a></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-65867093900334607802012-09-12T12:40:00.000-04:002012-09-12T12:40:24.936-04:00New Website Announcement<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Fisher Environmental is excited to announce the launch of their newly designed Website at: <a href="http://www.fisherenvironmental.com/">www.fisherenvironmental.com</a> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></span></span> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ej95ngw3-4Y/UFC4PK0lsVI/AAAAAAAAALQ/piVV24zeZ3g/s1600/Fisher+website+snip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ej95ngw3-4Y/UFC4PK0lsVI/AAAAAAAAALQ/piVV24zeZ3g/s320/Fisher+website+snip.JPG" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fisher Environmental - home page</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The site welcomes visitors with bold colours and a clean easy-to-read layout. Full of topical content and videos, our aim is to share our knowledge and expertise on environmental due diligence and how environmental issues impact real estate. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The new site is divided into relevant sections including:</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Environmental Site Assessments</u> - the industry's most recognized due diligence report.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Indoor Air Quality</u> - a growing human health concern.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Site Remediation</u> - dealing with environmentally contaminated properties.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>News Releases</u> - topical articles from a variety of national publications.</span></li>
<li><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Social Media</u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - links to Associations and Fisher's other sites: </span><a href="http://www.fisherlabs.ca/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fisher Labs</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.fisherdrilling.ca/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fisher Drilling</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></li>
</ol><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The Website will be updated on a regular basis with new content.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-62487471202065951992012-07-12T11:03:00.000-04:002012-07-12T11:07:40.573-04:00Ontario courts rule against victims of off-site contamination (again)<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Property
development is a risky business. However those risks increase considerably when
redeveloping a "Brownfield" site. Beyond dealing with <i>o</i></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">n-site<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">remediation costs, if
pollutants have migrated to a neighbouring property, there is
the </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">potential</span></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> for costly regulatory clean-up orders and civil
lawsuits. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Not surprisingly o<i>ff-site</i> liability
concerns are often a significant stumbling block to Brownfield
redeveloped. <i>After all what developer would purchase a property with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>known clean-up costs
on-site, but<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>unknown<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>off-site liabilities?</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CyewPF6lCVY/T_7kCkewZWI/AAAAAAAAAK4/vk1m0jYD8oI/s1600/legal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CyewPF6lCVY/T_7kCkewZWI/AAAAAAAAAK4/vk1m0jYD8oI/s200/legal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">However two recent court rulings in Ontario cases involving off-site contamination, resulted in decisions going against
the innocent property owners, whose sites were contaminated by the activities occurring on nearby sites. While it
is unlikely that these cases will result in more Brownfields being
redeveloped in the province they have caught the attention of many in the
industry.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">1. In October 2011 the Ontario Court of
Appeal overturned an earlier decision by the Ontario Superior Court in <i>Smith
vs Inco Limited, which had </i>awarded $36,000,000 in damages to 7000
property owners in Port Colborne, Ontario, due to soil contamination caused by
nickel particles emitted from Inco’s refinery. (see my blog post from
October 18, 2011)</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s5xClrbKsTE/T_7ibyOkrtI/AAAAAAAAAKw/gZQtHpPYCN4/s1600/kawartha+lakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s5xClrbKsTE/T_7ibyOkrtI/AAAAAAAAAKw/gZQtHpPYCN4/s200/kawartha+lakes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kawartha Lakes, Ontario</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">2. In June 2012 the Ontario Divisional Court
upheld a Ministry of Environment (MOE) order requiring the City of Kawartha
Lakes to clean-up city owned property contaminated by a residential homeowner's
furnace oil spill. The MOE's order deemed that protecting the environment
took precedent over the innocent victim's (the City</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">'</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">s) rights. </span><a href="http://envirolaw.com/moe-wins-kawartha-lakes-appeal/"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">(see </span><span style="background-color: white;">Dianne Saxe</span><span style="background-color: white;">'</span><span style="background-color: white;">s blog for an excellent analysis)</span></a></div>
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-51438121991779217502012-05-04T09:05:00.000-04:002012-05-04T09:05:41.978-04:00Why busted marijuana grow-ops pose a challenge for remediation and demolition<div class="head" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Peter Kenter from the Daily Commercial News recently interviewed Fisher Environmental on how marijuana grow-ops damage buildings. Below is an excerpt from that article.</div>
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<i>The stereotypical marijuana grow-op involves a house
in a small town crammed to the rafters with marijuana plants and
greenhouse paraphernalia. But the RCMP estimates there are at least
50,000 marijuana grow-ops in Canada alone, and as many as 15 per cent of
them are located in commercial or industrial buildings. </i></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l-xgJ1EmOZA/T6PTC3ynCgI/AAAAAAAAAKk/PEQzr414ULM/s1600/Visible+mould+from+grow+op.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l-xgJ1EmOZA/T6PTC3ynCgI/AAAAAAAAAKk/PEQzr414ULM/s320/Visible+mould+from+grow+op.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visible Mould from a Marijuana Grow-op</td></tr>
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<i>“One of the biggest busts in Ontario history
occurred at the abandoned Molson Brewery in Barrie, in 2004 where police
seized 30,000 plants,” says Gordon Onley, business development manager
with Fisher Environmental Ltd. of Markham. </i></div>
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<i>The company has recently established growophomes.com as a
central database to help prospective buyers of residential and
commercial real estate to identify properties used for illegal drug
operations.
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<i>“There are various lists of these properties
available across the country, but we’re attempting to make it easier for
buyers to identify properties used as grow-ops,” says Onley. </i></div>
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<i>In a typical case, a grow-op is located in a rented
or abandoned property where growers often perform major remodeling to
create a property suitable for marijuana cultivation.
</i></div>
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Read the entire article: <a href="http://www.dcnonl.com/article/id49896">http://www.dcnonl.com/article/id49896</a></div>
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</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com224tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-78004342596266763922012-01-31T09:53:00.003-05:002012-01-31T10:35:35.886-05:00Mould and Your Health - Toronto, Ontario<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 15.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mould is everywhere,</span> it is in the air we breathe and grows on virtually any surface. In fact there are thousands of species of mould in Canada. However</span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">people can develop </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">chronic, even life-threatening, illnesses as a result of prolonged exposure</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> to high levels of Mould.</span> </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KY-G6p7fQms/Tyf8-l1cgCI/AAAAAAAAAKM/FTAwioaaE7o/s1600/mold+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KY-G6p7fQms/Tyf8-l1cgCI/AAAAAAAAAKM/FTAwioaaE7o/s1600/mold+1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mould infestation - Toronto, Ontario</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since mould concentrations are higher indoors, which is where we spend 90% of our time, homeowners should be especially careful to ensure that their house is safe. </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">How do you control Mould? - Control Water, Ventilation and Temperature.</span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Mould requires water to grow, so it is important to prevent moisture problems in buildings. When poor ventilation is mixed with high humidity, visible mould can appear in less than 48 hours. If left unchecked, the mould will flourish eventually becoming airborne spores. It is when the mould becomes airborne that health problems can arise. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">What do you do if you see or suspect you have mould? </span></div><ol style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><u>Your health</u>: consult a medical health professional. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><u>Your home:</u> have a qualified mould inspector to do an assessment.* </span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">The inspector will test and safely remove the mould, while keeping everything outside the contamination area free from spores. Indoor air quality testing performed before and after the clean-up, will confirm the mould has been effectively removed. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>*</b></span><u style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>WARNING:</b></u></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <i><b>If you suspect that your home may have been a marijuana grow house, it may have serious and potentially dangerous structural and electrical issues. We will address the implications of owning a former "grow op" in the next blog.</b></i></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_847988804" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xyNQK91wL-E/Tyf8GALGMyI/AAAAAAAAAKE/Obazdp9w4jQ/s320/health+canada+snip.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdTINUOLq1c">Click HERE for a 2 minute Health Canada video on Mould prevention</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-5974664932139983722011-10-18T13:05:00.006-04:002011-10-21T12:53:37.866-04:00Environmental Liability in Ontario Steps Backward<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ontario’s environmental industry is still processing a startling decision on a massive property contamination case made earlier this month. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HnvAV_C2BvM/Tp2taBE7AWI/AAAAAAAAAIc/KV55qMIbtq0/s1600/enviro+law.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HnvAV_C2BvM/Tp2taBE7AWI/AAAAAAAAAIc/KV55qMIbtq0/s200/enviro+law.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On October 7, 2011 the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a July 2010 decision by the Ontario Superior Court in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Smith vs Inco Limited<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2443741464528420896#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></b></span></span></span></a>.</i> The 2010 decision awarded $36,000,000 in damages to 7000 property owners in Port Colborne, Ontario, due to soil contamination caused by nickel particles emitted from Inco’s refinery, over a 66 year period up to 1985. <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">It was speculated that the original July 2010 decision would open the door in Canada (or at least Ontario) to American<em>-style</em> environmental class-action lawsuits popularized in movies like: </span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Erin Brockovich</span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> starring Julia Roberts, and <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Civil Action</i></b> with John Travolta</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-odGBgUQ10y4/Tp2tWJxzKBI/AAAAAAAAAIU/gwmwF2vcDXE/s1600/smoke+stack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" oda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-odGBgUQ10y4/Tp2tWJxzKBI/AAAAAAAAAIU/gwmwF2vcDXE/s1600/smoke+stack.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the Court’s decision it said that the case failed to prove that Inco’s refinery dust negatively impacted the values of the properties or the owner’s ability to use their properties. The Court also found that the case did not show that the contamination posed a risk to the health or safety of residents.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The implications of this decision are potentially far-reaching when you consider so many industrial activities operate near residential areas. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are several layers of irony in this story. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Smelting is a “Potentially Contaminating Activity” highlighted by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) earlier this year in amendments to Ontario’s Brownfield legislation, O. Reg 153/04. Legislation that is <u>designed</u> to protect human health and the health of our environment. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The pollutant in question, nickel refinery dust, is considered a </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><u>human carcinogen</u> by the US EPA, and </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">EPA cites health studies <u>from</u> Port Colborne to support their conclusions! “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Evidence of carcinogenicity includes a consistency of findings across different countries (Clydach, Wales; Copper Cliff, Ontario; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Port Colborne, Ontario</b>; Kristiansand, Norway; and Huntington, WV)”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2443741464528420896#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></b></span></span></span></a></i> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Inco (now owned by Vale Ltd.) is however not gloating over what must be viewed as a huge victory. The company's website has no posted announcements on the case. </span></span></div><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2443741464528420896#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"> <a href="http://www.ontariocourts.on.ca/decisions/2011/2011ONCA0628.htm">www.ontariocourts.on.ca/decisions/2011/2011ONCA0628.htm</a></span><br />
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2443741464528420896#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><a href="http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0272.htm">www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0272.htm</a></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div></div><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-78361576380597791782011-10-05T13:37:00.005-04:002012-01-13T09:26:42.509-05:00Need a Phase I or II ESA? ---- Read this first (Part 2)<span id="goog_201764546"></span><span id="goog_201764547"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my last post we saw how Ontario’s new “Brownfield” legislation has resulted in: </span></span></div><ol><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Phase I ESA’s costing more and taking longer. </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">More Phase II’s ESA being recommended.</span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Property owners receiving copies of Phase I & II’s, regardless of who orders them.</span></span></div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">65% of pollutants having more stringent guidelines, including the most common offenders (wastes from motor oil, gasoline and dry cleaning solvents).</span></span></div></div></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can refer back to <a href="http://fisherenvironmental.blogspot.com/2011/09/need-phase-i-or-ii-environmental-site.html">September 14<sup>th </sup>blog</a> for details.</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Additional implications of the new regulations are as follows: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>5. More sites will <u>not</u> 'pass the test'.</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WXabZ8FH54w/ToyP5HiLftI/AAAAAAAAAG8/RayVlVzAsuA/s1600/drum+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WXabZ8FH54w/ToyP5HiLftI/AAAAAAAAAG8/RayVlVzAsuA/s1600/drum+1.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The new Ministry of Environment (MOE) regulations on how Phase I's are prepared will result in more Phase II's ESA being recommended. Also the new regulations have imposed lower thresholds for the most common pollutants. </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Result:</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> More sites will be deemed ‘contaminated’.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6. Developing a property requires a Record of Site Condition (RSC).</span></span></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While this is not new news perse, in order to get a RSC approved the supporting Environment Site Assessments (Phase I and II) and remediation reports (if applicable) will have to meet the MOE standard. Therefore Phase I and II’s done to the CSA standard will <u>not</u> be accepted.</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Result:</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Getting approval for a RSC (necessary condition on most commercial deals <u>and</u> required by municipalities to approve redevelopment) will be more difficult.</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xl7yfbiG2Ow/ToyVPwoPyVI/AAAAAAAAAHI/KlPKVNbYAJQ/s1600/cost+risk+benefit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xl7yfbiG2Ow/ToyVPwoPyVI/AAAAAAAAAHI/KlPKVNbYAJQ/s200/cost+risk+benefit.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7. Sites not being redeveloped can use the CSA-standards for Phase I and II ESA’s...</span></span></b></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">...<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>BUT</u> </b>most financial institutions have adopted the new (stricter) MOE-standards into their underwriting guidelines*. </span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">*Many bankers I have talked to indicate that in some cases (ie. mortgage refinance on a site with ‘lower risk’ activities) the CSA standard will be permitted. <u>Tip:</u> check with the bank first before ordering a report.</span></span></div></div></div><br />
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</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-4124429528317392652011-09-14T13:06:00.016-04:002012-01-13T09:24:41.811-05:00Need a Phase I or II ESA? ---- Read this first (Part 1).<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For those in the commercial real estate industry, <i>our </i>business has been changed by recent amendments to Ontario’s "Brownfield" legislation.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I do presentations I often get asked: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“How does the new law impact me and my clients?”</b></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Over the next two posts I will present my list of - <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>What you need to know about Ontario’s new environmental regulations</u></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. </i> While this is not an exhaustive list, it is my goal to highlight the changes and implications of new regulations so you will be able to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>respond appropriately</u></i> to any environmental situation. </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>1.</b> <b>Phase I ESA's will take longer and cost more.</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xLx3GRzXQFU/ToxbPHMQ3nI/AAAAAAAAAGk/DB9ETivJBn8/s1600/cost+benefit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xLx3GRzXQFU/ToxbPHMQ3nI/AAAAAAAAAGk/DB9ETivJBn8/s1600/cost+benefit.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The new regulations require investigating the complete historical uses of <u>all</u> properties within 250 metres (instead of the old CSA standard of investigating just the immediate neighbours). </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><u>Result:</u></b> Better quality reports industry-wide, but plan on 3 – 4 weeks and $3000 - $4000 on per report. <i>Beware</i>: <i>a $2000 Phase 1 will probably <u>not</u> meet the new MOE standards. </i></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">2. </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">More Phase II ESA's will be required.</span></b></span></div></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The inclusion of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Potentially Contaminating Activities</i> (PCA) in the new regulations mean that if an industrial activity has ever occurred at the subject property, the soil and groundwater will likely have to be tested for contamination. (See my blog on May 4, 2011 for the complete list of PCA’s).</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>Result:</u></b> More properties will fail for contamination by virtue of more Phase II’s being completed. In addition if the Phase II is a condition for a transaction (purchase or refinance), remember it will take 4 – 6 weeks and will cost $8,000 - $10,000 on average.</span></div></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">3. </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Property owners receive a copy of Phase I & II ESA reports.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>Result:</u></b> Regardless of who orders the report(s) this amendment means property owners will have to be more forthcoming about the environmental conditions of their site(s).</span></div></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">4. </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">More stringent guidelines for 65% of pollutants.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Included in this list are common contaminants related to gas stations, automotive repair and dry cleaning activities. </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mcgoj_Ja3os/ToxbRo2qQpI/AAAAAAAAAGo/7sgBlhAxgRw/s1600/earth+drop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mcgoj_Ja3os/ToxbRo2qQpI/AAAAAAAAAGo/7sgBlhAxgRw/s1600/earth+drop.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>Result:</u></b> For some properties these new numbers will be very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. For those sites only option for obtaining a Record of Site Condition from the MOE will be through a Risk Assessment. (Remember: a Record of Site Condition is required by most banks as evidence that a site is “clean”)</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If you are going the Risk Assessment route be aware they can take many months to complete (forget the 90-day close), and there are no guarantees the MOE will accept a Record of Site Condition based on a Risk Assessment.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Although we are only a weeks into the new regulatory regime, this could prove to be a real bottle-neck for one of the Ministry of Environment’s stated goals for the new regulations: streamlining processes related to remediating contaminated sites. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">More on Risk Assessments and other important regulatory changes in next week’s blog.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-30196194784172307052011-07-15T12:57:00.017-04:002012-01-13T09:28:06.705-05:00Is a Record of Site Condition based on a Risk Assessments risky? Toronto, Ontario<div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Consider this situation: Your client wants to develop a large real estate parcel in a trendy transition neighbourhood in Toronto. The problem is the Phase II Environmental Site Assessment has determined the site is contaminated with a mix of petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs, dioxins, and heavy metals. On top of that the estimated costs to remediate, if done, would kill the project.</span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dead deal, right? Not necessary.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" m$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Mug6nH2xJI/TiBthXowEzI/AAAAAAAAAGU/CbBjsH59snQ/s320/west+don+lands+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brownfield site in Toronto</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Mug6nH2xJI/TiBthXowEzI/AAAAAAAAAGU/CbBjsH59snQ/s1600/west+don+lands+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For sites such as these a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Modified Generic Risk Assessment </i>(MGRA) may be an option. Risk Assessments (RA), which are detailed studies of the risks to human health and the ecology caused by exposure to contaminants at a particular site, have been around for years. However amendments to Ontario Regulation 153/04, include the new MGRA model, which promises to be a<span style="color: black;"> quicker and more cost-effective approach to getting a Record of Site Condition (necessary for redevelopment) on a contaminated property. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><blockquote><i><span style="color: blue;">Risk Assessments are detailed studies of the risks to human health and the surrounding ecology caused by exposure to environmental contamination at a site.</span></i></blockquote></div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">While this is good news, the Ministry of Environment reserves the right to place a Certificate of Property Use (CPU) on a Record of Site Condition based on any risk assessment. CPU’s are limitations on how a site can be used (in order to protect human health) and are registered on title. An example of a CPU would be a provision prohibiting basements if it is deemed there is a risk of noxious vapour intrusion from contaminates in the soil.</span> <br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: blue;">Certificates of Property Use can limit how a site can be developed and </span></i><i><span style="color: blue;">are registered on title.</span></i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So are Risk Assessments, risky? While it is true both traditional RA’s and MGRA’s are somewhat subjective, the strength of any Risk Assessment ultimately lies in the ability of the Risk Assessor, who does the analysis of the scientific data and submits the report.</span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Consider though: The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hypothetical</i> real estate parcel I referenced above <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">does</i> exist: It is the 80-acre West Don Lands site in downtown Toronto, which is currently being developed as the Athletes’ Village for the 2015 Pan Am Games. After the Games this site will ultimately have 6,000 new residential units and 23 acres of parks and public space, <u>all</u> on environmentally contaminated land, but with on-going risk management measures in place. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It’s a brave new world.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J9L0WXxEOJ8/TiBwFBPyAkI/AAAAAAAAAGc/uX4k8RCjJ0Q/s1600/west+don+land+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" m$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J9L0WXxEOJ8/TiBwFBPyAkI/AAAAAAAAAGc/uX4k8RCjJ0Q/s320/west+don+land+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toronto's West Don Lands - 2015 </td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next 2 blogs: Things to remember about Ontario’s new environmental legislation</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i></i></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-38075793704657052142011-06-20T08:56:00.008-04:002012-01-13T09:28:28.667-05:00Greenfields become Brownfields. Increased Costs for Real Estate development in Toronto, GTA and Ontario.<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you have read any of my recent articles on amendments to Ontario's environmental legislation, O. Reg. 153/04, you know that the due diligence process for Phase 1 environmental site assessments will become more complicated on July 1st. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c4ZN-59cv5s/TiRGgCb-XBI/AAAAAAAAAGg/r8K9qMlwjog/s1600/oil+drum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" m$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c4ZN-59cv5s/TiRGgCb-XBI/AAAAAAAAAGg/r8K9qMlwjog/s200/oil+drum.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Phase 1 ESA’s will now investigate at larger 'Phase 1 Study Area', and consider more activities that could contaminate the subject property. This is going to result in more Phase 2 environmental site assessments being recommended, to test the soil and groundwater for environmental contamination. While this will cost property owners more time and money, of greater concern is whether the property will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pass or fail</i> the lab tests. </span></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the commercial real estate world timelines can be, and often are, adjusted. And an extra $10,000 or $15,000 in fees usually won't upset a multi-million dollar transaction. But if the site is found to be contaminated this is usually a 'deal killer'.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Environmental contamination is a ‘Deal Killer’</span></i></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of the goals of the new legislation is to recognize developments in science regarding the impacts of pollutants on humans and the surrounding ecology. 65% of pollutants will thus have <u>more</u> stringent numbers in the new regs. And some of the most common offenders – chlorinated solvents, oils and gas - will see significant reductions in their limits. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Therefore after July 1st we will see many <u>more</u> properties being tested, and <u>more</u> properties failing, under the new stricter guidelines. Whether you live in Oshawa, Kitchener, Peterborough, Barrie, or Mississauga - it's assured you will have more contaminated sites. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There is however hope for some contaminated sites, often referred to as ‘Brownfields’. The Ministry of Environment has introduced a new "Modified Generic Risk Assessment" (MGRA) model, which will allow <i>some</i> contaminated sites to be deemed acceptable for redevelopment (which is one of the stated goals of the new legislation: streamlining the process for redeveloping Brownfield sites). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next week: Are Risk Assessments risky?</span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-46685690862916896762011-06-13T09:01:00.010-04:002012-01-13T09:29:25.723-05:00Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments, Toronto and beyond. Why are they costing more?<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the last blog we saw that whether you're in Toronto, London, Ottawa or even Sault Ste. Marie after July 1, 2011 a typical Phase 1 environmental site assessment will cost commercial real estate clients more money and take longer to complete.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-08iulKlvtqY/TfYErlF7QpI/AAAAAAAAAGI/npVVYkOVrn4/s1600/contaminationmed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-08iulKlvtqY/TfYErlF7QpI/AAAAAAAAAGI/npVVYkOVrn4/s1600/contaminationmed.jpg" t8="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaking drums at a GTA site</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">While many commercial real estate professionals are upset with this, there are even <u>more</u> significant changes that could make a 60 or 90-day close on commercial / industrial properties a thing of the past.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amendments to Ontario’s regulation, O. Reg 153/04, Records of Site Condition, make reference to a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">seemingly</i> innocuous term called "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">potentially contaminating activities</i>" (PCA). PCA's are industrial activities which produce pollutants that could contaminate a property, and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) has indentified 71 different PCA's. Examples include paint manufacturing, metal working, fuel storage, etc. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">See May 4, 2011 blog for the complete PCA list</i>). </span></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uzJ7ci6v0h4/TfYISU9DTeI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/g7FsYmAAYC4/s1600/DSCN1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uzJ7ci6v0h4/TfYISU9DTeI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/g7FsYmAAYC4/s320/DSCN1397.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Brownfield" site, Toronto</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">PCA's are actually well known in the environmental engineering field, but the new regulations require that when a PCA is found at a site currently or <u>anytime</u> in the past, then the Phase 1 report <u>must</u> recommend that a Phase II environmental site assessment be performed to test the soil and groundwater for contamination. </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In essence the MOE is taking decision-making out of the hands of the engineer and requiring them to recommend lab testing to ensure the site is clean. While this attempt to remove human error or human influence from the process may be well-intended, the resulting financial implications for commercial deals will be significant. </span></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">More commercial and industrial properties will require a Phase II ESA <u>and</u> have lab results confirm the site is “clean”, in order for a transaction to be approved by a bank or finance company.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The costs of a Phase II vary with each property but here is a general rule of thumb: a Phase II environmental site assessment done on a 1.5 acre industrial property with a 10,000 square-foot building will run approximately $10,000-$15,000. That’s not too bad but the problem is the extra time it will take to complete the Phase II ESA: <u>4 - 6 weeks</u>.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">However having to get a Phase II ESA is <u>not</u> the biggest concern. More important is whether the site passes the lab tests for environmental contamination. In the next blog we will discuss the implications of Phase II’s and why more sites <u>will fail</u> under the new guidelines. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Next week: How Greenfields become Brownfields. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-53610459377059967822011-06-06T09:42:00.008-04:002012-01-13T09:32:11.275-05:00Why Phase 1 ESA's will take longer and will cost more in Ontario<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As we discussed in the last blog Ontario’s new environmental legislation, <span class="notice-content-sub1"><span style="color: windowtext;">Ontario Regulation 153/04, Records of Site Condition,</span></span><span class="notice-content-sub1"><span style="color: #2d514a;"> </span></span>will become law on July 1st.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of the main goals of the new legislation is to "streamline" the site assessment process, thereby allowing contaminated properties to be remediated more efficiently.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However for Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments (ESA) “streamline” does <u>not</u> mean “quicker” or “less expensive”. Read on.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ee4WiHllwNg/TezTDI7jgCI/AAAAAAAAAGA/M6qk4W7Xx4o/s1600/phase+1+study+area+moe-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ee4WiHllwNg/TezTDI7jgCI/AAAAAAAAAGA/M6qk4W7Xx4o/s320/phase+1+study+area+moe-001.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Under the new regulations the QP (“Qualified Person”) who prepares the report must consider the impact of all properties within a 250 metre radius of the subject, what is known as "Phase One Study Area". While it has always been within a QP’s discretion to investigate any property near the subject, in practice most Phase 1’s only considered the immediate neighbours. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And given that the QP must research both the current <i>and</i> historical usage of every property within 250 metres, this alone will significantly increase the time and cost of a Phase 1 ESA. Regardless of whether it is a major Brownfield cleanup in Hamilton or a simple commercial condo sale in Toronto. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A recent survey of leading environmental engineering firms in Ontario indicated the average Phase 1 ESA will take 10 days longer to prepare, and will see costs increase from an average price of $3200 to over $5000 (<i><u>in some cases firms are simply doubling their prices</u></i>). </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next blog we will look at an even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">greater</i> impact on environmental costs for a typical commercial/industrial transaction: “Potentially Contaminating Activities”. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-51557365976659597882011-05-30T11:40:00.010-04:002012-01-13T09:33:02.448-05:00Ontario's new environmental legislation: Implications for Commercial Real Estate Professionals from Toronto to Thunder Bay<div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On July 1st Ontario's new environmental legislation, <span class="notice-content-sub1"><span style="color: windowtext;">Ontario Regulation 153/04, Records of Site Condition,</span></span><span class="notice-content-sub1"><span style="color: #2d514a;"> </span></span>will become law. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So what is the impact for commercial real estate professionals? </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At first glance it would seem 'not much', but changes to the legislation could <i><b>significantly impact both the</b></i> <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cost</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">time</i></b> it takes to close even a simple commercial deal. Whether you are redeveloping a Brownfield site in Kitchener, selling an industrial building in Toronto or just getting refinancing on commercial office condo in Ottawa, the new environmental regulations will effect your deal. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Over the next month, leading up to July 1<sup>st</sup>, I will cut through the 147-page O. Reg 153/04 and highlight important changes, so you can be better prepared to advise your clients. Today we will look at changes to the Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA).</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First we need to clarify some terminology which should be familiar to most readers but is still very important.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xcD1YXdplys/TeOy6Dl3NLI/AAAAAAAAAFg/cSuPf9Wwghg/s1600/phase+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xcD1YXdplys/TeOy6Dl3NLI/AAAAAAAAAFg/cSuPf9Wwghg/s200/phase+1.jpg" t8="true" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A Phase 1 ESA is a report prepared by a “Qualified Person” (QP), typically an engineer, which investigates a property to determine the “likelihood” of environmental contamination. No analytical testing is done for the Phase 1.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The current accepted Phase 1 ESA standard is the CSA Z768-01, however after July 1, 2011, <u>if</u> you require a “Record of Site Condition” to be filed the new <span class="notice-content-sub1"><span style="color: windowtext;">O. Reg. 153/04 </span></span>standard <u>must</u> be used. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A Record of Site Condition (RSC), is a legal a statement filed by a QP to protect property owners from environmental cleanup orders and it <u>must</u> be filed whenever a property changes to a ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more sensitive use’</i>. An example of ‘sensitive use’ is redeveloping a former gas station site for a condominium. The QP uses a Phase 1 and (often) a Phase 2 ESA to support the filing of the RSC.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So what if you site is not changing its use and do not require a RSC? Eg. A sale or refinance of a commercial / industrial building with no plans for redevelopment. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Are you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">legally</i> required to use the new Phase 1 standard? <u><b>No.</b></u> </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Will a lender require you to use the new standard? <u><b>Maybe.</b></u> </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dmVAEy_OddE/TeO4yt_LFMI/AAAAAAAAAFs/BP5N6eXwcH4/s1600/dollar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dmVAEy_OddE/TeO4yt_LFMI/AAAAAAAAAFs/BP5N6eXwcH4/s200/dollar1.jpg" t8="true" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We all know banks and lenders have their own underwriting policies, so don’t be surprised if they require the Phase 1 ESA for your site be done to the new <span class="notice-content-sub1"><span style="color: windowtext;">O. Reg. 153/04 </span></span>standard. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However if your client’s property is not being redeveloped, the question you should ask the lender is “Will you accept the CSA standard for a Phase 1?”. If the answer is “No”, ask them “Why not?”. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The worst they can say is “No, use the new regulations”. But if they say “Yes, use the CSA standard” you may save your client thousands of dollars and at least two weeks in time to prepare a Phase 1 ESA. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><u>Next Blog</u>: Why the new regulations will mean Phase 1 ESA’s will take longer and will cost more.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i></i></span></span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-90258941799835082452011-05-17T16:09:00.009-04:002012-01-13T09:37:39.455-05:00Mould Control in Toronto, GTA and all of Ontario<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hdn_uJjv53A/TdLTL-CAw8I/AAAAAAAAAFc/1TaAB0yzF-U/s1600/mould.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hdn_uJjv53A/TdLTL-CAw8I/AAAAAAAAAFc/1TaAB0yzF-U/s1600/mould.bmp" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Microscopic Mould</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Gone are the days</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"> when <span style="color: black;">Mould (or Mold - both spellings are acceptable) was simply the ‘nasty black stuff’ growing on a wall that was cleaned up with some bleach. Today we are more aware of indoor air quality and that exposure to mould can cause a wide variety of illnesses. Symptoms such as allergenic reactions or asthma attacks, can progress into severe and chronic ailments with prolonged exposure. </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">It doesn't matter where you live: Mississauga, Waterloo or Barrie, mould is everywhere. It’s in the air we breathe and grows on virtually any surface. In fact there are over 1,000 species of mold in Canada. So what can you do to protect yourself from mould and maintain reasonable indoor air quality?<i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></i></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-414YkjrnbT4/TdLIS2dGcQI/AAAAAAAAAFM/BwTPD2LB2z8/s1600/black-mold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-414YkjrnbT4/TdLIS2dGcQI/AAAAAAAAAFM/BwTPD2LB2z8/s320/black-mold.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Black' Mould in house in Toronto</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Control the Moisture, </b></i></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Control the Mould.</b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Mould requires water to grow, so it is important to prevent moisture problems in buildings. When poor ventilation is mixed with high humidity, often caused by leaking roofs and basements, the right environment for mould growth is created. Under these conditions visible mould can appear in 24 hours and will flourish, if left unchecked, eventually becoming airborne spores.</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQCtc-AztXs/TdLIZ8NlsHI/AAAAAAAAAFU/FHR1FunnlZ8/s1600/mold+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" j8="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQCtc-AztXs/TdLIZ8NlsHI/AAAAAAAAAFU/FHR1FunnlZ8/s320/mold+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Grow Op" home in Markham</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">What do you do if you see or suspect you have mould? It is recommended you get a qualified mold inspector to do an assessment. Many home owners have unwittingly made their mould situation worst by attempt to remedy the problem themselves. </span> </div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 15.6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">The inspector will test and safely remove the mould, while keeping everything outside the contamination area free from spores. Indoor air quality testing performed before and after the clean-up, will confirm the mould has been effectively removed. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"><i>Thanks to Ross Sullivan of Mold.ca for contributing to this blog. </i><a href="http://www.mold.ca/"><i>Mold.ca</i></a><i> is Canada's leading mold inspection and removal firm.</i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><img height="95" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQCtc-AztXs/TdLIZ8NlsHI/AAAAAAAAAFU/FHR1FunnlZ8/s1600/mold+1.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 389px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 767px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /> </div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-57512537576627558582011-05-04T09:49:00.007-04:002012-01-13T09:38:19.369-05:00What are "Potentially Contaminating Activities" for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, Ontario?<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ontario Ministry of Environment's new Brownfield legislation becomes law July 1, 2011. Of interest is the section called "Potentially Contaminating Activities" (PCA). PCA's refer to a use or activity "that is occurring or has occurred" at the "Phase 1 Property" or within the greater "Phase 1 Study Area" (250 metre radius from the Phase 1 site). </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WcC-1g-k_Kc/TcFWfdnwVjI/AAAAAAAAAFI/zMTHMfeGQZU/s1600/phase+1+study+area+moe-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" j8="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WcC-1g-k_Kc/TcFWfdnwVjI/AAAAAAAAAFI/zMTHMfeGQZU/s400/phase+1+study+area+moe-001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phase 1 Study Area. Source: Ministry of Environment</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Simply put a PCA is an activity which is <u>more</u> likely to cause soil and groundwater contamination (ie. gas station), vs more benign activities (office). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If a PCA is found to have occured at the Phase 1 Property, during a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment, then the report <u>must</u> recommend a Phase II ESA be conducted (ie. testing of the soil and groundwater). This will undoubtably mean more time, more money for a Phase 1 ESA. This coupled with stricter guidelines for most (65%) contaminants, means there will be a higher probability of a site being found to be contaminated during the Phase II Environmental Site Assessment investigation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If a PCA is found off the site but within the 250 meter Phase 1 Study Area, the investigator (known as "Qualified Person" or "QP") still has the discretion to recommend a Phase II, but it is not required.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So what are these "Potentially Contaminating Activities"? The new regulations identify 71 PCA's, which are unfortunately buried within the lengthy Ontario Regulation 153/04 Records of Site Conditions - Part XV.1 of the Act. For ease of reference I have post the list below. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Remember</u> just because a property has or had a PCA does NOT mean it is contaminated. But a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment will have to be conducted before a lender will sign-off on financing.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've highlighted the "common offenders" for ease of reference.</span><br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 531px;"><colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 950; mso-width-source: userset; width: 20pt;" width="26"></col><col style="mso-width-alt: 5522; mso-width-source: userset; width: 113pt;" width="151"></col><col style="mso-width-alt: 950; mso-width-source: userset; width: 20pt;" width="26"></col><col style="mso-width-alt: 5522; mso-width-source: userset; width: 113pt;" width="151"></col><col style="mso-width-alt: 950; mso-width-source: userset; width: 20pt;" width="26"></col><col style="mso-width-alt: 5522; mso-width-source: userset; width: 113pt;" width="151"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="70" style="height: 52.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="70" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black 1pt solid; height: 52.5pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black 1pt solid; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Abrasive blasting</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black 1pt solid; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">24</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black 1pt solid; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Plastics (including Fibreglass) Manufacturing, Processing, Storage and Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black 1pt solid; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">48</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black 1pt solid; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mining, Smelting or Refining; Ore Processing; Tailings Storage</span></td></tr>
<tr height="38" style="height: 28.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="38" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 28.5pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Airstrips or Hangars Operation</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rubber Manufacturing or Processing</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">49</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mining of Coal</span></td></tr>
<tr height="54" style="height: 40.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="54" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 40.5pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Antifreeze Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Bulk Storage, Handling, Disposal or Recycling</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">26</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Soap or Detergent Manufacturing, Processing or Bulk Storage</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">50</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Military Exercises</span></td></tr>
<tr height="56" style="height: 42pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="56" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 42pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Laboratory or Chemical Analysis</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">27</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Solvent Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">51</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ordnance Use, Demolition or Disposal</span></td></tr>
<tr height="73" style="height: 54.75pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="73" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 54.75pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Asphalt or Bitumen Manufacture or Bulk Storage</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">28</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Drum and Barrel or Tank Reconditioning or Recycling</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">52</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">De-icing and Antifreeze Agent Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td></tr>
<tr height="57" style="height: 42.75pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="57" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 42.75pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Battery Manufacturing, Recycling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">29</span></td><td class="xl68" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><b>Dry Cleaning (where chemicals are used)</b></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">53</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Salt Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td></tr>
<tr height="74" style="height: 55.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="74" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 55.5pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boat Building and Maintenance</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">30</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Electrical Equipment or Transformer Manufacturing, Processing, or Use</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">54</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oil or Gas Refining and Storage</span></td></tr>
<tr height="56" style="height: 42pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="56" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 42pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Concrete, Cement or Lime Manufacturing</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">31</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Electricity Generation or Transformation or Power Stations</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">55</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oil Production</span></td></tr>
<tr height="54" style="height: 40.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="54" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 40.5pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">9</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Putrescible Materials Handling, Disposal or Recycling Cemeteries</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">32</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Electronic or Computer Equipment Manufacturing or Reconditioning</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">56</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Discharge of Brine</span></td></tr>
<tr height="88" style="height: 66pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="88" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 66pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">9</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Putrescible Materials Handling, Disposal or Recycling</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">33</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Explosives or Ammunition Manufacturing, Production, Use, Bulk Storage, Demolition or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">57</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Heating Oil Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td></tr>
<tr height="62" style="height: 46.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="62" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 46.5pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">10</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chemical Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fire Training</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">58</span></td><td class="xl68" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><b>Motor Vehicle Operation or Maintenance</b></td></tr>
<tr height="68" style="height: 51pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="68" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 51pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Acid or Alkali Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">35</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fire Retardant Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">59</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Port Activities, including Operation and Maintenance of Wharves and Docks</span></td></tr>
<tr height="69" style="height: 51.75pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 51.75pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">12</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Adhesives or Resins Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">36</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foundry Operations</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">60</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Printing and Duplicating</span></td></tr>
<tr height="71" style="height: 53.25pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="71" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 53.25pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">13</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cosmetics Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Bulk Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">37</span></td><td class="xl68" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><b>Fuel Storage and Dispensing</b></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">61</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing and Processing</span></td></tr>
<tr height="58" style="height: 43.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="58" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 43.5pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">14</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dye Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">38</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Coal Gasification</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">62</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Salvage or Junk Yard Operation or both</span></td></tr>
<tr height="69" style="height: 51.75pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 51.75pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">15</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fertilizer Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Bulk Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">39</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gas Manufacturing, Processing and Storage</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">63</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Scrap Metal Recovery and Auto Wrecking</span></td></tr>
<tr height="72" style="height: 54pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="72" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 54pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">16</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Flocculants Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">40</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ink Manufacturing, Processing or Storage</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">64</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sewage Treatment</span></td></tr>
<tr height="49" style="height: 36.75pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="49" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 36.75pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">17</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foam or Expanded Foam Manufacturing or Processing</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">41</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Iron and Steel Manufacturing or Processing</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">65</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tanning (and associated trades activities)</span></td></tr>
<tr height="41" style="height: 30.75pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="41" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 30.75pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">18</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Glass Manufacturing</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">42</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Coke Oven Operation</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">66</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Textile Manufacturing or Processing</span></td></tr>
<tr height="40" style="height: 30pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="40" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 30pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">19</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Landfilling</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">43</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Incinerating or other Thermal Processing</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">67</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wood Treating, Preservation and Storage</span></td></tr>
<tr height="211" style="height: 158.25pt;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="211" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 158.25pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">20</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Paint Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Bulk Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">44</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Machine Maintenance and Operation, Metal Fabrication</span></td><td align="right" class="xl67" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>68</b></span></td><td class="xl68" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><b>Automotive Repair or Maintenance; Autobody Shop Operation; Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Garages (Auto, bus, truck, railcar, marine, aviation vehicles, etc.)</b></td></tr>
<tr height="105" style="height: 78.75pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="105" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 78.75pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">21</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pesticides (including Herbicides, Fungicides and Anti-Fouling Agents) Manufacturing, Processing, Use, Storage, Handling or Disposal</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">45</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Metal Treatment or Coating</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">69</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vehicle Manufacturing and Associated Activities</span></td></tr>
<tr height="53" style="height: 39.75pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="53" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 39.75pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">22</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Processing or Storage</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">46</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Metal Plating or Finishing</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">70</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Waste Disposal or Waste Management — other than the use of biosolids as soil conditioners</span></td></tr>
<tr height="35" style="height: 26.25pt;"><td align="right" class="xl65" height="35" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black 1pt solid; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; height: 26.25pt; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">23</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photographic Processing</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">47</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Metal Fabrication</span></td><td align="right" class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 20pt;" width="26"><span style="font-size: x-small;">71</span></td><td class="xl66" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: black 1pt solid; border-left: black; border-right: black 1pt solid; border-top: black; width: 113pt;" width="151"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Importation of Fill Material of Unknown Quality</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-51159236649462773702011-03-01T12:12:00.019-05:002012-01-13T09:39:09.658-05:00Did you Know? - The script to the amazing video.<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cCBeP0OwPnU/TW0nKN67kBI/AAAAAAAAAEo/yks_fYqh6jY/s1600/did+you+know+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cCBeP0OwPnU/TW0nKN67kBI/AAAAAAAAAEo/yks_fYqh6jY/s1600/did+you+know+2.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">You may have seen the video that Sony Corp. played to their shareholders, called "Did you Know?".</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The video, which runs barely 5-minutes, hits the viewer with rapid fire stats about the seismic demographic and technological changes that are happening in our world.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Researchers on the project Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Brenman present the facts and leave it to you to decide "So what does it all mean?"</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Below is the script for the video. F</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">eel free read, absorb, copy and share.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">You can see the video on YouTube (over 13,400,000 views so far) </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><ul><li><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">"Did you know if you are one in 1 million in China, there are 1300 people just like you. China will soon become the #1 English speaking country in the world.</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The 25% of India's population with the highest IQ's is greater than the total population of the United States. Translation: India has more honors kids than America has kids.</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that haven't been invented, in order to solve problems we do not even know are problems yet. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The US Department of Labor estimates that today's learner will have 10 to 14 jobs by the age of 38. One in four workers has been with their current employer for less than one year. One and two has been there less than five years.</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">One in eight couples married in the US last year met online.</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">There are over 200 million registered users on MySpace. If MySpace were a country it would be the fifth largest in the world (between Indonesia and Brazil).</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The #1 ranked country in broadband Internet penetration is Bermuda, #19 is the United States, #22 is Japan.</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DfEfHvydqOY/TW0nM6OOVCI/AAAAAAAAAEs/FW-cAKzJL64/s1600/growth+chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DfEfHvydqOY/TW0nM6OOVCI/AAAAAAAAAEs/FW-cAKzJL64/s1600/growth+chart.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We are living in exponential times. There are 31 billion searches on Google every month. In 2006, this number was 2.7 billion. To whom were these questions addressed B.G.? (before Google). The first commercial text message was sent in December of 1992. Today, the number of text messages sent and received everyday, exceeds the population of the planet. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It took to reach a market audience of 50 million: radio 38 years, TV 13 years, Internet four years, iPod three years, Facebook two years. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The number of Internet devices in 1984 was 1,000; the number of Internet devices in 1992 was 1,000,000; the number of Internet devices in 2008 is 1,000,000,000.</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">There are about 540,000 words in the English language. About 5X as many as during Shakespeare's time. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It is estimated that a week's worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th century. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It is estimated that 4 exabytes (4x10^19) of unique information will be generated this year. That is more than the previous 5000 years. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The amount of new technical information is doubling every two years. For students starting a four-year technical degree, this means that half of what they learn in the first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">NTT Japan successfully tested a fiber optic cable that pushes 14 trillion bits per second down the single strand of fiber. That is 2660 CDs for 210 million phone calls every second. It is currently tripling every six months and is expected to do so for the next 20 years. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Pd7gwekxaVU/TW0nPUAVCdI/AAAAAAAAAEw/lDZWy7Vhyp0/s1600/brain+chip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Pd7gwekxaVU/TW0nPUAVCdI/AAAAAAAAAEw/lDZWy7Vhyp0/s1600/brain+chip.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">By 2013 supercomputer will be built that exceeds the computational capabilities of the human brain. Predictions are that by 2049 a $1000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">During the course of this (5 min) presentation 67 babies were born in the US, 274 babies were born in China, and 395 babies were born in India. And 694,000 songs were downloaded illegally. </span></div></li>
</ul><div class="MsoPlainText" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">So what does it all mean?"</span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-67204305681189373452011-02-23T16:25:00.005-05:002012-01-13T09:39:31.730-05:00Environmental Site Assessments – Phase 3 – The Site Clean-Up<div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In the last blog we discovered that a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is used to test the soil and groundwater at a property to determine the “location and concentration” of suspected contamination. If contamination is found and it is over the legal limit, a property owner may elect to clean-up or remediate the site. This clean-up process is call Phase III or Site Remediation.</span></div><div class="normalweb1" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Site remediation technologies can be divided into 2 categories:</span></div><ol><li><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1kOxoIeNOcE/TWVx5pJgCrI/AAAAAAAAAEg/UoEZN64bpKM/s1600/brownfield+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" j6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1kOxoIeNOcE/TWVx5pJgCrI/AAAAAAAAAEg/UoEZN64bpKM/s320/brownfield+4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“In Situ” – Latin meaning ‘On Site’</span></div></li>
<li><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“Ex Situ” – Latin meaning ‘Off Site’ </span></div></li>
</ol><div class="normalweb1" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">On site “In Situ” treatment methods involve treating the contamination right at the site. While “Ex Situ” methods involve physically moving the contaminated material to an “off site” location for treatment, then backfilling with a clean-fill material.</span></div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">There are many factors to consider in choosing the best treatment method including: type of contamination and its concentration, soil conditions, time available, and budget. Depending on the situation, the best treatment method may not be the most effective or cost-efficient. </span></div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2SjvjKMSn10/TWVwnYlNIUI/AAAAAAAAAEc/ZDvt9XxtqlU/s1600/brownfield+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2SjvjKMSn10/TWVwnYlNIUI/AAAAAAAAAEc/ZDvt9XxtqlU/s320/brownfield+2.jpg" width="213" /></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Consider the following example: You own a commercial property and receive an offer to purchase for $2,000,000 but your site is contaminated. Using "in situ" Bioremediation (using natural microbes which digest the contaminants) would cost approximately $20,000 but it will take 18-24 months to complete. But if your sale closes in 90 days you will be forced to remove the contaminated soil using a more expensive “ex situ” method. While you may remediate the site and complete your sale, the final clean-up cost could be closer to $250,000.</span></div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vEjcEEh-uWo/TWV6rFiT-PI/AAAAAAAAAEk/HG5UAInRsSE/s1600/tree.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" j6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vEjcEEh-uWo/TWV6rFiT-PI/AAAAAAAAAEk/HG5UAInRsSE/s1600/tree.bmp" /></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When it comes to dealing with environmental contamination it is better to be pro-active. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Remember even if your site is found to be contaminated, you are the client, and the engineering firm is under no legal obligation to report their findings to any government body, unless it is believed that the contamination seriously endangers the safety or welfare of the public. </span></div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="normalweb1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">If you suspect contamination, have it tested. Don’t ignore it. If it contamination does exists, it is often under the limits. If it happens to be over the limits then at least you have bought yourself time to explore cost-effective options.</span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-16769731481525575582011-02-11T12:41:00.007-05:002012-01-13T09:40:57.006-05:00Greenhouse Gas Solution? - Listen to Frank Sinatra<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-melJ0wupH10/TVVtQGVbb3I/AAAAAAAAADk/_WkkpIYRJDg/s1600/Frank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-melJ0wupH10/TVVtQGVbb3I/AAAAAAAAADk/_WkkpIYRJDg/s1600/Frank.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">With all respects to Frank Sinatra’s family, perhaps Ol’ Blue Eyes was on to something when he recorded his immortal song “Downtown” in 1966. As we saw in the last blog – 'Want clean air? Move to the City', some urban neighbourhoods in Toronto produce only 10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">%</span></span> of the C02 that their suburban cousins emit.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">But even if urban neighbourhoods are more environmentally-friendly, from a greenhouse gas perspective, is developing them economically feasible? Also if you do build (assuming there is space) will people actually choose to live there? I believe the answer to both questions is “yes”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consider these facts:</span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">In Canada alone it is estimated that there are as many as 100,000 Brownfield sites, mainly in urban locations, which could be re-developed for residential use. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that compared to suburbs, re-developed urban neighbourhoods have: 33-57% less vehicle miles travelled; 47-62% less storm water run-off; and have both decreased crime and increased property values.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Susan Wachter at Wharton School -</span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> University of Pennsylvania </span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">found that re-developed vacant lots used for green space increased nearby residential properties values by up to 30%. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Other studies in cities such as St.Louis and Boulder show that re-developed urban land can even stabilize rents and values in declining markets. Collectively this helps communities to expand their tax base.</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UPawtJ4JLSM/TVVwP1dCdwI/AAAAAAAAADo/V-v9wSraytg/s1600/green+roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UPawtJ4JLSM/TVVwP1dCdwI/AAAAAAAAADo/V-v9wSraytg/s1600/green+roof.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The</span> </b>land is available and the economic benefits can be quantified, but will people really choose to live in the city? </span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">According to a survey <span style="color: black;">reported on by</span><span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2011/01/13/no-mcmansions-for-millennials/"><span style="color: blue;">the Wall Street Journal</span></a></span> - 88% of Millennials or “Gen Y’s” (those born between 1977 and 1994), want to live in an urban setting instead of the suburbs. That statistic is even more significant when you consider there are now more Gen Y’s than Baby-boomers. In the United States there are 80 million Gen Y’s, and another 9.2 million in Canada. 9.2 million in population represents the Greater Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary areas combined!</span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Therefore there is a huge demand for urban communities. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">While certainly some Gen Y’s will eventually move to the suburbs, many from this huge demographic will choose to not be a "slave-to-the-car<b>"</b>, and will create a "</span><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">new urban renaissance". </span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-42785166208887911832011-02-10T12:10:00.006-05:002012-01-13T09:41:44.795-05:00Want cleaner air? Move to the City<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shock was my first reaction to this front page headline from the Toronto Star's - Greater Toronto section (2/10/11), but as it turns out the facts speak for themselves. The article referenced a report called: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cities and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Moving Forward</i>, published in January’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Environment and Urbanization</i>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The writer’s (Dan Hoornwed, Lead Urban Specialist at the World Bank and University of Toronto masters student, Lorraine Sugar) analyzed residential greenhouse gas emissions in the Great Toronto Area, and found, amazingly, that some Toronto suburbs produced 10x more CO2 emissions per capita than their downtown cousins. Yes 10 times more CO2! This is NOT a typo. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How could this be? Isn’t the big bad city the problem? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn0Edf3Vb2I/TVV4UHjLEsI/AAAAAAAAADs/MjrwbeUwVgA/s1600/toronto+traffic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="231" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn0Edf3Vb2I/TVV4UHjLEsI/AAAAAAAAADs/MjrwbeUwVgA/s320/toronto+traffic.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The report cited increase heating and electrical used to manage the bigger houses (not to mention the environmental impact of more raw materials used to build the houses). In addition Toronto suburbs (read “<b>every North American suburb</b>”) have transportation issues as they have “developed a way of life that is highly automotive dependant”. </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The suggested solutions to the problem seemed sparse: take public transit, retro-fit your home to make it more energy efficient, protect farmland, etc. No new news here. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t get me wrong these are all good ideas but there is a growing belief that only way to curb our C02 problem is if society makes a significant shift away from the suburban “slave-to-car” lifestyle.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The good news is there IS a solution to the problem and, perhaps most importantly, it is doable and there already exists significant support for the idea! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my next blog I will detail this idea. But I will give you a hint – It’s where Frank Sinatra said “we can forget all our troubles and forget all our cares”. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Next Blog: Greenhouse Gas Solution? - <i>Listen to Frank Sinatra</i></span></b></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><b> </b></i></span></span></span> </span></div></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-29256335193070484262011-01-25T10:00:00.006-05:002012-01-13T09:45:35.518-05:00Environmental Site Assessments - Phase II - The Burden of Proof<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">In the last blog we discovered that a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is an investigation performed by a Qualified Person (QP), to determine if it is “likely” that a property is contaminated.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TUAs_YV5GwI/AAAAAAAAADY/5gjhdhXJ-Zc/s1600/DSCN1417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TUAs_YV5GwI/AAAAAAAAADY/5gjhdhXJ-Zc/s200/DSCN1417.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">If it is determined that contamination is "likely" then the QP will recommend performing a Phase II ESA to find the <b>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">location</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">concentration”</i></b> of the suspected<i> </i>pollutants. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">To use a CSI analogy, there is a body but lab tests must be run to determine if a crime was committed. Similarly a Phase II ESA will test the soil, water and air on or under a property to see if contamination exists.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TUAtUsdZBpI/AAAAAAAAADc/ReVnVXzI62s/s1600/Chalk+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TUAtUsdZBpI/AAAAAAAAADc/ReVnVXzI62s/s200/Chalk+line.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">The investigative procedures used in CSI and an ESA are remarkably similar. The QP does the following in preparing a Phase II report:</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"></span></div></div><ol style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><b>Review</b> <b>Phase 1 and plan the site investigation</b>.</span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><b>Conduct</b> <b>drilling, sampling and lab testing.</b></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><b>Evaluate</b> <b>the lab results.</b></span></li>
</ol><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; tab-stops: list 2.0cm;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TT7hDeZnJ7I/AAAAAAAAADM/DserKV5eL6g/s1600/CSI+Danny+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TT7hDeZnJ7I/AAAAAAAAADM/DserKV5eL6g/s1600/CSI+Danny+1.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">If contamination is found <u>and</u> it is above the guidelines, then the Phase II report will recommend performing a Phase 3 ESA, or “Site Remediation” to clean-up the property. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">If you would like to see how soil and groundwater samples are collected then watch the videos on our blog, go to our Facebook page, or go to YouTube and search "Fisher Environmental"</span></div></div><div style="tab-stops: list 2.0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"> </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Next Blog: Environmental Site Assessments - Phase III – <i>'The Site Clean-Up'</i></span></b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-40390896828043393252011-01-17T10:42:00.017-05:002012-01-13T09:46:07.489-05:00Environmental Site Assessments - Phase 1 - The Investigation<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">In the last post we learned that an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is an industry-recognized tool </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">that seeks to answer two questions:</span></span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">What is the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>"<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b>likelihood</b></i>" of contamination on, in or under the property?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">If it is likely, then what is the “<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">location</i> and </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b>concentration</b>”</i> of the contamination?</span></span></li>
</ol><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TTRiPCX18AI/AAAAAAAAADI/KzkQinkCBNc/s1600/DSCN1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TTRiPCX18AI/AAAAAAAAADI/KzkQinkCBNc/s320/DSCN1396.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To answer these questions we use different types of ESA’s. A Phase I ESA answers the first question, while a Phase II ESA answers the second question. </span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So how does a Phase I determine that a property is “likely” to be contaminated? </span></span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every ESA is performed by a “Qualified Person” or “QP” (usually with training in a science or engineering). You can think of a QP as a kind of CSI detective. But instead of examining a body, a QP examines a property. And instead of looking for evidence of a crime, a QP looks for evidence of environmental contamination. </span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TTRhmVqXBuI/AAAAAAAAADE/fiH8FEuFwPY/s1600/horatio+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 207px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 132px;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TTRhmVqXBuI/AAAAAAAAADE/fiH8FEuFwPY/s200/horatio+1.jpg" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The investigative procedures used in CSI and an ESA are remarkably similar. The QP does the following to prepare the Phase I.</span></span></div><ol><li><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><b>Review Records</b> (surveys, deeds, aerial photos, reports of spills)</span></span></div></li>
<li><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><b>C</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><b>onduct Interviews</b> (owners, neighbours, employees, tenants)</span></span></div></li>
<li><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><b>Do Site Reconnaissance</b> (look for physical evidence of contamination).</span></span></div></li>
</ol><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; tab-stops: list 2.0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The QP evaluates all the evidence and then writes the Phase I report. If the QP suspects that contamination exists on the property, then the Phase 1 ESA will recommend performing a Phase II ESA, to validate those suspicions. </span></span></div><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next Blog: Environmental Site Assessments - Phase II - <i>'The Burden of Proof'</i></span></span></b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-16670839696800850692011-01-10T12:28:00.040-05:002012-01-13T09:44:02.287-05:00Environmental Site Assessments - What are they? - Toronto, Ontario<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">What is an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA)? </span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Not sure?</b></span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">For many real estate professionals environmental site assessments, or ESA’s, are just another condition on the deal. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Like many conditions we don’t pay much attention to them unless there is an issue. However environmental issues are often <b>"deal killers".</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TStHct9Z4hI/AAAAAAAAACk/0I6aGfqun58/s1600/contaminationmed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TStHct9Z4hI/AAAAAAAAACk/0I6aGfqun58/s200/contaminationmed.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Can deals with environmental issues be saved? Sometimes “yes”, sometimes “no”, however having some basic knowledge could help you to salvage a deal, or even decide that a deal is not worth your time.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Over the next few posts I will explain the Environmental Site Assessment process, so when you face an environmental issue on a property, you will be prepared to make the right decision. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TStHeR0cDJI/AAAAAAAAACw/C1TlzMKi4Lg/s1600/mould+image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TStHeR0cDJI/AAAAAAAAACw/C1TlzMKi4Lg/s200/mould+image1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: large;">Let’s begin.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><u><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">What’s an Environmental Site Assessment or ESA?</span></u><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An ESA is an assessment of real property done in accordance to recognized standards, and performed by a “Qualified Person” (usually with a scientific or engineering background). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">The ESA seeks to answer two questions:</span></div><ol><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">What is the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>"<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">likelihood</i>" of environmental contamination on, in, or under the property? </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">If contamination <u>is</u> likely, what is the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">location</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">concentration”</i> of the contamination?</span></div></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><u><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Why order an ESA?</span></u><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An ESA is an industry recognized and standardized due diligence tool that is required by most lenders and purchasers of all commercial and some residential properties. An ESA helps protect the parties in a transaction against Environmental and Legal Liability. In some ways an ESA is analogous to having insurance. A few thousand dollars spent to ensure a site is clean can save you hundreds of thousands or even millions in remediation costs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><b>Next Blog: Environmental Site Assessments - Phase 1 - <i>'The Investigation'</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2443741464528420896.post-53410806426141801102010-12-13T12:26:00.010-05:002012-01-13T09:46:34.631-05:00Is Asbestos Dangerous?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was commonly used in much of North America until the 1980’s for acoustic and thermal insulation, and fire proofing. As such many older industrial, commercial and residential buildings still have asbestos-containing materials which can include: ceiling tiles, plaster, texture coat (stucco), drywall compound, vinyl floor tiles and sheeting, pipe insulation, and some </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">loose-fill vermiculite insulation</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TQZBMsxjldI/AAAAAAAAABc/Tpgop-atcuc/s1600/600px-Anthophyllite_asbestos_SEM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nbtHoDO7sN8/TQZBMsxjldI/AAAAAAAAABc/Tpgop-atcuc/s200/600px-Anthophyllite_asbestos_SEM.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Asbestos is made up of microscopic bundles of fibres </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">that can become airborne when the asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed. When these fibres get into the air they may be inhaled into the lungs, where they can cause significant health problems. Prolonged exposure to high levels of asbestos fibres has been link to diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma or asbestosis. </span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In an effort to limit people’s exposure to asbestos the Ministry of Labour’s, Occupation Health and Safety Act, has listed asbestos as one of 11 “Designated Substances” (Other products on this list include lead, arsenic and mercury), with specific procedures regarding the use, handling and disposal of these products. For buildings containing any Designated Substances annual <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Designated Substance Surveys</i> are recommended to verify the condition of the products and whether repair or removal is required. </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So is asbestos dangerous? Yes it is. First though you should determine if products in your home or workplace contain asbestos or other 'Designated Substances'. The best way to do this is have an experienced consultant inspect and analyze any suspected products. Be sure and be safe.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><i><u>Something to ponder:</u> The use of asbestos in Canada today is very limited, but more than 240,000 tonnes of asbestos is mined each year in Quebec, making Canada the fourth largest exporter of asbestos in the world. The main destinations for Canadian asbestos are countries such as India and Pakistan, where safety regulations surrounding asbestos handling and use are either sparse or non-existent.</i></span></b></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0