Alberta will fund Indigenous legal challenges in support of energy projects

Alberta’s government is setting aside $10-million to help Indigenous groups use the courts to support oil pipelines and other resource projects. Premier Jason Kenney has argued that a small group of well-funded First Nations, which have successfully used the courts to derail projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, have had a louder voice than those in favour because of their access to funds. The province will accept proposals from First Nations or Métis communities, as well as corporations or non-profit groups with Indigenous involvement, to file new lawsuits or intervene in existing cases. Groups applying for the money must support projects that “improve Alberta’s interests.” The Alberta government also plans to launch a Crown corporation this fall to offer loan guarantees and other help to Indigenous-led proposals to buy into the Trans Mountain pipeline or other resource projects.

Input sought on the OPP’s Proactive Vessel Management Initiative

As part of the Oceans Protection Plan, the Government of Canada is seeing input through its Let's Talk Oceans Protection Plan website on proposals to develop a new and more collaborative approach to managing marine traffic issues in local waterways. The draft framework is available online and the comment period closes on Friday, September 27, 2019.

Canada Labour Code Changes September 2019

Federal employers finally have an in-force date for the recent amendments to the Canada Labour Code contained in Bill C-63 and Bill C-86. On September 1, 2019 workplaces subject to the Canada Labour Code need to prepare for major changes to a range of statutory provisions governing everything from work scheduling to leave entitlements to termination of employment, among many others. The changes will begin to take effect in September 2019.    

Vessel speed limits for Gulf of St. Lawrence lifted

Transport Canada has released Ship Safety Bulletin 11/2019 to adapt to the changing migration of North Atlantic Right Whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The previous interim measures slowing vessels down within the designated shipping lanes may have been pushing ships closer to where the endangered mammals are now gathering as vessels were altering routes to compensate for the lower speeds in the previous order. The whales have not been seen in the shipping lanes recently, and as result the interim measures have been adjusted.

Canada surpasses marine conservation target

The Government of Canada expects to surpass its marine conservation target of 10 percent protection of marine and coastal areas by 2020. The new Tuvaijuittuq ​​​​​​(meaning "the place where the ice never melts") marine protected area planned off the Nunavut coast would ban new or additional human activities in the area for up to five years, but still allows Inuit to hunt and fish. There are also exceptions for emergency activities, some scientific research and "certain activities carried out by a foreign national, entity, ship or state. This new marine protected area combined with the Tallurutiup Imanga national marine conservation area in the northeastern region of Nunavut covers more than 427,000 square kilometres.

This follows an order-in-council, issued on July 28 by cabinet, that prohibits all offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic, building off a moratorium on issuing new oil and gas licenses announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016, alongside then-U.S. president Barack Obama. The new order-in-council is to remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2021 as the federal cabinet has the power to prohibit certain oil and gas work in Arctic offshore areas if deemed to be in the national interest, and the authority to freeze the terms of licence holders in those areas during the ongoing moratorium.

OPP provides $2.7M for Community Boat Program

Through the Oceans Protection Plan, the Canadian Coast Guard launched the Indigenous Community Boat Volunteer Pilot Program. Under this program, communities are encouraged to build up their on-water search and rescue capacity and funding is provided to support the purchase of boats, and other required equipment. This week $2.7 million in funding was announced for 14 communities and the investment is expected to add support to Coast Guard Auxiliary members in coastal regions across Canada.

Battery-powered big ships may be on their way

e5 Lab Inc., a venture between Asahi Tanker Co., Exeno Yamamizu Corp., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corp is seeking to build the world’s first zero-emission tanker by mid-2021 that will be powered by large-capacity batteries and will operate in Tokyo Bay. Momentum is gathering for fully electric ships, with Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc offering battery-powered ship engines starting last year, and Norway’s Kongsberg Gruppen ASA is developing an electric container vessel. There are still challenges in making the technology applicable to ships navigating thousands of miles across oceans because of the need to recharge batteries.

Germany seizes record amount of cocaine at Port of Hamburg

Custom officers have found 4.5 tons of cocaine onboard a containership at the Port of Hamburg, representing the largest-ever cocaine shipment seized in this country. The shipment consisted of more than 4,200 parcels in 211 black sports bags in a container aboard an unnamed vessel. The cocaine has a street value of around EUR 1 billion (USD 1.1 billion).

Hapag-Lloyd sets fine for misdeclared hazardous cargoes

Following last week’s article on OOCL's plans to step up inspections on dangerous goods, Hapag-Lloyd has since advised that it will impose a fine of $15,000 for each container of misdeclared hazardous cargoes starting on September 15th. This decision comes after Hapag-Lloyd’s Yantian Express suffered a fire that caused millions of dollars of damage.