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Full-Text Articles in Law

Liability For Marine Pollution From Offshore Operations, A William Moreira, Cecily Strickland, David Henley Oct 2003

Liability For Marine Pollution From Offshore Operations, A William Moreira, Cecily Strickland, David Henley

Dalhousie Law Journal

This paper addresses various aspects of liability for marine pollution arising from offshore operations. The myriad of provincial, federal and international instruments which are relevant to pollution in the offshore generates complex compliance and liability issues. An operator may be subject to both criminal and civil liability for pollution under several different legislative regimes. This paper is divided into two parts. First, compliance considerations are reviewed with the primary compliance requirements under the various acts and regulations applicable to offshore operations highlighted. In the second part, the extent of civil liability for marine pollution is examined.


Offshore Employment And Occupational Health And Safety Issues, John Macpherson Oct 2003

Offshore Employment And Occupational Health And Safety Issues, John Macpherson

Dalhousie Law Journal

In Canada responsibility for regulating labour relations, employment and occupational health and safety matters is shared between the federal and provincial governments. In this paper the author describes the complexities of the legislative regime governing the Nova Scotia offshore. Specifically, he looks at section 157 of the Nova Scotia Accord Act (Canada), certification of workers offshore, and occupational health and safety legislation.


Provincial Entitlement To Gas Trunk Line Ownership - Enforceability And Constitutionality, Dufferin Harper Oct 2003

Provincial Entitlement To Gas Trunk Line Ownership - Enforceability And Constitutionality, Dufferin Harper

Dalhousie Law Journal

The author discusses the interpretation of section 40 of the Nova Scotia Accord Act (Canada) and the Nova Scotia Accord Act (Nova Scotia). The section provides that the Government of Nova Scotia be given "a reasonable opportunity" to acquire on a "commercial basis" up to a fifty percent ownership in the Nova Scotia trunkine in certain circumstances. He points out that even though the dispute between the Federal and Provincial governments regarding the ownership of the offshore appears to be on hold, the issue is relevant to the application of section 40.


Occupational Health And Safety: The New Regime For The East Coast Offshore, Susan E. Gover Oct 2003

Occupational Health And Safety: The New Regime For The East Coast Offshore, Susan E. Gover

Dalhousie Law Journal

The Governments of Canada, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador are moving to enshrine existing offshore occupational health and safety (OHS) practices into the Atlantic Accord legislation governing the regulation of petroleum-related activity off the eastern coast of Canada. The proposed OHS amendments discussed in this paper are intended to provide a comprehensive legal framework to achieve the same kind of protection for offshore workers that onshore workers currently enjoy. Application of occupational health and safety laws in the offshore will be clarified so that these amendments, and not other federal or provincial OHS laws, will apply to any workplace …


Key Issues In The New Regime Of Occupational Health And Safety: The Right To Refuse Work And Directors' And Officers' Liability, Jim Thistle, Matthew Clarke, Joshua Martin Oct 2003

Key Issues In The New Regime Of Occupational Health And Safety: The Right To Refuse Work And Directors' And Officers' Liability, Jim Thistle, Matthew Clarke, Joshua Martin

Dalhousie Law Journal

This article examines the existing and proposed occupational health and safety regulatory regimes for oil and gas operations offshore Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador The article provides historical context for both the existing and the proposed regimes. Two specific areas of concern are analysed: the right to refuse work and directors' and officers' liability. For each issue, the author offers observations on the potential impacts that the implementation of proposed legislation will have on offshore oil and gas operations in these jurisdictions


Effective And Efficient Regulation Of The Offshore Oil Industry: The 2001 White Rose Public Review Process, Peter O'Flaherty, Matthew Clarke Oct 2003

Effective And Efficient Regulation Of The Offshore Oil Industry: The 2001 White Rose Public Review Process, Peter O'Flaherty, Matthew Clarke

Dalhousie Law Journal

Section 44(2)(b) of the provincial and federal Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Acts provides for a public review of proposed developments of petroleum resources as part of the existing regulatory approval process for the Newfoundland Offshore Area. To date, public reviews have been conducted for three offshore oil developments: Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose. This paper examines the effectiveness and efficiency of the public review process for the White Rose Project. The author concludes that the review process was effective in successfully gathering public input and reporting this information to the CNOPB. Despite CNOPB's failure to accept many of the …


Newfoundland Generic Royalty Regime, Jack Thrasher Oct 2003

Newfoundland Generic Royalty Regime, Jack Thrasher

Dalhousie Law Journal

This paper reviews the regulations under the Newfoundland and Labrador Petroleum and Natural Gas Act governing the Newfoundland generic royalty regime. The author also points to some unresolved issues; in particular he discusses transportation costs and the parameters of ministerial discretion.


Offshore Seismic And Fisheries And Environmental Issues - How Can They Be Reconciled?: A Case Study On The Public Review On The Effects Of Potential Oil And Gas Exploration Offshore Cape Breton, David Macdougall Oct 2003

Offshore Seismic And Fisheries And Environmental Issues - How Can They Be Reconciled?: A Case Study On The Public Review On The Effects Of Potential Oil And Gas Exploration Offshore Cape Breton, David Macdougall

Dalhousie Law Journal

The author describes the review process preceding the 2003 CNSOPB decision which permitted seismic activities offshore of Cape Breton. The process included a public review conducted by Commissioner Dr. Teresa MacNeil and the subsequent establishment of an Ad Hoc Working Group (part of the CNSOPB's existing Fisheries and Environment Advisory Committee (FEAC)) and a Science Working Group reporting to the Ad Hoc Working Group. In the author's view, the Ad Hoc Working Group arrived at the anticipated result; that is, continued disagreement among the opposing parties on the fundamental issues. Consequently CNSOPB was left with the decision on how to …


Statutory Liens In The Atlantic Canada Offshore Area, Robert Carmichael Oct 2003

Statutory Liens In The Atlantic Canada Offshore Area, Robert Carmichael

Dalhousie Law Journal

This article will examine statutory and common law liens in relation to assets used in oil and gas exploration and production in areas offshore Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador It considers the applicable constitutional regime, the maritime law and the interrelationship between maritime law, federal law, and provincial law.


Union Certification On Offshore Production Installations, Gregory Anthony Oct 2003

Union Certification On Offshore Production Installations, Gregory Anthony

Dalhousie Law Journal

The author describes the jurisdictional and legislative regimes governing labour relations in the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore. After providing an overview of the provincial certification process, he recounts the process of certification of the Hibernia platform and reviews some of the legal issues raised therefrom.


Walking The Centre Line: Balancing An Employee's Right To Privacy In Drug And Alcohol Policies In The Atlantic Offshore Oil Industry, Harold Smith, Joseph Anthony Oct 2003

Walking The Centre Line: Balancing An Employee's Right To Privacy In Drug And Alcohol Policies In The Atlantic Offshore Oil Industry, Harold Smith, Joseph Anthony

Dalhousie Law Journal

Should the principles applied to drug and alcohol testing on land be imported into the Atlantic offshore oil and gas industry? The authors take the position that there is room for the notion that the application of principles derived from safety sensitive land based industry ought not to be applied in a perfunctory or rote manner to the Atlantic offshore environment. The case law, since Entrop, shows a judicial tendency to apply the requirements established by the obiter dictum of Entrop. (Etrop dealt with safety sensitive but land-based industry.) The danger is that the principles, as developed by and since …


International Royalty And Continental Shelf Limits: Emerging Issues For The Canadian Offshore, Aldo Chircop, Bruce Marchand Oct 2003

International Royalty And Continental Shelf Limits: Emerging Issues For The Canadian Offshore, Aldo Chircop, Bruce Marchand

Dalhousie Law Journal

Article 82 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982, provides a novel obligation in international law that is likely to become operative within the decade. It establishes an international royalty on production from the utilization of non-living resources (such as oil and gas) on the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, but within the outer limit of a coastal state's jurisdiction. Producing states will have an obligation to make payments or contributions in kind that are calculated on the basis of an incremental rate applicable as from the sixth year of production and reaching a …


Effective And Efficient Regulation In Nova Scotia, J Marshall Burgess Oct 2003

Effective And Efficient Regulation In Nova Scotia, J Marshall Burgess

Dalhousie Law Journal

Effective and efficient regulation of the oil and gas industry on the East Coast of Canada is a top priority of the federal and provincial governments. Ever since oil and gas exploration and development began in this region, stakeholders and others have urged regulators to address and remedy this issue. This paper reviews how governments have responded first in the onshore context, and then in the offshore. Issues that regulators need to address are identified and legislative, regulatory, and administrative changes which have been made and are proposed are reviewed. Finally, the author reflects on possible future developments and the …


Australian And Canadian Perspectives On Offshore Management, Donald R. Rothwell, David Vanderzwaag Apr 2003

Australian And Canadian Perspectives On Offshore Management, Donald R. Rothwell, David Vanderzwaag

Dalhousie Law Journal

Challenges in ocean and coastal management are facing all coastal states of the world. including Australia and Canada. Overharvesting of fish stocks, increasing pressure from land-based sources of pollution, expanding offshore petroleum developments, and rising risks of ship-sourced pollution in fragile marine ecosystems have caused both countries to begin a process of reassessment and rethinking. In January 1997 Canada adopted a new Oceans Act, which called for the development of a National Oceans Management Strategy based on principles of sustainable development, precaution and integration, and a new national marine protected areas network. In December 1998, Australia released a National Oceans …


Fisheries And Oceans Governance In Australia And Canada: From Sectoral Management To Integration?, Marcus Haward, Rod Dobell, Anthony Charles, Elizabeth Foster Apr 2003

Fisheries And Oceans Governance In Australia And Canada: From Sectoral Management To Integration?, Marcus Haward, Rod Dobell, Anthony Charles, Elizabeth Foster

Dalhousie Law Journal

Australia and Canada have significant oceans domains, and concomitant responsibility for large maritime zones. Fisheries in both countries are important activities with capture fishing, aquaculture and associated processing being vital rural industries Australia and Canada both face major challenges affecting fisheries management. These challenges include managing multiple and at times conflicting uses and claims on ocean and marine resources, while also recognizing the complexity and profound uncertainty associated with those resources. In that context, and having regard to the different histories of Australia and Canada, this paper outlines the different strategies and emphases adopted recently by the two countries. These …


The Challenges Of Integrating Tourism Into Canadian And Australian Coastal Zone Management, Alison Gill, Lorne K. Kriwoken, Suzanne Dobson, Liza D. Fallon Apr 2003

The Challenges Of Integrating Tourism Into Canadian And Australian Coastal Zone Management, Alison Gill, Lorne K. Kriwoken, Suzanne Dobson, Liza D. Fallon

Dalhousie Law Journal

This article discusses the challenges of integrating tourism into Canadian and Australian coastal zone management. Comparisons are drawn between coastal and marine tounsm resources in Australia and Canada. The resources considered include the cruise ship industry, recreational boating, fishing, sea kayaking, SCUBA diving and marine wildlife tourism. In the introduction, some of the problems of definition and data are addressed. Tourism is described as an industry, but unlike many traditional industries, the tourism arena consists of a myriad of players and sectors. After the comparison of tourism resources in both countries, the power and politics associated with managing user conflicts …


Australia And Canada In Regional Fisheries Organizations: Implementing The United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, Rosemary Rayfuse, Marcus Haward, Gregory Rose, Sali Bache Apr 2003

Australia And Canada In Regional Fisheries Organizations: Implementing The United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, Rosemary Rayfuse, Marcus Haward, Gregory Rose, Sali Bache

Dalhousie Law Journal

In the late 1980s and early 1990s a number of factors and events coalesced to encourage the international community to re-examine high seas fisheries issues. The need to enhance the effectiveness of regional fisheries organizations led to the development of the 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, dealing with straddling and highly migratory stocks. Both Canada and Australia played a significant role in the development of this agreement While having much in common, each state had different interests and concerns Canada's attention was focused on the problem of straddling stocks, while Australia 's interests have been primarily, though not exclusively, …


Liability For Damage To The Marine Environment From Ships, Michael White Apr 2003

Liability For Damage To The Marine Environment From Ships, Michael White

Dalhousie Law Journal

Marine pollution damage from ships is not a major problem in Australian jurisdictions, but there are regular incidents. The Australian law relating to marine pollution from ships closely follows the international conventions. Australia is a party to almost all of the relevant IMO conventions and, as is required for common law countries, the domestic legislation to give effect to them needs to be put in place. This has been done for the most part by the Commonwealth, the states and the Northern Territory as Australia is a federation. The Commonwealth and the states have established adequate enforcement resources for the …


Canadian East Coast Offshore Oil And Gas Industry: Sustainable Development Through Cooperative Federalism, Keith R. Evans Apr 2003

Canadian East Coast Offshore Oil And Gas Industry: Sustainable Development Through Cooperative Federalism, Keith R. Evans

Dalhousie Law Journal

For many years, development of the oil and gas potential off the east coast of Canada was delayed while the jurisdictional issues in respect of the area were resolved. While the provinces lost the major court battles on jurisdiction, political pressures combined with practical aspects of provincial involvement in the land bases for operations in the offshore area have resulted in pragmatic cooperation between the two levels of government and the establishment of joint administrative Boards to oversee exploration and development in the area. This paper explores the background to and the mechanics used for this pragmatic constitutional resolution and, …


The Allocation Of Civil Liability For Damage To The Marine Environment In The New Canadian Law Of Merchant Shipping, Or The Polluter Pays How Much?, Hugh M. Kindred Apr 2003

The Allocation Of Civil Liability For Damage To The Marine Environment In The New Canadian Law Of Merchant Shipping, Or The Polluter Pays How Much?, Hugh M. Kindred

Dalhousie Law Journal

Infrequent but catastrophic incidents of pollution by ships have attracted worldwide attention to the regulation of the merchant shipping industry for the protection of the marine environment. Under the detailed legal regime that has been established, ships and their owners are held strictly liable for the pollution of the oceans that they cause. Less well known but equally well established are other principles of maritime law that allow shipowners to limit their liability for the expense and damage their polluting ships incur. Canada has recently undertaken a major reform of its shipping laws and, in the process, it has revamped …