Law Commons^™

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

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

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 …

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

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

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

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

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

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 …

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

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

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 …

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.

Anonymity And The Supreme Court's Model Of Expression: How Should Anonymity Be Analysed Under Section 2(B) Of The Charter?, Peter Carmichael Keen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The first part of this article will discuss what anonymity is, and the costs and benefits that anonymity confers on expressive activity. I will demonstrate that anonymity is a double-edged sword in that it can both promote and harm free expression. In the second part, I will suggest that there is no doubt that anonymity can be protected under section 2(b) of the Charter. When I first began this article, I intended to examine ‘‘whether’’ anonymity can be constitutionally protected under section 2(b). As my research progressed, I quickly realised that I was asking the wrong question. I discovered that …

Student Protector, Internet Provider, Or Contractual Party? An Examination Of The Legal Relationship Between A University And Its Students, Anna Christine Milot

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The legal relationship between a university and its students is becoming increasingly complex as the use of technology spreads. Accordingly, it is important to define a university’s responsibilities and legal boundaries in order to understand the liability universities can potentially incur when dealing with students. Each Canadian university is unique in its founding and enacting legislation, as will be discussed further later. The individuality of Canada’s universities means that the questions raised in this paper cannot be given answers that can necessarily be generalized across universities. The approach to analysis in this paper, however, is applicable to any of the …

Computer Law By George S. Takach (Toronto: Irwin Law Inc., 2000, 2nd Edition), David T.S. Fraser

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Banning Bans On New Reproductive And Novel Genetic Technologies, Matthew Herder

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Commentators argue that statutory prohibitions with the force of the criminal law should not be used to regulate new reproductive technologies (NRTs) and novel genetic technologies (NGTs). Bill C-13, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, however, codifies 10 criminal bans. This paper considers the merits of the various arguments levied against Bill C-13, and the corollary claim that only a "non-prohibitive" model of legislation befits NRTs and NGTs. Three types of arguments are used to critique criminal bans: (1) "Structural" arguments hinge on the constraints of the Canadian legal system - legislation complete with prohibitions runs afoul of the Constitution Act …

Intellectual Property Laws In Harmony With Nafta: The Courts As Mediators Between The Global And The Local, Myra J. Tawfik

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper will argue that domestic courts can pro- vide a forum within which to mediate between these two extremes, to reconcile the ‘‘global’’ and the ‘‘local’’ — but that the courts themselves must adapt to meet the challenges that globalization places upon them. More specifically, the paper begins by setting out a framework for understanding harmonization of laws under NAFTA as one that encourages rather than eliminates diversity of law. The paper then studies the prevailing approaches to statutory interpretation that Canadian courts, most especially the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal, have been employing …

Technology And International Trade: Wille The Real Transformer Please Stand Up?, Todd Weiler

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The primary driver of change in Canada’s cultural sector has not been some kind of contrived, neo- liberal plot imposed upon an unsuspecting public with the promise of ‘‘jobs, jobs, jobs.’’ Rather, it has been technology. The role for liberalised trade and investment treaties comes only in the form of a conditioning force, limiting the panoply of choices available to govern- mental officials who want to respond to the changes being wrought by technological advances.

This paper begins with some brief definitions, moving next to an elaboration of its thesis, and finally explaining the application of this thesis to some …

Beyond Convergence And The New Media Decisions: Regulatory Models In Communications Law, Melanie Mortensen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

While technological and economic changes have been the most influential factors in stimulating recent policy and regulatory reassessments in Canada with respect to telecommunications and broadcasting regulation, public interest and socio-political concerns should also remain significant in the design of new regulatory and policy responses to convergence and competition. When the CRTC announced that it would refrain from regulating broadcasting in new media for a period of five years, this occasion illustrated the increasing inapplicability of the sector-specific legislation from which the mandate of the CRTC is derived.

The first model addressed is the present sector-specific policy and regulatory treatment …

Patent First, Litigate Later! The Scramble For Speculative And Overly Broad Genetic Patents: Implications For Access To Health Care And Biomedical Research, Ikechi Mgbeoji, Byron Allen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper will not directly address the ethical considerations of allowing patents on human genetic sequences, although this continues to be a controversial debate in itself. Rather, the aim is to consider the legality of such gene patents and the effects such patents have on biomedical research and health care delivery in definitive terms through an analysis of current developments and research relating to the subject. The operation of current intellectual property regimes regulating such patents will be examined, and amendments to these legal systems will be considered. An emphasis will be placed on identifying practical concerns rather than broad, …

Fast Track Trade Authority And The Free Trade Agreements: Implications For Copyright Law, Samuel Trosow

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

In 2002, Congress passed the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act, which restored the presidential fast-track trade-promotion authority that had lapsed in 1994. Fast-track trade promotion authority is a means by which Congress delegates to the president a portion of its constitutional authority over international trade policy. This paper reviews the development, scope, and application of fast-track trade-promotion authority, evaluates some of the copyright provisions in key Free Trade Agreements, and concludes that the process has been effectively captured by the information and entertainment industries. There are numerous negative consequences that flow from the resulting policy environment. Not only is an …

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 …

Rescuing The Balance?: An Assessment Of Canada's Proposal To Limit Isp Liability For Online Copyright Infringement, Scott Nesbitt

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper attempts both to explain the technological and legal imperatives pressing Canada to address the issue of ISP liability in reforms to the Copyright Act and to raise some concerns about the impact of the government’s proposed amendments in this area. The basic elements of copyright law, the impact of digital technology on copyright and the policy arguments surrounding ISP liability are briefly discussed to set the context for judicial treatment of and legislative action on this issue. Next, the paper focuses on the development of American jurisprudence with respect to limitation of ISP liability for third party copyright …

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

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

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …