Since the Canadian legalization of Cannabis in October 2018, the industry has seen significant growth. The Federal laws are heavily weighted toward licensing, production, and cultivation requirements, quality, and testing requirements, with minimal environmental guidance. Although the legal requirements from an environmental standpoint for producers have not changed significantly since legalization, municipalities have been forced to deal with many nuisance complaints from area residents regarding odours, noise, dust, and light from production and cultivation operations. Municipalities in Ontario have passed by-laws to restrict facilities because of these nuisance issues. By far, odours have been the biggest challenge. Rosanna DiLabio with Pinchin will review the aspects and impacts of Cannabis operations with a focus on “nuisance” emissions, how they can be managed and outline odour control technology currently available. Vicki Hilborn with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) will outline how nuisance concerns are being managed in rural areas of Ontario, what a “Good Neighbour Policy” is and will provide highlights about the odour research currently being supported by OMAFRA. Finally, you will hear from Richard Butler of Willms and Shier Environmental Lawyers about how legal agricultural protections apply to growers and what producers need to know about their environmental liabilities both from a civil and regulatory perspective. An interactive discussion and Q&A session will follow the presentations.
Moderator – Rosanna DiLabio
