We Will Not Excuse Your Dust

Companies liable for annoying pollution even if it's legal, says Canadian court

Posted at 2:50 PM on 21 Nov 2008

Polluters in Canada can be sued for spewing excessively annoying smells, noise, or dust -- even if their pollution is within legal limits, Canada's Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The ruling, specific to a class-action lawsuit brought by 2,000 Quebec City citizens fed up with a nearby cement plant, may have far-reaching implications. (We personally find tar sands very annoying, for what that's worth.)

sources: The Globe and Mail, Canwest News Service

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	Read more about: air pollution \| Canada \| litigation \| news \| progress \| all of these topics Tools: print \| email \| write to the editor \| subscribe \| RSS Share: \| digg \| stumbleupon \| reddit \| newsvine \| facebook Bookmark: del.icio.us \| google \| yahoo We Will Not Excuse Your Dust Companies liable for annoying pollution even if it's legal, says Canadian court Posted at 2:50 PM on 21 Nov 2008 Polluters in Canada can be sued for spewing excessively annoying smells, noise, or dust -- even if their pollution is within legal limits, Canada's Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The ruling, specific to a class-action lawsuit brought by 2,000 Quebec City citizens fed up with a nearby cement plant, may have far-reaching implications. (We personally find tar sands very annoying, for what that's worth.) sources: The Globe and Mail, Canwest News Service ADVERTISING POLICY < Previous \| Next > Comments: There are no comments. Be the first to post! You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five. Username: Password: Forgot your password? Enter your username and click: The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?	Also in Grist Sweat It Umbra's video tips for saving money on your heating bill. Obama's Preferred Bill? Bill Ruckelshaus, the first EPA administrator, talks to Grist. We Hardly New Ye Advice maven Umbra Fisk's eco-resolutions for 2009. The Needle and the Damage Done Images of oil addiction in Canada's tar sands. The Week's Most Popular Viewed Commented Emailed Ask Umbra on eco-actions for kids An open letter to the president and first lady from the nation's top climate scientist Outgoing Greenpeace leader talks about activism, economics, and his next steps Ask Umbra on resolutions for 2009 Robert Rapier on ever-delayed cellulosic ethanol An open letter to the president and first lady from the nation's top climate scientist Faster, climate change! Kill! Kill! Another attempt to dispute the disproportionate attention paid to gas taxes Planting trees and managing soils to sequester carbon Ask Umbra on Camelbaks Interviews and info on the presidential candidates' environmental positions Eban Goodstein invites you to join in the largest climate teach-in ever The top green stories of 2007 A system to control climate change and reduce poverty From the Archives Come Over Here, Sweet Thing. Competing offer for U.S. Sugar complicates Everglades restoration plan. Bad Hair Day. Mom's exposure to hairspray linked to genital defects in baby boys. Less Power to Ya. Big drop in U.S. electricity consumption confounds utilities. News Archives