Trials, Hearings & Tribunal Support Services
ORTECH applies years of experience in ambient air quality monitoring, compliance and permitting, emission testing, odour assessment and related services to provide comprehensive science based land use planning and trial, hearing and tribunal support services.
RTECH are familiar with the complete range of Ontario Ministry of the Environment D series guidelines on Land Use and Compatibility and can provide seasoned professionals to develop dust and odour studies; provide related reports; peer review of documentation prepared by other parties; assist in negotiations and provide testimony at Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) Hearings. ORTECH land use clients have included industries, developers, interveners and municipal clients.
ORTECH has extensive experience in providing expert witnesses and support services at trials and hearings which involve odour issues. Expert testimony was given at a criminal trial in Ontario of a company which discharged odorous emissions from a fiberboard plant and at a Normal Farm Practices Protection Board hearing into complaints from neighbours about a mushroom facility. Another example was the expert testimony given before an Ontario Municipal Board hearing for an application to install a truck plaza and the potential effect of odours on the neighbourhood.
In addition to odour emissions, ORTECH also has experience to provide expert and factual testimony for trials, hearings and tribunals which involve the measurement and assessment of air emissions. An example is the expert testimony which was given before an Ontario Environmental Appeal Board tribunal involving complex emissions from a cement plant which included emission data which ORTECH measured at the plant.
The senior ORTECH professionals are proud of their record of providing sound technical advice to industrial, development and municipal clients for trials, hearings and tribunals. Related technical assistance ranges from clear layperson explanations of technical issues through report writing, peer review, negotiation support, testimony and focused contributions to cross examination.
Samples of ORTECH projects include; assisted in arbitration between a seller and buyer to assess the competency of a proposed control program to achieve air compliance; provided testimony at an OMB hearing that was successful in avoiding encroachment on an industry with odourous emissions; provided technical assistance to several developers by challenging nearby industries to clearly demonstrate the reasons for their concern over new residential development; and provided technical support to an industry that was charged by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment with several air related offensives and negotiated a settlement after significant court time. ORTECH provides a comprehensive range of other services that complement our trials, hearings and tribunal support activities.
- Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Services
- Compliance and Permitting Services
- Dispersion Modelling Services
- Emission Testing Services
- GIS and Mapping Services
- Meteorological Data Instrumentation, Collection and Analysis Services
- Odour Assessment Services