Publication
Government Investigations in Singapore 2025
We have contributed the Singapore chapter of Getting the Deal Through, Government Investigations 2025.
Canada | Publication | June 1, 2023
On May 20, 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada published a draft State of PFAS Report and Risk Management Scope following a two-year assessment of the fate, sources, occurrence, and potential impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on the environment and human health in Canada.
PFAS are a class of over 4,700 substances that have a wide range of applications. Common uses of PFAS include surfactants, lubricants, and repellents (for dirt, water, and grease). PFAS can also be found in certain firefighting foams, textiles, cosmetics, non-stick foodware and in food packaging materials.
The draft State of PFAS Report identifies health and ecological effects associated with PFAS exposure. Certain well-studied PFAS have been found to adversely affect the liver, kidney, thyroid, immune system, metabolism, reproduction, and development in both humans and wildlife.
The report identifies subpopulations that may be more susceptible or highly exposed to PFAS, including northern Indigenous communities, firefighters, and individuals living near contaminated sites, including those associated with the use of firefighting foams.
Currently, only a limited number of PFAS subgroups are subject to regulation in Canada. Perfluorooctane sulfonate, its salts and its precursors (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid, its salts and its precursors (PFOA), and long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids, their salts and their precursors (LC-PFCA), have been assessed and added to the List of Toxic Substances under Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).1
Since 2016, the manufacture, use, sale, offer for sale or import of PFOS, PFOA, LC-PFCAs, and products that contain them have been prohibited, with a limited number of exemptions under the Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2012.2 In May 2022, the federal government published a proposed new Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2022, which would repeal and replace the Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2012 and eliminate most exemptions allowing the use, sale, or import of PFOS, PFOA and LC-PFCAs in Canada.
The draft State of PFAS Report concludes that the class of PFAS meets one or more criteria for toxicity set out in section 64 of CEPA.3 The minister of the environment and the minister of health have proposed to recommend that the class of PFAS be added to the List of Toxic Substances under Schedule 1 of CEPA. If the class of PFAS is added to Schedule 1 under CEPA, stakeholders can expect to see forthcoming restrictions on their use, manufacture and sale in Canada.
Stakeholders are invited to submit comments on the content of the draft State of PFAS Report and Risk Management Scope prior to July 19, 2023. If the final State of PFAS Report confirms that the class of PFAS is toxic, a Risk Management Approach document outlining and seeking input on proposed risk management instruments will be published concurrently with the final State of PFAS Report.
In addition, the federal government is planning to issue a notice under section 71 of CEPA to collect additional information regarding PFAS. Once the notice is issued, any person or company in possession of information that reasonably supports the conclusion that the class of PFAS it toxic or capable of becoming toxic, and is involved in activities with PFAS, is obligated to provide that information to the minister of the environment.
Publication
We have contributed the Singapore chapter of Getting the Deal Through, Government Investigations 2025.
Publication
The private credit market and direct lending have grown and diversified immensely in the past decade, offering alternative sources and terms of debt compared to those historically provided by the syndicated leveraged loan and public issuance markets. Consequently, they are fast becoming pivotal components in the capital ecosystem, so much so that the Bank of England consider that the private credit market is currently responsible for approximately $1.8 trillion of debt issuance, which is four times its size in 2015. This growth has been particularly pronounced in Europe and the US but there has also been significant activity in Asia.
Publication
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Regulation, commonly referred to as the AI Act, is expected to come into force during the summer of 2024 (the AI Act). The AI Act will be the first comprehensive legal framework for the use and development of artificial intelligence (AI), and is intended to ensure that AI systems developed and used in the EU are safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly.
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