Archives

October 11, 2024

Canada Begins Public Consultations on Initiatives Supporting CEPA Amendments

On October 5, 2024, Canada released three significant documents that move it closer to implementing the 2023 amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). The 2023 legislation, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act (Bill S-5), requires that decisions made under CEPA respect the right to a healthy environment. Canada has released a draft implementation framework setting out how the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health (the...
October 8, 2024

Canada’s Proposed Plan of Priorities Includes Several Nanoscale Materials; Comments Are Due December 4, 2024

On October 5, 2024, the Minister of the Environment announced in the Canada Gazette publication of a proposed plan of priorities for the assessment of chemical substances. Under the 2023 amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health are required to “develop, consult on and publish a plan with timelines” by June 2025. The proposed list of prioritized substances for assessment and the rationales...
August 20, 2024

Canada Begins 60-Day Comment Period on Computational Tool for Chemical Screening and Prioritization

As part of its implementation of the modernized Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), on August 17, 2024, Health Canada published a Canada Gazette notice announcing the availability of its Science Approach Document — Chemical Screening and Prioritization: Health Canada’s Automated Workflow for Prioritization (HAWPr). The science approach document (SciAD) describes the scientific approach that Canada applied to more than 25,000 chemicals on the Domestic Substances List...
September 18, 2023

Canada Will Hold Information Sessions in October 2023 on Right to a Healthy Environment Amendments to CEPA

As reported in our June 23, 2023, memorandum, on June 13, 2023, Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act, became law. The bill made a number of changes to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), including recognizing that every individual in Canada has a right to a healthy environment as provided under CEPA. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Health Canada (HC) will hold information sessions in October 2023 for...
May 10, 2023

Canada Proposes to Unmask the Identities of 132 Substances on the DSL

According to a May 6, 2023, Canada Gazette notice, the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), intends to unmask the identities of 132 substances currently on Part 3 of the Domestic Substances List (DSL) in accordance with the Approach to disclose confidential information and promote transparency in chemicals. The annexed proposed Order includes the masked names and confidential accession numbers of the substances proposed for...
June 21, 2022

Canada Publishes Draft Framework for the Risk Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials under CEPA

On June 17, 2022, Canada published its draft Framework for the Risk Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) for a 60-day public comment period. The plain language summary states that the framework describes how scientists at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Health Canada (HC) conduct risk assessments on nanomaterials. The draft risk assessment framework outlines approaches and considerations for...
December 22, 2021

Canada Will Publish Draft Framework for Risk Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials for 60-Day Comment Period

On December 17, 2021, Canada published the Chemicals Management Plan implementation table for 2021-2024. Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), Canada plans to take the following actions regarding nanomaterials on the Domestic Substances List (DSL): prioritization of substances in commerce according to responses to the CEPA Section 71 Survey and screening assessment of high-priority nanomaterials on the DSL. The deliverables include: The rationale for action...
February 19, 2021

OECD Publishes Developments on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials in Tour de Table

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published the latest edition of the Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials — Tour de Table.  The Tour de Table compiles information provided by delegations on the occasion of the 20th meeting of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) in September 2020.  Below are highlights from the Tour de Table: Between November 2018 and August 2020, EPA...
August 4, 2016

Canada Begins Consultation on Proposed Prioritization Approach for Nanoscale Forms of DSL Substances

On July 27, 2016, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Health Canada (HC) began a consultation on a proposed prioritization approach for nanoscale forms of substances on the Domestic Substances List (DSL).  Canada will use the proposed approach to:  (1) establish a list of existing nanomaterials in Canada for prioritization; (2) identify how the information available will be used to inform prioritization of nanomaterials for risk assessment; and (3) outline the...
July 25, 2016

Canadian Parliament Holds First Reading of Bill to Create Framework to Regulate Nanotechnology

On June 8, 2016, the House of Commons held its first reading of an Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) (nanotechnology) (C-287).  The bill would add Part 6.1 to CEPA primarily to implement procedures for the investigation and assessment of nanomaterials.  Member Peter Julian, New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) House Leader, issued a June 8, 2016, press release stating that he first introduced the bill in 2010 and is “pleased to see...
February 2, 2015

Canada Begins Review of SNAc Orders and Notices for Nanomaterials

On January 28, 2015, Environment Canada announced that, with Health Canada, it has initiated a review of significant new activity (SNAc) orders and notices currently in place under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).  According to Environment Canada, since publication of the first SNAc in 2001, policies and practices have evolved, particularly with respect to the nature and scope of SNAcs, as well as the wording used to identify “significant new activities.”  The SNAc...
July 24, 2007

Environment Canada Publishes Advisory Note Regarding Nanomaterials

Environment Canada (EC) recently posted a New Substances Program Advisory Note entitled “Requirements for nanomaterials under the New Substances Notification Regulations (Chemicals and Polymers).” The Advisory Note was signed in June 2007 and states that the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) and the New Substances Notification Regulations (Chemicals and Polymers) (Regulations) “apply to new nanomaterials just as any other substance, whether a chemical or a...
May 15, 2007

ED Will Hold Webcast on REACH, TSCA, and CEPA Best Practices

Environmental Defense (ED) will hold a webcast regarding its recent report, Not That Innocent: A Comparative Analysis of Canadian, European Union and United States Policies on Industrial Chemicals, on May 24, 2007, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EDT). The webcast will include a 45-minute presentation and a question and answer period. Dr. Richard Denison, Senior Scientist at ED, will present the findings and discuss his report, which compares the European Union’s new...

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