Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 20, 2023
February 20, 2023 is the first day of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) five-day Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative in Canada. This annual awareness and outreach effort aims to educate commercial motor vehicle drivers, motor carriers, law enforcement officers and the general public about the crime of human trafficking, the signs to look for and what to do if you suspect someone is being trafficked. Public Safety Canada is excited to announce the upcoming 2023 Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security Symposium series. This year, we changed the format of our symposium, to two half-day virtual mini-conferences. We are planning to bring back the in-person, 2-day conference in the fall. As always, our goal is to raise awareness and stimulate innovating discussions on improving the resiliency of our critical infrastructure systems and assets. The dates for 2023 are as follows: – March 29, 2023 13:00-17:00 EDT Virtual – June 7, 2023 13:00-17:00 EDT Virtual – Oct. 4-5, 2023 Ottawa, Ontario IN PERSON TENTATIVE The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recently released 2022 Food Code helps reduce barriers to food donations by clarifying for the first time that food donations from retail food establishments are acceptable as long as proper food safety practices are followed. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is seeking feedback on recommendations for seed regulatory modernization. The consultation will be open for comments from February 15 until May 1st. At this time, importers/brokers will be required to confirm possession of the organic product certificate at the time of import in the Integrated Import Declaration (IID). Importers will be notified once all import requirements are incorporated in AIRS. From that time onwards importers of organic commodities will be required to submit a digital copy of the organic product certificate when declaring organic products online using the Integrated Import Declaration system. The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspection staff on the procedures for maintaining food export eligibility lists. Producers and feed importers should verify that feed ingredients were produced and handled using proper biosecurity measures. Feed importers should be able to provide feed purchasers with information on how the ingredients were produced and handled before to entry into Canada. The organic equivalency arrangement comes into effect on February 15, 2023. Organic products certified to the Mexican Organic Standard and imported to Canada cannot be re-exported to the United States (U.S.) or used as an ingredient in processed products exported to the U.S. under the US-Canada Organic Equivalence Arrangement (USCOEA). These products may be used as ingredients in processed products certified under the Canada Organic Regime and exported to other countries. The final screening assessment for caprolactam has been published. It is concluded that the substance does not meet any of the criteria set out in section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). The objective of the proposed Order Adding a Toxic Substance to Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (the proposed Order) is to add crude tall oil (CTO) to Schedule 1 to CEPA. This would enable the ministers to propose risk management instruments for a toxic substance under CEPA to manage potential environmental risks associated with the substance. In order to accommodate a larger audience, we have updated our participant capacity. Please note that if you have previously registered for the webinar, you will need to re-register again. The previous registration will be cancelled. February 22, 2023 13:00-14:00 ET. A Ministerial Condition has been published pertaining to the substance 1,2-Ethanediamine, N-(2-aminoethyl)-, reaction products with glycidyl p-tolyl ether, Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 68411-70-1. Through this bill, the Government of Canada is delivering on its commitment to amend CEPA and recognize that Canadians have a right to a healthy environment. The amendments will enable the Government to respond effectively to new science, which is pointing to harms that were unanticipated in the past, and to enable the use of new tools and sources of information that are now available to assess those risks. The amendments included in the Bill during February 2022 are outlined. The Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is responsible for pesticide regulation in Canada. The following consultations have begun: – S-metolachlor (PMRL2023-09) – Benoxacor (PMRL2023-10) – Oxathiapiprolin (PMRL2023-11) – Teflubenzuron (PMRL2023-12)
More people will be able to train for jobs as professional truck drivers in the Greater Victoria area through a Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) project funded by the Province. Starting this summer, provincially regulated commercial vehicle operators will be required to use electronic logging devices (ELDs) to track drivers’ time behind the wheel, reducing the likelihood of driving while tired. The provincial government will align with its Atlantic Canadian counterparts by opting for the federal backstop on carbon pricing. Pending federal approval, the federal government will be applying its carbon tax and will be responsible for redistributing the collected revenues. Under the federal backstop, 90 per cent of the revenues collected by the federal government are returned to individuals through rebate cheques. General Regulation 91-191 is undergoing numerous legislative changes in 2022 and 2023 that will enhance health and safety in New Brunswick workplaces. The Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are announcing plans to seek public input on the best approaches for updating their respective oversight responsibilities for specific products in an efficient and transparent manner and in alignment with each agency’s expertise, with the goal of improving protection of human, animal, and environmental health. On February 28, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)/Division of Drug Information (DDI) will host a webinar entitled “An Overview of Color Additives in Drug Products – Regulation and Enforcement.” The latest Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory is now available on EPA’s website. The TSCA Inventory is a list of all existing chemical substances manufactured, processed or imported in the U.S. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced proposed changes to its Safety Measurement System (SMS) to reduce and prevent crashes. The SMS uses data from roadside inspections, crash reports, and investigations to identify and prioritize for intervention the motor carriers that pose the greatest risk to safety. To protect children, the European Commission is planning to prepare a REACH restriction proposal on carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) substances in childcare articles. We are helping the Commission by preparing an investigation report. National enforcement authorities have started inspecting the compliance of safety data sheets for chemicals sold on the EU market. Checking safety data sheets was agreed by ECHA’s Enforcement Forum as this year’s harmonised enforcement project (REF-11). The European Commission has taken action to further improve the protection of workers from the health risks linked to the exposure to dangerous chemicals. In particular, the Commission proposes to amend two Directives with the aim of further lowering the exposure limit for lead and introducing first-ever exposure limits for diisocyanates. Safety Share OSHwiki, Europe’s collaborative online encyclopaedia of information on occupational safety and health (OSH), has been revamped for a more user-friendly experience. March 7, 2023 – 10:30 – 12:00 pm ET – This session will focus on the new CSA Z434 Industrial Robot and Robot Systems standard updates. The new standard includes some significant updates from the previous CSA Z434-2014 standard, including a consolidation of much of the information found in technical reports and technical specifications that were developed to supplement the previous version of the standard. Have an event you would like to share? Please send details to [email protected]. Alberta Chemistry and Plastics Day is an annual event designed to build dialogue on common issues, better understand industry and government positions, and get to know new participants from both industry and government. FDA and Health Canada will be co-hosting a regional public meeting to provide information to stakeholders and solicit input prior to the next ICH biannual Assembly meeting scheduled for June 12-13, 2023. No fee to attend. The 2023 Consumer Food Safety Education Conference (CFSEC) will bring answers and clarity to questions like this and more. While the science behind safe food handling and hand hygiene guidance hasn’t changed, the way people are sourcing their food, experiencing their food and receiving information is changing. ChemCon The Americas 2023 is a global platform which brings together many experts representing companies, authorities and international organisations from over 25 countries. Presentations given by more than 50 speakers from governments and industry will focus in the field of international chemical legislation all over the world, like TSCA, EU-REACH, K-REACH, GHS and country specific information on inventories, labelling requirements, etc. PetroChem Canada West brings together the western Canadian petrochemical, chemical, emerging biochemical manufacturers together with their supply chain and multiple levels of government to discuss the opportunities to expand and further develop a sustainable downstream sector in Alberta. Take this opportunity to mark in your calendars next years Bakery Showcase, May 14, 15 2023 in Vancouver BC. The workshop will be an opportunity to bring stakeholders together and develop a common understanding of what new approach methodologies (NAMs), can achieve in the short and long term. Over two days delegates will come to learn from dozens industry leaders and technical experts about the exciting opportunities within Canada’s downstream sector. There is no other health and safety event like this in Canada. Make a plan to join us for this two-day national event that will bring together leaders, change makers, and subject experts representing government, labour, and workplaces, to share their knowledge and experience around current and emerging health and safety issues.Advocacy
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