Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 11, 2024
Nutrition Month is celebrated each March to remind us all of how essential good nutrition is to our health and well-being. This year’s theme “We Are Dietitians!”, and this month we celebrate the important role Dietitians play in helping us achieve good nutrition, as well as the benefits of making healthy eating choices to improve our quality of life. Check out Food Allergy Canada’s top tips for managing food allergy confidently during your celebrations. It is a program that can help you manage risks and protect your farming operation. Enrol by April 30, 2024. AgriStability protects Canadian producers against large declines in farming income for reasons such as production loss, increased costs and market conditions. AgriStability protects Canadian producers against large declines in farming income for reasons such as production loss, increased costs and market conditions. AgriStability is delivered provincially in the other provinces. Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) is a public awareness campaign focusing on the importance of farm safety. CASW takes place every year during the third week of March. In 2024, CASW takes place March 10–16. From the Competition Bureau: Artificial intelligence (AI) is an exciting tool and has revolutionized many aspects of our lives. But it has also given fraudsters opportunities to make their frauds even more convincing. Canada has strong business and people-to-people ties across the Indo-Pacific region, and the Government of Canada will continue working to create new opportunities for Canadian farmers, producers, and the agri-food sector with key trading partners. Canada has officially opened its Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO). The IPAAO’s unique model will bring a regional lens to the Indo-Pacific. Its mobile team will operate from a hub in Manila and work to build strategic partnerships that will grow our export opportunities and increase the demand for Canadian products. The IPAAO will leverage Canada’s expertise as a world leader in food safety and sustainability with that of our Indo-Pacific partners to tackle common challenges. Health Canada published in the Canada Gazette, Part 1, a Notice of Intent – Measures Under Consideration to Modernize Tobacco and Vaping Product Information Reporting Requirements (Notice of Intent). The Minister of Health has published a proposed Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality — Operational parameters: calcium, magnesium, hardness, chloride, sulphate, total dissolved solids and hydrogen sulphide in drinking water. The proposed guideline document is available from March 8, 2024, to May 31, 2024, on Health Canada’s web page Environment and workplace health consultations. Any person may file written comments on the proposed document with the Minister of Health within 60 days after publication of this notice. Comments must be sent by email to [email protected]. The 2024 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, which take effect on April 1, are now available for purchase through the CVSA Out-of-Service Criteria app. The Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is responsible for pesticide regulation in Canada. The public registry is where you can learn more about all pest control products registered for use in Canada.
On November 1, 2024, amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation relating to occupational first aid will come into effect. The changes mean employers across the province will need to review their current first aid plans, supplies, and equipment and make adjustments. This eLearning resource introduces emergency response planning requirements for Alberta employers. It also gives an example of a step-by-step emergency response planning process. Note that this eLearning resource is for awareness only. It is not a training course, and doesn’t test for competency or provide a completion certificate. Since 2021, Alberta work site parties have been required to use an online portal (oirportal.labour.alberta.ca) to report certain types of workplace incidents that did not result in any injuries. Although the online portal was intended to make it easier to file these types of incident reports, users indicated it was causing confusion and creating an additional regulatory burden. In response to this feedback, as of March 6, 2024, the following types of incidents – regardless of whether they result in an injury or not – will not be reportable online and must be reported to the OHS Contact Centre by phone: Prince Edward Island (PEI) is updating its building codes as of March 31, 2024. mendments to the Building Codes Act Regulations adopt the 2020 editions of the national building and energy codes. The 2020 codes include requirements for accessibility and energy efficiency, among other things. Projects currently underway will continue to fall under the 2015 editions. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry entitled “Dietary Supplements: New Dietary Ingredient Notification Procedures and Timeframes: Guidance for Industry.” The guidance focuses on frequently asked questions about the new dietary ingredient notification submission and review process. The guidance is intended to help manufacturers and distributors of new dietary ingredients and dietary supplements prepare and submit new dietary ingredient notifications to FDA. (Food Safety News) One of two Bills have been proposed that would prohibit the use of food certain additives in foods or drinks. The other requires companies to disclose self-declared recognize as safe chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending its Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations as a result of Agency review. The revisions include several changes and amplifications to the accident prevention program requirements, enhancements to the emergency preparedness requirements, improvements to the public availability of chemical hazard information, and several other changes to certain regulatory definitions or points of clarification. As major and other serious and concerning RMP accidents continue to occur, the record shows and EPA believes that this final rule will help further protect human health and the environment from chemical hazards through advancement of process safety based on lessons learned. This final rule is effective on May 10, 2024. The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited. The OMB will consider all written comments that the agency receives on or before April 10, 2024. he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 60-day public comment period associated with release of the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid [PFNA, CASRN 375-95-1] and Related Salts. The draft document was prepared by the Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) within EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD). EPA is releasing this draft IRIS assessment for public comment in advance of a contract-led peer review. The 60-day public comment period begins March 7, 2024 and ends May 6, 2024. Comments must be received on or before May 6, 2024. In the Federal Register of December 18, 2023, EPA announced the initiation and solicitation of public comment on the prioritization process for five chemical substances as candidates for designation as High-Priority Substances for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and related implementing regulations. This document extends the comment period for one of the five chemicals: 4,4′-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA). The comment period is currently scheduled to end on March 18, 2024. Member States or the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), on request of the European Commission, may propose a substance to be identified as an SVHC by preparing a dossier in accordance with the requirements set out in Annex XV to REACH. Consultations close on April 15, 2024 for: The EU Member States have voted in favour of restricting undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and PFHxA-related substances during the European Commission’s REACH committee meeting on 29 February 2024. The initial proposal was introduced by the German authorities in 2020 and supported by ECHA’s scientific committees in late 2021. Safety Share New Brunswickers (and ALL Canadians) are reminded to move their clocks ahead and change the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors this weekend. Daylight time starts at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 10. There are two options for testing a house for radon: If you choose to purchase a do-it-yourself radon test kit, make sure you follow the instructions provided on how to set up the test. Have an event you would like to share? Please send details to [email protected]. The 2024 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo will take place March 10–14, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit the 2024 website to view upcoming deadlines. GlobalChem remains the chemical industry’s premier policy and regulatory conference. This annual gathering of industry professionals offers a valuable opportunity to not only review recent developments in global chemicals management but to also meet and reconnect with your industry peers and key government representatives. Weaving together technical application presentations with case studies and project overviews, ensure your seat at the table for this important plant operations conference! Plan to attend Canada’s premier environmental event, as it returns to a fully in-person format that is designed to meet your compliance needs, and connect you to experts and peers. The Baking Association of Canada’s national baking industry event will feature a bustling trade show and conference, inspirational speakers, education sessions, competitions and demonstrations and countless opportunities to network and benefit your business. Collaborate and network with thousands of your colleagues, experts from several industries, and NFPA staff on life, fire, and electrical safety innovation at the 2024 NFPA Conference & Expo.Advocacy
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