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Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (S.C. 1999, c. 33)

Act current to 2024-03-06 and last amended on 2023-06-22. Previous Versions

PART 5Controlling Toxic Substances (continued)

Substances and Assessments of Substances (continued)

 [Repealed, 2023, c. 12, s. 22]

Substances and Activities New to Canada

Marginal note:Definitions

 The definitions in this section apply in sections 81 to 89.

significant new activity

significant new activity includes, in respect of a substance, any activity that results in or may result in

  • (a) the entry or release of the substance into the environment in a quantity or concentration that, in the Ministers’ opinion, is significantly greater than the quantity or concentration of the substance that previously entered or was released into the environment; or

  • (b) the entry or release of the substance into the environment or the exposure or potential exposure of the environment to the substance in a manner and circumstances that, in the Ministers’ opinion, are significantly different from the manner and circumstances in which the substance previously entered or was released into the environment or of any previous exposure or potential exposure of the environment to the substance. (nouvelle activité)

substance

substance means a substance other than a living organism within the meaning of Part 6. (substance)

Marginal note:Manufacture or import of substances

  •  (1) Where a substance is not specified on the Domestic Substances List, no person shall manufacture or import the substance unless

    • (a) the prescribed information with respect to the substance has been provided by the person to the Minister accompanied by the prescribed fee, on or before the prescribed date; and

    • (b) the period for assessing the information under section 83 has expired.

  • (2) [Repealed, 2017, c. 26, s. 23]

  • Marginal note:Notification of significant new activity in respect of substance on List

    (3) Where a substance is specified on the Domestic Substances List with an indication that this subsection applies with respect to the substance, no person shall use, manufacture or import the substance for a significant new activity that is indicated on the List with respect to the substance unless

    • (a) the person has provided the Minister with the prescribed information, on or before the date that is specified by the Minister or prescribed, accompanied by the prescribed fee; and

    • (b) the period for assessing the information specified by the Minister or provided under section 83 has expired.

  • Marginal note:Notification of significant new activity in respect of substance not on List

    (4) Where a substance is not specified on the Domestic Substances List and the Minister publishes a notice in the Canada Gazette indicating that this subsection applies with respect to the substance, no person shall use the substance for a significant new activity that is indicated in the notice unless

    • (a) the person has provided the Minister with the prescribed information, on or before the date that is specified by the Minister or prescribed, accompanied by the prescribed fee; and

    • (b) the period for assessing the information specified by the Minister or provided under section 83 has expired.

  • Marginal note:Transfer of rights in respect of substance

    (5) Where prescribed information with respect to a substance has been provided under subsection (1), (3) or (4) by a person who subsequently transfers the right or privilege in relation to the substance for which the information was provided, the information is, subject to any conditions that may be prescribed, deemed to have been provided by the transferee of that right or privilege.

  • Marginal note:Application

    (6) Subsections (1), (3) and (4) do not apply to

    • (a) a substance that is manufactured or imported for a use that is regulated under any other Act of Parliament that provides for notice to be given before the manufacture, import or sale of the substance and for an assessment of whether it is toxic or capable of becoming toxic;

    • (b) transient reaction intermediates that are not isolated and are not likely to be released into the environment;

    • (c) impurities, contaminants and partially unreacted materials the formation of which is related to the preparation of a substance;

    • (d) substances produced when a substance undergoes a chemical reaction that is incidental to the use to which the substance is put or that results from storage or from environmental factors; or

    • (e) a substance that is manufactured, used or imported in a quantity that does not exceed the maximum quantity prescribed as exempt from this section.

  • Marginal note:Governor in Council may amend Schedule 2

    (7) For the purposes of the administration of this section, the Governor in Council has the exclusive responsibility for determining whether or not the requirements referred to in paragraph (6)(a) are met by or under an Act of Parliament referred to in that paragraph, or regulations made under that Act, and

    • (a) if the Governor in Council determines that the requirements referred to in paragraph (6)(a) are met by or under an Act of Parliament referred to in that paragraph, or regulations made under that Act, the Governor in Council may by order add to Schedule 2 the name of that Act or those regulations, as the case may be, and the fact that an Act or regulations are listed in Schedule 2 is conclusive proof that the requirements referred to in paragraph (6)(a) are met; and

    • (b) if the Governor in Council determines that the requirements referred to in paragraph (6)(a) are no longer met by or under an Act of Parliament, or regulations, listed in Schedule 2, the Governor in Council may by order delete from Schedule 2 the name of that Act or those regulations, as the case may be.

  • Marginal note:Waiver of information requirements

    (8) On the request of any person to whom subsection (1), (3) or (4) applies, the Minister may waive any of the requirements to provide information under that subsection if

    • (a) in the opinion of the Ministers, the information is not needed in order to determine whether the substance is toxic or capable of becoming toxic;

    • (b) the substance is to be used for a prescribed purpose or manufactured at a location where, in the opinion of the Ministers, the person requesting the waiver is able to contain the substance so as to satisfactorily protect the environment and human health; or

    • (c) it is not, in the opinion of the Ministers, practicable or feasible to obtain the test data necessary to generate the information.

  • Marginal note:Publication of notice of waiver

    (9) The Minister shall publish in the Canada Gazette a notice stating the name of any person to whom a waiver is granted and the type of information to which it relates.

  • Marginal note:Compliance with waiver

    (10) Where the Minister waives any of the requirements for information under paragraph (8)(b), the person to whom the waiver is granted shall not use, manufacture or import the substance unless it is for the purpose prescribed pursuant to regulations made under paragraph 89(1)(f) or at the location specified in the request for the waiver, as the case may be.

  • Marginal note:Correction of information

    (11) A person who has provided information under this section, including for the purposes of a request for a waiver under subsection (8), or under section 82 or 84 shall notify the Minister of any corrections to the information as soon as possible after learning of them.

  • Marginal note:Request for information previously waived

    (12) Where the Minister is notified of any corrections to information that was provided for the purposes of a request for a waiver under subsection (8), the Minister may, after consideration by the Ministers of the corrections, require the person to whom the waiver was granted to provide the Minister with the information to which the waiver related within the time specified by the Minister.

  • Marginal note:Application of section 84

    (13) Where the Ministers suspect, after considering

    • (a) any corrections received under subsection (11), or

    • (b) the information provided under subsection (12),

    that a substance is toxic or capable of becoming toxic, the Minister may exercise any of the powers referred to in paragraphs 84(1)(a) to (c).

  • Marginal note:Notification of excess quantity

    (14) Where a person manufactures or imports a substance in accordance with this section in excess of any quantity referred to in paragraph 87(1)(b), the person shall, within 30 days after the quantity is exceeded, notify the Minister that it has been exceeded.

  • 1999, c. 33, s. 81
  • 2017, c. 26, s. 23

Marginal note:Prohibition of activity

  •  (1) Where the Minister has reasonable grounds to believe that a person has used, manufactured or imported a substance in contravention of subsection 81(1), (3) or (4), the Minister may, in writing, require the person to provide the information referred to in that subsection and prohibit any activity involving the substance until the expiry of the period for assessing the information under section 83.

  • Marginal note:Waiver of information requirements

    (2) On the request of any person required under subsection (1) to provide information, the Minister may waive any of the requirements for prescribed information if one of the conditions specified in paragraphs 81(8)(a) to (c) is met and, in that case, subsections 81(9) to (13) apply with respect to the waiver.

  • (3) [Repealed, 2017, c. 26, s. 24]

  • 1999, c. 33, s. 82
  • 2017, c. 26, s. 24

Marginal note:Assessment of information

  •  (1) Subject to subsection (4), the Ministers shall, within the prescribed assessment period, assess information provided under subsection 81(1), (3) or (4) or paragraph 84(1)(c) or otherwise available to them in respect of a substance in order to determine whether it is toxic or capable of becoming toxic.

  • Marginal note:Assessment of information

    (2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), the Ministers shall assess information provided under subsection 82(1) or otherwise available to them in respect of a substance in order to determine whether it is toxic or capable of becoming toxic.

  • Marginal note:Time for assessment

    (3) An assessment of information under subsection (2) shall be made following the date on which the information is provided within a period that does not exceed the number of days in the prescribed assessment period.

  • Marginal note:Extension of assessment period

    (4) Where the Ministers are of the opinion that further time is necessary to assess any information, the Minister may, before the expiry of the assessment period referred to in subsection (1) or (3), extend the period for assessing the information, but the extension shall not exceed the number of days in the prescribed assessment period.

  • Marginal note:Notification of extension

    (5) Where the Minister extends the period for assessing information, the Minister shall, before the expiry of the assessment period referred to in subsection (1) or (3), notify the person who provided the information.

  • Marginal note:Termination of period

    (6) The Minister may, before the expiry of the assessment period referred to in subsection (1) or (3), terminate the period for assessing information and, immediately before doing so, shall notify the person who provided the information.

Marginal note:Action to be taken after assessment

  •  (1) Where the Ministers have assessed any information under section 83 and they suspect that a substance is toxic or capable of becoming toxic, the Minister may, before the expiry of the period for assessing the information,

    • (a) permit any person to manufacture or import the substance, subject to any conditions that the Ministers may specify;

    • (b) prohibit any person from manufacturing or importing the substance; or

    • (c) request any person to provide any additional information or submit the results of any testing that the Ministers consider necessary for the purpose of assessing whether the substance is toxic or capable of becoming toxic.

  • Marginal note:Additional information or testing

    (2) Where the Minister requests additional information or test results under paragraph (1)(c), the person to whom the request is directed shall not manufacture or import the substance unless

    • (a) the person provides the additional information or submits the test results; and

    • (b) the period for assessing information under section 83 has expired or a period of 90 days after the additional information or test results were provided has expired, whichever is later.

  • Marginal note:Variation of conditions and prohibitions

    (3) The Minister may vary or rescind a condition or prohibition specified or imposed under paragraph (1)(a) or (b).

  • Marginal note:Expiry of prohibition

    (4) Any prohibition on the manufacture or importation of a substance imposed under paragraph (1)(b) expires two years after the day on which it is imposed unless, before the expiry of the two years, there is published in the Canada Gazette

    • (a) a regulation respecting preventive or control actions, in relation to the substance, that is proposed to be made under this Act; or

    • (b) a statement, identifying a regulation respecting preventive or control actions in relation to the substance that is proposed to be made under any other Act of Parliament,

      • (i) made jointly by the Minister and the Minister responsible for the administration of the Act of Parliament under which the regulation is to be made, if the Act is not an Act referred to in subparagraph (ii), or

      • (ii) made by the Minister of Health, if the Act of Parliament is one for whose administration that Minister is responsible.

    If such a proposed regulation — or such a statement identifying a proposed regulation — is so published, the prohibition expires on the day on which the regulation comes into force.

  • Marginal note:Publication of conditions and prohibitions

    (5) Where the Minister specifies, imposes, varies or rescinds any condition for or prohibition on the manufacture or importation of a substance, the Minister shall publish in the Canada Gazette a notice setting out the condition or prohibition and the substance in respect of which it applies.

Marginal note:Significant new activity

  •  (1) Where the Ministers have assessed any information under section 83 in respect of a substance that is not on the Domestic Substances List and they suspect that a significant new activity in relation to the substance may result in the substance becoming toxic, the Minister may, within 90 days after the expiry of the period for assessing the information, publish in the Canada Gazette, and in any other manner that the Minister considers appropriate, a notice indicating that subsection 81(4) applies with respect to the substance.

  • Marginal note:Contents of notice

    (2) A notice referred to in subsection (1)

    • (a) shall indicate, by inclusion or exclusion, the significant new activities in relation to the substance with respect to which subsection 81(4) is to apply and, if regulations in respect of those significant new activities are not made under paragraphs 89(1)(c), (d) and (g), specify the information to be provided to the Minister under that subsection, the date on or before which it is to be provided and the period within which it is to be assessed under section 83; and

    • (b) may specify for the purpose of subsection 86(2) classes of persons who are not required to be notified under subsection 86(1) with respect to the substance.

  • Marginal note:Classes of persons

    (3) The Minister may, by notice published in the Canada Gazette, specify for the purpose of subsection 86(2) classes of persons who are not required to be notified under subsection 86(1) with respect to a substance for which a notice was published under subsection (1), if no such class was specified in that notice.

  • Marginal note:Subsequent notice

    (4) The Minister may, by notice published in the Canada Gazette,

    • (a) vary the significant new activities in relation to a substance for which a notice has been published under subsection (1) or vary the information to be provided to the Minister under subsection 81(4), the date on or before which that information is to be provided or the period within which it is to be assessed under section 83;

    • (b) indicate that subsection 81(4) no longer applies with respect to the substance;

    • (c) vary the classes of persons, if any, that are specified for the purpose of subsection 86(2) in a notice published under subsection (1) or (3); or

    • (d) indicate that a class of persons is no longer specified for the purpose of subsection 86(2).

 

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