Chemical Import Conditions and Saskatchewan GHG Agreement

Summary#

The Canada Gazette published two notices from the Department of the Environment on June 8, 2024. One is Ministerial Condition No. 21762 under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 that allows limited manufacture or import of 1,3-cyclohexanedimethanamine, N1,N3-bis(2-methylpropylidene)-, CAS No. 173904-11-5 with conditions. The other makes available a proposed agreement, An Agreement on the Equivalency of Federal and Saskatchewan Regulations for the Control of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electricity Producers in Saskatchewan, 2025, and asks for public comments within 60 days.

What it does#

• Ministerial Condition No. 21762
  • Lets the person who notified the government on January 4, 2024 manufacture or import the named chemical, but only under strict conditions.
  • Prohibits importing or making the substance for consumer products unless it is chemically bound into a stable matrix and cured during manufacturing (so it is not present as a free ingredient in finished consumer items).
  • Requires that the substance be transferred only to people who agree in writing to follow those limits.
  • Requires the notifier to keep records of uses, quantities, recipients, and written confirmations, and to keep those records at their Canadian place of business for at least five years.
  • Came into force on May 23, 2024.
• Notice about equivalency agreement
  • Publishes a draft federal–Saskatchewan equivalency agreement for greenhouse gas rules that would apply to electricity producers in Saskatchewan in 2025.
  • Makes the draft available on the federal environmental registry and invites comments or objections for 60 days after publication.

Who's affected#

• The chemical notice mainly affects:
  • The company or person who filed the formal notification (the “notifier”) and any business that would receive, use, import, or manufacture this specific chemical.
  • Manufacturers that might otherwise use the chemical in consumer products. Retail or consumer-facing businesses are generally not allowed to have this substance in sellable consumer products unless it is irreversibly reacted into a stable matrix.
• The equivalency agreement notice mainly affects:
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan, electricity producers operating in Saskatchewan, industry groups, environmental organizations, and provincial regulators.
  • Any member of the public or organization that wants to review or comment on the proposed agreement (submit comments to Karishma Boroowa at ECD-DEC@ec.gc.ca).

Why it matters#

• The chemical conditions aim to limit how the named substance can enter consumer products and to make its use traceable. That lowers the chance of consumer exposure and helps regulators track its movement in Canada.
• The equivalency agreement could let Saskatchewan’s rules replace some federal requirements for electricity producers if both sides agree. That can change which government enforces greenhouse gas rules for those facilities. The public has 60 days to review and comment before the agreement is finalized.