Pesticide Safety Information Provision Comes into Force

Summary#

This Order (SI/2026-25) says that the day it is published in the Canada Gazette, Part II — June 17, 2026 — is the day certain parts of An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act, the Hazardous Products Act, the Radiation Emitting Devices Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, the Pest Control Products Act and the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and to make related amendments to another Act come into force (subsections 36(2) and 36(3)). Practically, that brings subsection 8(4.1) of the Pest Control Products Act into force and repeals subsection 8(3).

What it does#

• Fixes the Order’s publication day (June 17, 2026) as the day subsections 36(2) and 36(3) of the 2016 legislative amendments come into force.
• As a result under the Pest Control Products Act:
  • subsection 8(3) is repealed, and
  • subsection 8(4.1) comes into force.
• Subsection 8(4.1) makes the registrant (the company that registers the pesticide) responsible for providing product safety information — replacing the older term “material safety data sheet” — to workplaces where the product is manufactured, used, handled, or stored, in line with any future regulations.
• No new regulations accompany this Order. Health Canada says it will continue to rely on voluntary guidance for Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for now, because labels approved by Health Canada already cover how to use and handle pesticides safely.
• If there is any conflict between a product’s approved label and an SDS, the approved label takes priority.

Who's affected#

• Companies that register or sell pest control products (registrants and manufacturers).
• Workplaces that manufacture, store, handle or use pesticides (including farms, pest-control businesses, greenhouse operators, and related workplaces).
• Health Canada and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, which oversee pesticide registration and labeling.
• The general public and workers who rely on label directions and safety information when pesticides are used around homes, workplaces, or farms.

If it’s unclear who is affected: the Order itself does not add immediate new duties. Any change that creates new legal requirements would come only if future regulations are made.

Why it matters#

• This is mainly an administrative step that clarifies Parliament’s intent about safety information for pesticides. It does not immediately change day-to-day practice because many registrants already provide SDSs voluntarily under Health Canada guidance.
• It preserves the government’s ability to make consistent, nationwide rules later. That means regulations could be introduced in the future that would require specific forms of product safety information for workplaces.
• For now, the legally binding safety instructions remain the product’s approved label, which Health Canada reviews before a pesticide can be sold.