Ministerial substance permits and habitat protections

Summary#

This Canada Gazette issue (published September 13, 2025) lists a set of government notices from several departments. Key items include three ministerial conditions that let specific new chemicals be manufactured or imported under limits, a number of waivers for new-substance data requirements, descriptions of critical habitat for several species that will gain protection in 90 days, an advance notice of a 2026 spectrum auction, and the repeal of reprography fees at Library and Archives Canada on August 21, 2025.

What it does#

• Ministerial conditions under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999:

  • Allow three specific new chemical substances (notifiers named in the notices) to be manufactured or imported, but only with written conditions attached.
  • Require the notifier to give the government at least 120 days notice before starting manufacturing in Canada and to provide details about quantities, site, transportation, storage, releases, disposal and the manufacturing process.
  • Require immediate action and reporting if any release to the environment occurs.
  • Require the notifier to inform and get written agreement from anyone they transfer the substance to, and to keep records for at least 5 years.
  • These ministerial conditions took effect on September 4, 2025.

• Waivers of information requirements under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999:

  • The department granted some companies partial waivers so they did not have to submit specific test data when notifying about new living organisms or chemical substances.
  • Examples of firms listed include Cytophage Technologies Inc., Novozymes Canada Limited, Sanofi Pasteur Limited, and BASF Canada Inc. (among others).
  • The Gazette notes that roughly about 100 waivers are granted each year as part of the New Substances program.

• Species at Risk habitat protections under the Species at Risk Act:

  • The critical habitat identified in federal recovery documents for the Chestnut-collared Longspur (in the Longspur National Wildlife Area), the Slender Mouse‑ear‑cress (in Canadian Forces Base Suffield National Wildlife Area and Great Sandhills National Wildlife Area), and both the Sprague’s Pipit and the Swift Fox (in the Longspur National Wildlife Area) will become subject to the Act’s protections 90 days after this publication.
  • These notices point to locations in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba as relevant breeding or habitat areas.

• Spectrum auction notice from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada:

  • Notice No. SPB-005-25 announces the upcoming 2026 auction of residual radio spectrum licences. It sets out which licences will be offered and the auction rules. Interested parties can ask clarification questions by the deadline listed in the auction documents.

• Library and Archives Canada reprography fees:

  • The old copy service (reprography) fee schedule from 2005 was repealed on August 21, 2025. A revised fee schedule will be posted on LAC’s website.

Who's affected#

• Chemical manufacturers and importers (especially the notifiers named in the ministerial conditions).
• Biotech and pharmaceutical companies and labs that submit new-substance or new-organism notifications and that received waivers.
• Anyone planning activities in the named National Wildlife Areas — including users of those federal lands and managers of those protected sites — because critical-habitat protections will apply there.
• Telecommunications and wireless companies and potential bidders interested in the 2026 spectrum auction.
• Researchers, historians, and members of the public who use Library and Archives Canada reproduction services (they will see a new fee structure).

Why it matters#

• Allowing new chemicals with written conditions means these substances can enter Canadian supply chains, but under monitoring and reporting rules aimed at limiting environmental and health risks.
• Waivers can speed the regulatory process for some companies, but they also mean less test data may be publicly required in those cases.
• Bringing critical habitat under the Species at Risk Act adds legal protection inside the named National Wildlife Areas. That can restrict or change activities there to help recover endangered or threatened species.
• The spectrum auction affects who can access wireless airwaves, which in turn affects telecom competition, coverage and services.
• Repealing the old reprography fees is meant to modernize access to archival materials; users should watch for the new fee schedule to know future costs.