Bacillus W215 SNAc; A‑Gas plan extended

Summary#

On April 17, 2021, the Department of the Environment published two notices under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. One grants A‑Gas Canada an extra 15 months and 20 days (moving their deadline to July 31, 2022) to implement a required pollution‑prevention plan for halocarbon refrigerants. The other is Significant New Activity Notice No. 19238, which puts new notification and testing rules in place for the bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subspecies amyloliquefaciens strain W215 before certain new uses are allowed.

What it does#

• Time extension for pollution‑prevention plan

  • The Minister of Environment and Climate Change approved a time extension on April 7, 2021 for A‑Gas Canada (Uxbridge, Ontario).
  • The company now has until July 31, 2022 to implement its pollution‑prevention plan required under the 2016 notice about halocarbons used as refrigerants.

• New rules for one bacterial strain (SNAc)

  • Significant New Activity Notice No. 19238 identifies a “significant new activity” for Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subspecies amyloliquefaciens strain W215. Uses that are NOT automatically allowed include things that would release the organism into natural aquatic or terrestrial environments (examples below).
  • Uses that do not count as a significant new activity (and therefore are exempt) include:
    • cleaning or degreasing products not meant to be released to the natural environment;
    • controlling odours in dumpsters and trash compactors;
    • treating water in artificial aquatic environments (like aquariums or ornamental ponds);
    • certain research and development or contained‑facility production activities that meet limits spelled out in the Notice.
  • If a proposed use is a “significant new activity,” the person proposing it must submit a notification at least 120 days before starting that activity. The notification must include:
    • a description of the planned activity;
    • specified background information and test data (including tests on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates likely to be exposed);
    • details of test procedures and quality controls;
    • a list of other government assessments, contact details for the notifier, and a signed certification that the information is complete.
  • Tests must follow recognized laboratory practices (OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice). The government aims to assess the submitted information within 120 days after a complete file is received.
  • The Notice is intended to gather information because Health Canada and the Minister of the Environment suspect some new uses could harm aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates.

Who's affected#

• Specifically affected:
  • A‑Gas Canada — granted the implementation extension for its pollution‑prevention plan.
  • Businesses, researchers, manufacturers, importers and distributors that plan to use Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subspecies amyloliquefaciens strain W215 in ways that could release it into natural environments.
• Industries and uses most likely to notice:
  • aquaculture and seafood operations considering water treatments;
  • wastewater or manure treatment projects that would release the organism into rivers, lakes, fields or soil;
  • companies planning commercial bioremediation or other outdoor applications.
• Exempt or separately regulated cases:
  • contained research and production that meet the Notice’s limits;
  • uses already regulated under other federal laws (for example, under the Pest Control Products Act, Fertilizers Act, or Feeds Act) are excluded from this SNAc.
• If it is unclear whether a planned use counts as a “significant new activity,” the Notice makes clear the notifier is expected to use information they have and to consult regulators as needed.

Why it matters#

• It adds a formal checkpoint before certain commercial or environmental uses of this bacterium can proceed. That means companies may need to invest time and money in tests and paperwork before launching those uses.
• The government flagged potential harm to aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. The Notice aims to prevent releases that could affect fisheries, aquaculture, soil life, and related food chains.
• For anyone working with halocarbon refrigerants, the A‑Gas extension is a small administrative change but shows regulators are monitoring compliance deadlines and pollution‑prevention plans.
• Overall, these measures increase oversight for products and activities that could change how microbes or refrigerant chemicals are released into the environment, which can affect businesses, researchers and local ecosystems.