NPRI Reporting Requirements for 2025–2027

Summary#

This is a notice under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 that tells certain facilities to report specified chemicals to the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) for the calendar years 2025, 2026 and 2027. It adds and changes several substances to the list (notably many PFAS and some dye and cyanide groups) and sets reporting deadlines for each year.

What it does#

• Requires owners or operators of facilities that meet the notice criteria to submit detailed NPRI data for the years 2025, 2026 and 2027.
• Deadlines:
  • Data for 2025 must be submitted no later than June 1, 2026.
  • Data for 2026 must be submitted no later than June 1, 2027.
  • Data for 2027 must be submitted no later than June 1, 2028.
• Expands the list of reportable substances (key changes):
  • Adds 163 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to a new Group C. Reporting is required for each listed PFAS at 1 kg or more and at 0.1% concentration or higher.
  • Adds triarylmethane dye substances (for example, Basic Violet 3, Basic Violet 4, Basic Blue 7, MAPBAP Acetate) and moves Malachite Green into Group B. Thresholds for these are 100 kg and 1%.
  • Adds a group of 20 benzothiazoles that can form 2‑mercaptobenzothiazole with a 100 kg / 0.1% threshold.
  • Adds 92 long‑chain aliphatic amines with a 5,000 kg / 0.1% threshold.
  • Adds free cyanide, cyanide salts, and cyanide complexes as a group, and moves hydrogen cyanide into Group B. Group thresholds are 1,000 kg and 0.1%.
  • Moves ethylene oxide to the Group/part with a 1 kg / 0.1% threshold and extends reporting to include its use in education and training.
• Lists who must report based on simple facility triggers:
  • Facilities where employees work 20,000 hours or more in a year.
  • Certain activities, regardless of hours, such as waste incineration of 26 tonnes or more, wastewater discharge averaging 10,000 m³ or more per day, and pit/quarry production of 500,000 tonnes or more.
  • Pipeline installations and certain other named operations.
• Specifies what must be reported: amounts released to air, water and land; disposals; transfers for recycling; methods used to estimate quantities; and breakdowns by quarter or month for some items.
• Records and publication:
  • Facilities must keep underlying data and calculations for 3 years at the site or the principal place of business.
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada (the department running the NPRI) intends to publish parts of the submitted information.
  • Facilities may request confidentiality for specific information under the Act. The Minister may still disclose information in some cases.
• Reporting must be done through the NPRI online system or by mail to the address in the notice.

Who's affected#

• Industrial and commercial facilities that meet the notice thresholds. Likely examples:
  • Chemical manufacturers and formulators.
  • Metal smelters and refiners.
  • Pulp and paper mills.
  • Waste and medical waste incinerators.
  • Oil and gas field sites, pipelines, compressor stations and storage terminals.
  • Wastewater treatment plants and large wastewater collection systems.
  • Quarries and pits with large production.
  • Electricity generation units (certain reporting rules apply if they sell or distribute 33% or more of output).
  • Schools, training labs, or research facilities that use ethylene oxide in training activities.
• Small businesses or sites could be affected if they meet the mass, concentration or activity thresholds above.
• If it is unclear whether a specific site must report, the full notice or NPRI guidance should be consulted.

Why it matters#

• More chemicals will be publicly tracked, including many PFAS that are persistent in the environment. That increases transparency about local pollutant sources.
• Facilities that use or make these substances may have new record‑keeping and reporting work. Some operators will need to measure or estimate releases, disposals and transfers for recycling.
• The data influence government and public understanding of pollution patterns. They are used for air and water monitoring, policy, and pollution‑prevention planning.
• Non‑compliance has financial risk. The Act sets fines up to $1,000,000 for an individual and $6,000,000 for a corporation for certain offences, and up to $100,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation for others (higher penalties apply for repeat offences).
• If you operate a facility or work with any of the newly listed groups of chemicals, check the notice and NPRI guidance now so you can meet the deadlines and reporting requirements.