Draft FEQGs, Polymer Condition, Great Lakes Agreement

Summary#

This Canada Gazette notice from the Department of the Environment (published June 12, 2021) announces three environment-related items under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. It: posts draft federal environmental quality guidelines for three substances with a public comment window of 60 days; records a ministerial condition (No. 20679) that allows one polymer to be made or imported under strict controls; and notes that the federal government has finalized the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health, 2021.

What it does#

• Draft federal environmental quality guidelines (FEQGs)

  • Makes draft FEQGs available for Aluminium, Selenium, and Siloxane‑D4.
  • Invites written comments on the science behind the guidelines within 60 days of the notice.

• Ministerial Condition No. 20679

  • Allows the manufacture or import of 1,3‑propanediol, 2‑ethyl‑2‑(hydroxymethyl)‑, polymer with oxirane, 4‑(dimethylamino)benzoate (CAS RN 2067275‑86‑7), but only for use as a photoinitiator in ultraviolet-curable systems.
  • Prohibits releases of the substance or related waste to the environment.
  • Requires waste to be destroyed by incineration or placed in an engineered hazardous waste landfill, in accordance with local laws.
  • Requires written notices and written confirmations before transferring the substance to another person, and that recipients follow the same rules.
  • Requires the notifier to keep records (use, quantities, recipients, disposal) for 5 years.
  • These conditions came into force on June 1, 2021.

• Canada–Ontario Great Lakes agreement

  • Announces that the federal minister has entered into the Canada‑Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health, 2021.
  • Notes that a draft was open for comment in 2019 and a federal response was published in April 3, 2021.

Who's affected#

• Provincial and territorial governments, and local authorities who use federal guidelines to plan monitoring and cleanup.
• Companies that manufacture, import, or use photoinitiators and related specialty chemicals — especially the notifier and any downstream users of the named polymer.
• Hazardous waste disposal operators that may receive material from the notifier.
• Communities and organizations involved in Great Lakes protection in Ontario and neighbouring areas.
• The general public may be affected indirectly through changes in local water-quality guidance and pollution controls.

If it is unclear who the notifier is from the notice, that detail is not specified in the published text.

Why it matters#

• Draft FEQGs help guide how water, sediment or soil quality could be measured and managed. Provinces and local managers often use them when setting monitoring programs or limits—so they can influence pollution controls for Aluminium, Selenium, and Siloxane‑D4.
• The ministerial condition lets one potentially hazardous polymer be produced or imported, but only under strict use, disposal and record‑keeping rules designed to limit environmental release. That reduces immediate regulatory uncertainty for the notifier while aiming to protect the environment.
• The Canada–Ontario agreement sets the cooperation framework for protecting the Great Lakes. That matters for local water quality, shoreline communities, industry, and anyone who uses the lakes for drinking water, fishing, or recreation.