Explosives Regulations updated: transport permits, fees

Summary#

This is a proposed package of changes to the Explosives Regulations, 2013 from Natural Resources Canada. The proposal would add new transport and seller rules, update storage and manufacturing rules, and change many fees; it is published in the Canada Gazette on November 1, 2025 and interested people have 30 days to send comments.

What it does#

• Transport permits for road carriers

  • Carriers would usually need a transport permit to move explosives on public roads. The permit would be valid for three years.
  • The proposed fee is $20 per vehicle, with a minimum of $200 and a maximum of $750 per permit.
  • Permit holders must certify that drivers are trained (training expires every five years), keep training records for two years, and send an updated vehicle list to the regulator every year.
  • Some carriers would be exempt (for example, law enforcement, factory or magazine licence holders, carriers licensed outside Canada, emergency responders, and those moving small amounts such as up to 150 kg of fireworks or model rocket motors).

• Registration for propellant powder sellers

  • Retailers who sell propellant powder would need a registration number from the Chief Inspector of Explosives.
  • Distributors must check the retailer’s registration before selling and keep a record of each sale for two years.

• Storage and magazine rules

  • New formal licence types for shared magazine storage and “drop-ship” arrangements (where stock stays at the manufacturer until sold).
  • Fire safety plans would no longer be automatically sent to local fire departments; instead licence holders must notify the fire department that a plan is available on request.
  • User magazine zone licence holders would submit licence amendments when moving a site rather than give advance notice.

• Manufacturing and site rules

  • New rules for mobile process units and clearer rules for making explosives at client sites, including site plans showing vulnerable places and distances in metres.
  • Remote avalanche control systems would be treated more clearly (assembly of deployment boxes and an exemption for explosives not readily accessible to the public).

• Rocket motors and pyrotechnics

  • A new category for advanced high-power rocket motors (type R.4).
  • The number of model rocket motors allowed to be imported without a permit would increase from 6 to 40.
  • New limits and clearer rules for special-effect pyrotechnics, reactive targets and visitor pyrotechnicians.

• Fees and cost recovery

  • Many existing fees would be raised or adjusted and several new fees would be added (examples: single-use export permit $220, single-use in-transit permit $25, annual in-transit permit $200, firecracker use certificate $50, and the transport permit fee above).
  • The proposal targets roughly 60% cost recovery of program expenses through fees.

• Records, packaging and enrolment updates

  • New or stricter record-keeping rules for many sellers (typical retention two years).
  • New rules restricting reuse of packaging for several explosive types.
  • Changes to the enrolment process for sellers of restricted components (Tier 1 and Tier 2).

• Implementation timing (proposed)

  • Most changes would come into force when the final rules are published in Canada Gazette, Part II, but some items use a staggered schedule. For example, certain sections would come into force on April 1, 2026, and others on June 1, 2027; transport permit rules would come into force two years after publication in Canada Gazette, Part II.

Who's affected#

• Road carriers and trucking companies that move explosives by road.
• Retailers and distributors of propellant powder (including gunshops and some sporting goods stores).
• Fireworks operators, pyrotechnicians and event producers (many hold fireworks operator certificates).
• Rocket hobbyists and sellers of model and high‑power rocket motors.
• Companies that manufacture, store or sell explosives, including mines, quarries and industrial users.
• Magazine owners and operators who host shared or drop-shipped stock.
• Small businesses in the explosives and fireworks sectors — the regulatory analysis estimates about 3,297 small businesses would be affected.
• The rules do not apply yet; this is a proposal. It is unclear in some places exactly how exemptions will be applied in practice until the final text and guidance are published.

Why it matters#

• Safety and security: The transport permit and driver training rules are meant to make it clearer who is allowed to move explosives and to help ensure drivers are screened and trained. That should reduce accidental fires, thefts and misuse during transport.
• Clarity and modernization: The package updates technical wording, codifies current practices (for example, shared magazines and drop‑ship selling), and aligns some rules with international practice. That should make it easier for businesses to know what is expected.
• Cost shifts: The government expects overall net benefits (annualized benefits $561,844 vs. annualized costs $533,545) and a net present benefit of about $198,765. But fees and new requirements would raise costs for industry. The analysis estimates increased costs to small businesses of $215,263 per year in total, or about $65 per affected small business per year.
• It’s a proposal, not final: These changes are not law yet. The public and stakeholders have 30 days from the Canada Gazette publication (November 1, 2025) to comment before the final rules are made.