Amendments to Explosives Regulations

Summary#

This Canada Gazette notice describes proposed changes to the Explosives Regulations, 2013 published on November 1, 2025 by Natural Resources Canada. The package adds new rules (for example, a transport permit for carriers and a registration for propellant-powder sellers), updates fees, and adjusts how some rockets and pyrotechnics are classified — all aimed at improving safety and clarifying the rules.

What it does#

• Introduces a new transport-permit system for carriers who move explosives by road. A permit would cover listed vehicles, be valid for three years, and require driver security screening and training (refreshed every five years).
• Requires retailers who sell propellant powder to get a registration number from Natural Resources Canada and obliges distributors to verify and record retail purchases for two years.
• Changes storage and magazine rules: creates formal “shared” and “drop-ship” magazine licences and updates what must be in fire safety and site plans.
• Reclassifies some rocket motors and raises the no-permit import limit for model rocket motors to 40 (from a much lower number).
• Codifies current practices for remote avalanche control systems and jet perforating guns (assembly at point-of-use).
• Removes the requirement for display-assistant fireworks workers to hold a federal certificate (reducing an administrative step).
• Adds many packaging, stacking and reuse rules intended to reduce damage and accidental ignition.
• Updates the fee schedule across many licences, permits and certificates (new fees for transport permits, export and in-transit permits, shared/drop-ship licences, etc.). The notice gives many specific fee amounts.
• Timing: most changes come into force when the final regulations are registered, with some parts set to come into force on April 1, 2026 and others on June 1, 2027; transport-permit rules are scheduled to come into force two years after publication in Canada Gazette, Part II.

Who's affected#

• Carriers and drivers who transport explosives by road (they would need transport permits and to meet training and record-keeping rules).
• Retailers and distributors of propellant powder (new registration and sales-record rules).
• Manufacturers and licence holders in the explosives sector (factory licences, satellite and client sites, mobile process units).
• Fireworks professionals and event organizers (changes to fireworks operator certificates and record requirements).
• Hobby rocket users (higher import limit and new classification for advanced motors).
• Magazine owners and operators (shared and drop-ship licence options, updated site-plan and safety-plan requirements).
• Small businesses in the sector: the regulatory analysis estimates 3,297 small businesses would be affected, with a net increase in small-business costs of $215,263 per year (about $65 per small business per year).
• The public and public-safety responders may also notice effects through changes to transport and storage oversight.

If it’s unclear whether you are affected (for example, occasional users, small hobby groups, or certain public agencies), the notice contains many specific thresholds and exemptions that determine who must hold permits or registrations.

Why it matters#

• Safety and security: the package aims to close gaps in how explosives are transported, stored and sold — for example, by making carriers accountable through permits, tracking who sells propellant powder, and tightening packaging and monitoring rules. The government says these changes should improve consistent screening of drivers and reduce risks of theft, misuse or accidental ignition.
• Costs and paperwork: the changes introduce new fees and record-keeping duties. The impact assessment projects a total net present benefit of $198,765, but also notes increased fees and administrative costs for industry overall and a measurable cost to small businesses (see figures above).
• Practical effects you might notice: stricter checks when hiring carriers; retailers needing to show a registration number to buy propellant powder; fireworks display assistants facing fewer federal certificate requirements but other record rules for sellers; and clearer rules about how much rocket motors and pyrotechnics you can import, store or buy.
• Timing: parts of the package phase in over 2026–2027 (and some transport rules come into force later), so businesses and users will have time to adapt but should watch for final publication in Canada Gazette, Part II and any guidance from Natural Resources Canada.