Pollution prevention plans

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Context

Part 4 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) gives the minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) the authority to require the preparation and implementation of pollution prevention plans (P2 plans) for CEPA-toxic substances (that have been added to Schedule 1 of CEPA). To invoke these requirements, the minister publishes notices in the Canada Gazette, Part I, requiring persons to prepare and implement P2 plans for a substance or group of substances. These notices are called pollution prevention planning notices or P2 notices. For more information on these notices and the circumstances under which they are implemented, see the following guidelines:

You can access the legal obligations for persons subject to P2 notices on the following web page:

One of the obligations is to submit declarations and reports summarizing the facility’s activities and the information contained in their P2 plan. You can view these submissions by using the following search tool:

Published Canada Gazette notices requiring pollution prevention plans

You can access the overview pages of notices that are proposed, in effect and no longer in effect at the following web page:

You can also access all previously published notices from the CEPA Registry web page:

Effectiveness of pollution prevention planning notices

Declarations and reports submitted by facilities are assessed to determine whether the notice has prevented or reduced the risks posed by the toxic substance. Notices are also evaluated for how they have performed as a risk management instrument. For a summary of the effectiveness of completed notices to date, consult the following web page:

Time extensions

Companies can request a time extension for preparing or implementing a P2 plan. You can access all granted time extensions from the CEPA registry web page:

Waiver of the requirement to consider a factor

All P2 planning notices specify “factors to consider”. Companies subject to a notice must take into account these factors when developing and implementing their pollution prevention plans. If taking into account a factor is unreasonable or impractical, companies can submit a request for the Minister to waive the requirement to consider that factor. The request must identify the factor that requires the waiver and a rationale. The requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The Minister of Environment Climate Change Canada has granted three waivers since 2003.

P2 Notice: Inorganic chloramines and chlorinated wastewater effluents

Bridgewater Wastewater Treatment Plant (Town of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia)

Hazen Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility (City of Saint John, New Brunswick)

P2 Notice: Nonylphenol and its ethoxylates contained in products

Lalema Inc. (Ville de Montréal, Québec)

Contact us

Regulatory Innovation and Management Systems
Environment and Climate Change Canada
351 Saint-Joseph Blvd
Gatineau QC  K1A 0H3

Email: planp2-p2plan@ec.gc.ca

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