Environmental Emergency Regulations

These regulations aim to help reduce the frequency and severity of accidental releases of hazardous substances into the environment. Made under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), they improve industry’s capacity to deal with environmental emergencies that may occur at fixed facilities across Canada.

Application

These regulations apply to any person who owns or has the charge, management or control of a listed substance and meet or exceed concentrations outlined in schedule one of the Environmental Emergency Regulations, 2019 (E2 Regulations).

The regulations apply to both pure substances and those that are contained in a mixture. Additionally, the requirements under the E2 Regulations vary significantly depending on the amount of the substance that is onsite and the capacity of the container system in which the substance is stored.  They range from only reporting accidental releases that result in an environmental emergency to developing and exercising Environmental Emergency Plans.

Certain substances and quantities of substances may be subject to exclusions that can be found in paragraph 2(2) and 3(2) of the E2 Regulations, which partially or completely excludes a facility from regulatory requirements.

Additional guidance can be found in the Technical Guidelines for the Environmental Emergency Regulations, 2019 and the Environmental Emergency Regulations, 2019 below.

The Regulations

The Environmental Emergency Regulations, 2019 were published in the Canada Gazette on March 6, 2019. They came into force on August 24, 2019.

Hazardous substances

Schedule 1 of the E2 Regulations includes 249 substances that pose an acute hazard to the environment or to human health should an accidental release occur. There are six  hazard categories covered under the final regulations:  

• aquatically toxic
• combustible
• explosion hazard
• pool fire hazard
• inhalation hazard
• oxidizer that may explode

Fact sheets

• Overview of the Environmental Emergency Regulations, 2019
• Reporting system
• The use of an existing plan
• Public notification
• Major changes to the Regulations
• Environmental emergency plan simulation exercises
• Reporting an environmental emergency

Related information

• Environmental emergency regulations, 2019 on CEPA registry
  
• Technical Guidelines for the Environmental Emergency Regulations, 2019
• Environmental emergency regulations: filing a notice
• Reporting a spill or release
• List of hazardous substances
• Regional contacts
• Public spill reporting: written report of an environmental emergency
• Reporting system - quick reference guide

Contact us

Environmental Emergencies Division
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Place Vincent Massey, 17th Floor
351 St-Joseph Boulevard
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0H3

Email: ec.ue-e2.ec@canada.ca