Share your thoughts: Proposed updates to the Contraventions Regulations (CEPA, 1999 and MBCA, 1994)

From: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Current Status: Open

Opened on May 12, 2026, and will close to new input on June 10, 2026.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is seeking input on proposed updates to Schedule I.3 and Schedule III.01, Part I and II of the Contraventions Regulations. Your feedback will help contribute to ECCC’s environmental and wildlife protection objectives.

Canada's federal ticketing system provides a quicker, more efficient way to handle federal offences, reducing pressure and the burden on the court system. The Contraventions Act allows certain federal statutory offences to be enforced through tickets instead of going through the full summary-conviction process under the Criminal Code.

The Contraventions Regulations are an essential part of Canada's federal ticketing system. They list federal regulatory offences that can be enforced by ticket. For each offence, the Contraventions Regulations provide a short form description which appears on the ticket, as well as a corresponding fine amount.

Updates to the Contraventions Regulations are needed to keep pace with changes to environmental and wildlife legislation. These updates will also ensure that ticketing—which is intended to be an efficient and fair enforcement tool—remains available to enforcement officers and aligned with current laws.

The proposed updates as part of this consultation will ensure enforcement officers (and provincial officers designated to enforce certain federal Acts) can issue tickets for administrative, wildlife and environmental protection offences under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 and certain associated regulations.

Join in: How to participate

Send us an email.

We invite you to submit your comments by email at: dgalconsultations-ebconsultations@ec.gc.ca.

Who is the focus of this consultation

We invite feedback from:

Provinces and Territories
Other federal departments and agencies
United States governments
General public
Indigenous organizations
Hunters and hunting organizations
Conservation organizations
Environmental organizations
Industry sectors

Proposed Updates:

Proposed updates to Schedule I.3 (CEPA)

The proposed updates to Schedule I.3 of the Contraventions Regulations, relating to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) would:

Add new CEPA sections and five new Regulations
Update the listings for five existing Regulations
Remove two Regulations that have been repealed

The new contraventions being proposed are primarily administrative offences, such as failing to submit reports or failing to produce records upon request from an officer. The fine for all CEPA offences under Schedule I.3 is currently $1,000. No changes to the fine amounts are being proposed at this time.

The information in the table below is intended to explain the proposed amendments and associated descriptions in general terms and does not replace or reproduce the legal text of the regulations. In the event of any inconsistency, the official regulatory text prevails.

Table 1: Examples of proposed updates to Schedule 1.3 (CEPA)
Law/Regulation	Provision	What is changing	Description(s)	Proposed fine(s)
Sections of CEPA Certain Products Containing Toxic Substances Regulations Clean Electricity Regulations Landfill Methane Regulations Prohibition of the Manufacture and Importation of Wheel Weights Containing Lead Regulations Reduction in the Release of Volatile Organic Compounds (Storage and Loading of Volatile Petroleum Liquids) Regulations	Various sections	New! Introducing contraventions related to declaration, notification, reporting and record-keeping	Failure to provide the specified information within the required time Failure to keep the specified documentation for the specified period	$1,000
Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations	Various sections	Amendment – Updating contraventions and introducing new contraventions related to record-keeping	Failure to retain the specified documents and information at the specified place for the specified period Failure to provide the specified information	$1,000
Multi-Sector Air Pollutants Regulations	Various sections	Amendment –To align with recent amendments to the regulations, introducing new and updated contraventions	Failure to provide the specified information	$1,000
PCB Regulations	Various sections	Amendment –To align with recent amendments to the regulations, introducing new and updated contraventions, including changes to certain short-form descriptions related to record-keeping	Failure to establish and keep up to date an inventory that contains the specified information Failure to notify the Minister within the required time Failure to notify the Minister within the required time of any changes to the information provided	$1,000
Products Containing Mercury Regulations	Various sections	Amendment – To align with recent amendments to the regulations, introducing updated contraventions including revisions to certain short-form descriptions	Failure to keep the specified information at the specified place	$1,000
Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2025	Various sections	Amendment – To align with the 2025 repeal and replacement of the regulations, introducing new and updated contraventions including revisions to certain short-form descriptions	Failure to prepare and implement the specified plan for the specified time Failure to submit the specified documentation in the specified manner	$1,000

The proposed amendments would also repeal the following regulations from Schedule I.3 of the Contravention Regulations, related to CEPA:

2-Butoxyethanol Regulations (repealed and replaced in the Certain Product Containing Toxic Substances Regulations)
Secondary Lead Smelter Release Regulations

Proposed updates to Schedule III.01, Parts I and II (MBCA, 1994)

The proposed contraventions related to the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 (MBCA) and the Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022 (MBR 2022) would update which provisions can be enforced through tickets and clarify the associated fines.

In respect of the MBCA, the amendments would replace previously designated provisions and add new offences for failing to assist an enforcement officer and for violating the prohibition that protects migratory birds from harmful substances deposited in water.

Updates relating to the MBR 2022 would revise and clarify hunting related offences, specify situations where an offence applies even if no bird is directly involved, adjust fines for exceeding hunting limits or quotas, and add a new contravention for hunting with an unauthorized weapon.

Proposed fine amounts would range from $100 to $1,000, depending on the nature of the violation.

Table 2: Examples of proposed updates to Schedule III.01, Parts I and II (MBCA)
Law/Regulation	Provision	What is changing	Description	Proposed fine(s)
MBCA, 1994	5.1(1)	New!	Depositing or permitting deposit of harmful substance in specified waters, area or place	$1,000
MBCA, 1994	5.2(c)	Fine increase	Willfully obstruct a person from carrying out duties or functions	$400 (up from $300)
MBCA, 1994	8.3(b)	New!	Failure to provide information as specified	$300
MBR, 2022	27(1)	Flat fine instead of per bird	Unauthorized hunting	$250
MBR, 2022	51(2)	Flat fine instead of per bird	Possessing a migratory game bird that is of a species at risk	$500
MBR, 2022	52(1)	Fine increase	Possessing or transporting a migratory game bird without a fully feathered wing or head attached	$250 (up from $150)
MBR, 2022	55(1)(a)	Amendment – introducing a standalone contravention for abandonment	Allowing the meat of a migratory game bird to be abandoned	$250
MBR, 2022	55(1)(b)	New! Introducing a separate contravention for inedible meat	Allowing the meat of a migratory game bird to become inedible	$250

Privacy statements

To learn how we will protect your privacy during this consultation, please carefully review our privacy statement.

Privacy Act Notice Statement

The personal information is collected under the authority of section 5 of the Department of the Environment Act and subsection 7(1) of the Financial Administration Act.

The information is collected, used and disclosed by Environment and Climate Change Canada for the purpose of policy analysis, research, program operations and/or communications. Your participation and decision to provide any information is voluntary.

The personal information created, held or collected by Environment and Climate Change Canada is protected under the Privacy Act. Information in this survey will be used, disclosed and retained in accordance with the conditions listed in the Personal Information Bank Outreach Activities PSU 938.

Any questions or comments regarding this privacy notice may be directed to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Access to Information and Privacy Division at ECATIP-ECAIPRP@ec.gc.ca. If you are not satisfied that your privacy has been adequately respected, you have the right to file a complaint. You may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada by calling their information center at 1-800-282-1376 or by visiting their contact page.

Contact us

If you have any questions or need more details about this consultation, please contact us at dgalconsultations-ebconsultations@ec.gc.ca.

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2026-05-13

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