March 2025 issue: Workplace Hazardous Products Program newsletter
On this page
- Highlight: Publication of hazardous substance assessments
- Adjusted fees for claims for exemption under the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act
- Recent engagement
- Future newsletter content
- Important WHMIS websites
Highlight: Publication of hazardous substance assessments
New and revised hazardous substance assessments (HSAs) are now available:
- 1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (new)
- Acetone (revised)
- Cristobalite (new)
- DGBE (new)
- Ethylene glycol (new)
- Styrene (new)
- Quartz silica (new)
HSAs are educational resources that support the creation of compliant safety data sheets and labels of hazardous products by providing information on how Health Canada would classify a given substance for the physical and health hazard classes of Parts 7 and 8, respectively, of the Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR).
Each HSA provides a fully referenced assessment supporting classification of the corresponding hazardous substance based solely on publicly available data. To support suppliers during the 3-year HPR transition, these new HSAs reflect the requirements of both the former and amended HPR.
Stakeholders may comment on published HSAs, or nominate substances for HSA development (with rationale), at any time by sending an email to whmis-simdut@hc-sc.gc.ca.
Adjusted fees for claims for exemption under the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act
The annual adjustment to the fees for claims for exemption under the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act (HMIRA) comes into effect on April 1, 2025.
Fees are subject to an annual adjustment in accordance with the Service Fees Act. On April 1 of each calendar year, fees are adjusted using the April All-items Consumer Price Index for Canada, as published by Statistics Canada for the previous fiscal year.
The summary of the annual adjusted fees table has been updated.
Please also note the updated banking information for payments made by wire transfer.
Recent engagement
Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association 2025 Annual Government Interface
The Director of the Workplace Hazardous Products Program attended the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association Government Interface as a guest speaker on February 11, 2025.
As part of a panel — Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch Key Regulatory and Policy Initiatives Impacting Canadian Consumers, Workers, and Industry — the following Program topics were discussed:
- Overview of legislative authorities
- Status of the Program's regulatory cooperation with the U.S., including recent regulatory amendments, variances and transition periods
- HPA requirements to prepare and maintain a true copy of a label and safety data sheet
- Program modernizations and innovations under the HMIRA
Future newsletter content
Is there a topic that you would like us to include in a future newsletter? We would love to hear from you. Email us at whmis-simdut@hc-sc.gc.ca.