UPDATE – ON: The CPA advancing TSSA fee inequities with staff and government

Since the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) issued its new fee structure for the propane sector in April 2021, the CPA has been working with members to quantify the impact on member businesses and press the regulator to remedy the significant inequities that have been identified.

As reported in this newsletter last month, the TSSA’s new fee structure, which became effective on May 1, 2021, translates into increases of 20 to 35 per cent for many propane businesses (See previous story: NEW – ON: Industry opposes impact of TSSA’s new fee structure). This is considerably more than the TSSA’s stated target of keeping fees in line with the inflation rate for regulated industries, and revenue neutrality for the authority.

Members voiced their concerns on the impact of this new fee structure directly to Sam Sadeghi, TSSA Statutory Director of Fuels, at the April 21, 2021, Ontario Committee meeting.

Subsequently, Sadeghi reached out to CPA President and CEO, Nathalie St-Pierre, to gather information on the areas of most concern and committed to responding within the next few weeks.

Comparative analysis shows that the new fee structure was premised on many TSSA inspection activities being conducted annually, which is not the case for many companies with solid safety and compliance records. This premise is also contrary to the authority’s stated objective underlying the new structure which is to recognize and reward firms with good records by levying lower fees.

The CPA and member representatives are in ongoing dialogue with TSSA executives on adequate redress measures for the discrepancies identified in the new fee structure. As the TSSA’s response to the CPA has been inadequate, on May 10, 2021 CPA President and CEO, Nathalie St-Pierre, and former Board Chair, Dan Kelly, sent the minister responsible, the Honourable Lisa Thompson, a letter seeking her assistance in remedying the situation.