A costly and challenging issue for Ontario members is the duplication of data and information required by both the Technical Standards and Safety Association’s (TSSA’s) Level 2 Risk and Safety Management Plans and Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Emergency Evacuation Plans. Since the federal government began enforcing the new legislation’s evacuation plan requirements over a year ago, Ontario’s propane businesses have been frustrated by the lack of information sharing and communication between the two government levels.
The CPA’s Ontario Government Relations Director, Marcelline Riddell, has been working to resolve this issue for over a year with Ontario government representatives and through the TSSA’s Propane Advisory Council . The issue was also raised most recently with Ontario Minister of Government and Consumer Services, Lisa Thompson during her sectoral roundtable discussion in early June 2020.
Since then, TSSA’s Government Relations Manager, Kristian Kennedy and Manager, Public Safety Risk Management, Robert Weirsma, spoke to Riddell and Robert Loenhart, CPA’s VP, Regulatory Affairs & Safety, on July 31, 2020 to help resolve this issue.
These TSSA staff have committed to investigating the requirements of each plan with the help of CPA staff and provide mitigation remedies on this issue for the propane industry.
Members will continue to be updated on progress made in this regard.