The Québec Government has announced the enactment of the Regulation: Respecting the Supervision of Activities Based on their Impact on the Environment, which comes into force on December 31, 2020. The government says it made a commitment to speed up environmental approvals without reducing requirements, and this regulation is part of that commitment.

A major win for the propane industry and for Ontario trainers: Trainers in Ontario will now no longer be required to renew their training certification through an exam every three years.

In many circumstances, TSSA has been offering grace periods due to the pandemic for certain requirements. Now that Ontario has entered Stage 2 and Stage 3 recovery, TSSA expects its regulated clients to resume fulfilling their regulatory requirements.

At a recent meeting of the Multi-Industry Association Committee on Transportation and Dangerous Goods, the topic of Transport Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods virtual inspections was discussed.  If you have experienced one of these TDG "virtual audits", please contact the CPA.

Transport Canada has updated the status of its pilot project to test electronic shipping documents for the transportation of dangerous goods.

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. 

This is a reminder that the requirements under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Rail Security Regulations for railway loaders are now required to be in place.

As provinces begin to further open up across Canada, the size of groups for indoor and outdoor public and private gatherings are being adjusted.To assist you in determining if you are able to host a training session, and under what conditions, please consult the latest group numbers. 

Keep informed with up-to-date information by visiting our COVID-19 website.

The federal government is extending the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance by one month to help eligible small businesses pay rent for September. Current application deadlines will also be extended to accommodate this extension.

In response to rising COVID-19 cases, the B.C. government announced a range of measures for the food and drink industry.

As Québec continues to see an upward trend in coronavirus cases, the province has unveiled a new regional COVID-19 alert system to allow people to measure the state of the pandemic in the province's different regions.

The Ontario government expanded driver testing services across the province with strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Ontarians can now book class G road tests and access all classes of driver testing services at DriveTest centres across Ontario. Click here for more information.

The Ontario government is extending protection to prevent temporary layoffs from automatically becoming permanent job losses. Although Ontario is now in Phase 3 of reopening, this extension will give businesses more time to reopen and return to full operations. This extension will last until January 2, 2021. 

The Ontario government has gradually reopened all 24 provincial centres for apprenticeship and trade-related certifications. Apprentices and skilled tradespeople can now book their final exams at their local apprenticeship office.

Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) safety standards published by CSA Group referenced in federal TDG regulations can be accessed for free here.

• BC Committee - April 23 Meeting
• Saskatchewan Committee - September 18 Meeting
• Auto Propane Committee - June 25 Meeting
• Manitoba Committee - February 12 Meeting
• Alberta Committee - June 18 Meeting
• Ontario Committee - April 21 Meeting
• Transportation Committee - June 23 Meeting
• Regulatory Affairs Committee - June 16 Meeting
• Atlantic Committee - April 28 Meeting

Meeting summaries can be found in your Document Centre in your online member profile. Click here to log in to your member profile. 

Date: September 15, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm EDT
To join the Committee, please contact Rob Loenhart.

Date: September 17, 2020
Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
To join the Committee, please contact Jean-François Duguay.

Date: September 22, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm EDT
To join the Committee, please contact Rob Loenhart.

Date: September 24, 2020
Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am ADT
To join the Committee, please contact Jean-François Duguay.

Date: September 29, 2020
Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 pm EDT
To join the Committee, please contact Marcelline Riddell

Due to the pandemic, the Canadian Propane Association has cancelled all seminar events scheduled for 2020. Please monitor our Events web page for up-to-date information.