Some Canadian companies have already started replacing their hazardous chemicals with safer ones. Besides choosing safer alternatives, some companies are cutting back on the amounts of hazardous chemicals they use. This encouraging turn of events is in response to federal legislation recently enacted to protect Canadians and the environment from accidental release of hazardous substances.

The Environmental Emergency Regulations, developed under section 200 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) 1999 came into force on November 18, 2003. The federal government lists 174 hazardous substances that are harmful to human health and/or the environment. Under the new regulations, facilities that store or use any of the listed substances above the "threshold quantity" are required to prepare and implement environmental emergency (E2) plans, and file notices indicating that they have been tested and implemented.

Environment Canada reports that the most common causes of chemical releases are equipment failure, human error, metal corrosion and storms and floods. An environmental emergency plan enables a company to better respond to these events.

The E2 plan should cover the four phases of emergency management: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. The site-specific plan must ensure appropriate risk management measures are taken to prevent, as much as possible, accidental releases into the environment. The E2 plan should describe steps to be taken in response to typical release scenarios, and specify details such as the necessary equipment to keep on hand in case of emergencies. The plan should outline what training is required for staff and list up-to-date contact information for government and emergency services.

Under the new legislation, facilities that use the listed substances above the specified quantities have until November 18, 2004 to implement their plan. Organizations will be required to file various notices with the government indicating that they have complied. The Environment Canada Web site offers guidance on how to file notices, and provides other tools to assist companies in their implementation of an E2 plan.

Once reviewed, the notices/declarations (minus any sensitive information) will be posted on the CEPA Registry, where they will be available to the public.

Environment Canada will periodically review and evaluate the regulated list of hazardous chemicals, as well as other components of the new regulations. All pesticides in Canada are currently being evaluated and may eventually be added to the list of substances that require an environmental emergency plan.

Further information can be found on the Environmental Emergency (E2) Plan Notices Web site.