Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy: Departmental Website Component of the 2012-2013 Report on Plans and Priorities

The Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) is a cost-shared program that helps federal custodians address contaminated sites for which they are responsible. The primary objective of this program is to address the risks that these sites pose to human health and the environment and to reduce the associated financial liability. The program has the complementary objectives of supporting other socio-economic outcomes, such as training and employment of Canadians and promotion of innovative technologies.

By assessing suspected contaminated sites, the federal government is able to more accurately estimate their human health and environmental risks. After a site is assessed and the need to address the contamination confirmed, a remediation/risk management plan is developed to identify various alternatives and the preferred option to reduce the risks to human health and the environment. The chosen remediation/risk management method is designed to address the unique conditions of the site. Common remediation activities involve reducing exposure to contaminants by removing, destroying or containing them.

Environment Canada’s responsibilities include acting as Secretariat for the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan program and providing expert support to other federal custodians related to ecological risk assessment and reduction at their contaminated sites. As a custodian, its role is assessing, remediating and risk managing its own contaminated sites.

Performance expectations:

For the FCSAP program overall:

• Remediation/risk management plans will be implemented at the 400 highest risk federal sites by 2015–2016, with annual assessment of progress.

Specifically for EC:

• Implementation of remediation/risk management plans will be completed at the department’s 16 highest risk sites by 2015–2016, with annual assessment of progress.

Environment Canada will sustain the capability to review site classification to ensure funding is directed to highest risk sites and manage sites with the focus to reduce the risk to human health and the environment.

Environment Canada will also sustain the capability to review custodians’ site classifications to ensure funding is directed to highest risk sites.

Environment Canada, in collaboration with Public Works and Government Services Canada, is currently developing sustainability tools to help custodians integrate sustainable decision making into the management of their contaminated sites.

Performance expectations:

• Sustainability tools and training are provided to custodians to help them integrate sustainable decision making into the management of contaminated sites.

Canada's Government is committed to addressing all of the substances that have been identified as being of priority. Under Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999), Environment Canada and Health Canada have identified these priorities though the categorization of all substances in commerce, as included on the Domestic Substances List. The assessment and management of substances is addressed through a range of activities best suited to the level of priority, nature and use of the substances, and the types of risks they may pose to Canadians or their environment.

To support assessment and management activities, the strategy further involves research and monitoring activities including updating information on the commercial status of these substances. There is also international collaboration relating to data sharing and shared development of assessment and management approaches.

This also includes priority-setting, assessment, and related research. Monitoring identifies substances of concern and the nature of risks that they pose to Canadians and their environment, allowing risk management to focus on implementing appropriate measures for reduction of those risks.

Performance expectations:

• Close to 1,500 existing commercial substances under the Chemicals Management Plan will be assessed for risk to human health and/or the environment under the second phase of the Chemicals Management Plan (2011–2016).
• Implementation of risk management measures for those substances identified as being of concern to human health or the environment.

Any person who intends to import or manufacture a new substance in Canada must submit a notification to Environment Canada prior to importing or manufacturing the substance. Once the notification is received, Environment Canada and Health Canada are responsible for assessing the substance within the prescribed regulatory timeline to determine if the proposed uses of the substance could lead to its posing any risk to human health or the environment.

Actions taken under the New Substances program ensure that new substances are not allowed onto the market if their introduction would result in risks to the environment or human health.

Approximately 500 new substance notifications are processed on an annual basis. Of these 500 assessments, approximately 25 Significant New Activity notices and 10 Ministerial Conditions are issued annually to restrict use of these substances for other activities, or to mitigate potential risks.

Performance expectations:

• One hundred per cent (100%) of new substances, intended for manufacture and/or import into Canada, for which notification by industry has been received by Environment Canada in 2011–2012 will be assessed within the prescribed regulatory timeline, to determine if the substance is toxic or capable of becoming toxic within the meaning of section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999).

For the substances that are found ‘toxic’ under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) and added to the Schedule 1, a proposed instrument to establish or control actions for managing the substance must be published in Canada Gazette, Part I, within two years of the recommendation that the substance be added to Schedule I.  Within 18 months of the Canada Gazette, Part I publication, the final instrument must be published in Canada Gazette, Part II.

Information on the above is available on the Chemical Substances Website and CEPA Registry.

Under the Chemicals Management Plan, there have been a number of initiatives to assess and manage substances.

The Challenge to Industry and other stakeholders was developed to address approximately 200 chemicals identified as high priorities for action due to their potential to cause harm to human health and/or environment. Under the Challenge, 43 substances have met the criteria for addition to Schedule 1 and development of risk management measures. Those 43 substances will reach their legislated timelines at different times according to the schedule of the Challenge.

The Petroleum Sector Stream Approach (PSSA) is another initiative which will identify substances which meet the criteria for addition to Schedule 1. The PSSA includes approximately 160 petroleum substances, many of which are limited to petroleum sector facility sites.

The Substance Grouping Initiative was launched and will assess an additional 500 substances across 9 categories and will identify those which meet the criteria for addition to Schedule 1.

Performance expectations:

• All substances added to the List of Toxic Substances will have at least one risk management measure in place within the legally mandated timeframes.

Compliance promotion relates to activities that are undertaken to increase the awareness and the understanding of new risk management instruments developed under Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). Through these activities, information is provided regarding the compliance requirements, the benefits of complying with the law, as well as, the consequences of non-compliance.

The approach to compliance promotion is collaborative and coordinated across the department’s programs and regions and with the Enforcement Branch of Environment Canada. It is achieved using various tools and approaches such as website postings, letters and emails, brochures, site visits, responses to inquiries and information sessions.

Performance Expectation

• Conduct compliance promotion activities to increase Stakeholder awareness for new regulations related to substances added after 2009 to the CEPA 1999 List of Toxic Substances.