National Pollutant Release Inventory Consultation and Engagement Framework

This framework documents the National Pollutant Release Inventory’s (NPRI) consultation and engagement activities with internal and external stakeholders, including data users. One key objective of the framework is to ensure that these activities, most of which are ongoing or have been undertaken in the past, continue to occur in a regular and predictable manner. Environment Canada has the following processes and timelines set up to obtain information on the needs of users of NPRI data; to consult on changes to NPRI reporting requirements; to align and improve the NPRI program; and to inform stakeholders of NPRI activities and milestones. It is expected that these activities may evolve over time to better respond to the objectives of NPRI consultation and engagement.

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Overall Objectives of Consultation and Engagement

This framework outlines the National Pollutant Release Inventory’s (NPRI) ongoing approach for consulting and engaging internal and external stakeholders to achieve four main objectives:

• Objective 1. Obtain Information on the Needs of Internal and External Users of NPRI Data
  
  
• Objective 2. Consult and Engage Internal and External Stakeholders on Changes to NPRI Reporting Requirements
  
  
• Objective 3. Work Collaboratively With Other Government Programs to Align and Improve the NPRI Program
  
  
• Objective 4. Inform Internal and External Stakeholders of NPRI Activities

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Key Stakeholders to Consult and Engage

To achieve the objectives, various activities are needed to ensure that the needs of different NPRI stakeholders are met. Stakeholders are categorized as follows:

Internal

External

ENVIRONMENT CANADA (EC) Managers for specific industrial and other sectors Chemical risk assessors and managers Air quality modellers Emission inventory and projection specialists Groups responsible for national and international reporting obligations OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS (OGDs) Health Canada Natural Resources Canada Industry Canada Statistics Canada Others, as applicable

OTHER CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ENTITIES Provincial/Territorial, Aboriginal and Municipal Governments Canadian Environmental Protection Act National Advisory Committee (CEPA NAC) NPRI MULTI-STAKEHOLDER WORK GROUP (NPRI MSWG) Industry Associations Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations Aboriginal Representatives OTHER NPRI DATA USERS Academia Financial Institutions Environmental, Health and Labour Non-Governmental Organizations Industry groups General public

Approach for Consulting and Engaging Stakeholders

Objectives	Activities	Frequency*	Targeted Stakeholders
1. Obtain Information on the Needs of Internal and External Users of NPRI Data	Feedback form accessible through the NPRI Web site.	Ongoing	All
		Survey to gather input on the needs of NPRI data users to be distributed.	Every 5-7 years (last survey occurred in 2007)	All
		Targeted workshops or conferences, involving a broad spectrum of external data users, to discuss their needs and get feedback on tools for accessing and interpreting NPRI data.	Every 2-3 years (last workshop with data users occurred in 2010)	NPRI MSWG Other NPRI Data Users Others (as applicable)
		Meetings or teleconferences with individual data users, to discuss their needs and assist with their use and interpretation of NPRI data.	As required	All (as applicable)
		Regular meetings or teleconferences to discuss needs of internal data users.	1-2 per year 1-2 per year	EC; OGDs
2. Consult and Engage Internal and External Stakeholders on Changes to NPRI Reporting Requirements	Any party in Canada may submit a proposal for changes to the NPRI program.	Ongoing	All
		Internal engagement with various groups on proposed changes via emails, meetings, and working groups.	As required As required Note: frequency will depend on the scope of changes being proposed.	EC; OGDs (as applicable)
		Proposed changes to the NPRI program are posted on the NPRI Web site for a public comment period.	As applicable	All
		External consultation on proposed changes, through meetings, teleconferences, written requests for comments, or workshops	As required As required As required Note: frequency will depend on the scope of changes being proposed.	NPRI MSWG; Other Canadian Government Entities (as applicable); Other parties (as applicable)
3. Work Collaboratively With Other Government Programs to Align and Improve the NPRI Program	Regular meetings to explore program alignment/harmonization and other areas of collaboration	1-2 per year 1-2 per year Note: work on specific issues may increase frequency of correspondence and meetings	EC; OGDs
		Collaborative work efforts with EC managers for specific industrial and other sectors to improve the NPRI program	Ongoing	EC
		Collaboration with other jurisdictions to align and harmonize reporting requirements	As required	Other Canadian Government Entities (as applicable)
4. Inform Internal and External Stakeholders of NPRI Activities	Regular Web postings of key NPRI milestones	Ongoing	All
		NPRI Call Centre available for stakeholders to get more information about the NPRI	Ongoing	All
		Regular communication of key NPRI activities via meetings, teleconferences, or emails	1-2 per year 1-2 per year As required (min. 1-2 per year)	EC; OGDs; CEPA NAC; NPRI MSWG

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What Will Be Done as a Result of this Consultation and Engagement?

The information and feedback obtained during the consultation and engagement activities outlined above will be considered in the ongoing development of NPRI reporting requirements, data collection systems, and tools and information products for accessing and interpreting NPRI data. Actions taken and results obtained from the implementation of this framework will be posted, if applicable, on the NPRI Web site.