Canada-US chemicals management joint work plan

Work Stream A - Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions and Significant New Use Rules (SNURs)

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Environment Canada, Health Canada and the United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will collaborate in efforts to develop common approaches for regulatory reporting requirements for new uses of chemical substances (SNAc provisions in Canada and SNURs in the U.S.).

This work stream will include development of background information comparing SNAcs and SNURs as well as collaboration with stakeholders to increase the level of predictability and understanding of considerations leading to the development and design of SNAcs and SNURs. Background information to be compiled includes a comparative analysis of the regulatory framework and development process for SNAcs and SNURs and a direct comparison of SNACs and SNURs for substances subject to these regulatory requirements. A technical working group will be established to review and discuss the results of the background information compiled as well as work towards identifying alignment opportunities.

The work plan will also provide an opportunity to collaborate on efforts to improve the flow of information on chemicals throughout the supply chain and develop consistent and effective approaches to compliance promotion for SNAcs and SNURs. Anticipating strong industry stakeholder involvement, discussions with a technical working group will focus on identifying challenges to compliance with SNAcs and SNURs, potential solutions and opportunities to improve compliance promotion.

Planned Initiatives and Sub-deliverables

Initiative A: Improving predictability and understanding of SNAcs and SNURs

• Departments complete development of background information (February to April 2015)
• Web conference to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (April 2015)
• Launch of Multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group (April 2015)
  • Discuss work plan, anticipated outcomes and define roles and responsibilities for future work plan activities
• Through regular meetings between departments and a series of web conferences with working group, work will focus on (April to September 2015):
  • review of compiled background information on existing legislative provisions, SNAc/SNUR development and design
  • development and analysis of relevant case studies
  • identification and discussion of potential alignment or collaboration opportunities
• Face-to-face working group meeting to discuss potential alignment opportunities (October 2015)
• Web conference to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (December 2015)
• Through regular meetings between departments and web conferences with working group, work will be undertaken to (January to May 2016):
  • identify potential alignments and develop recommendations
• Web conference to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (June 2016)
• Departments will (July to November 2016):
  • Compile summary of findings
  • Develop an implementation plan for potential short-term alignment opportunities
  • Identify alignment opportunities requiring regulatory changes
• Publication of a final summary document outlining findings, recommendations and plan for short term and long term implementation activities (December 2016)
• Workshop on final results (January 2017)

Initiative B: Improving compliance and compliance promotion

• Departments complete development of background information (April to June 2015)
  • Compile available information on existing barriers to sharing chemical information throughout the supply chain and on current approach to compliance with SNAcs and SNURs
• Web conference to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (April 2015)
• Launch of Multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group (April 2015)
  • Discuss work plan, anticipated outcomes and define roles and responsibilities for future work plan activities
• Working group members and other stakeholders will engage in discussions on (April to September 2015):
  • challenges to compliance
  • best practices for sharing chemical information throughout supply chain
  • best practices for compliance promotion for SNAcs and SNURs
• Face-to-face working group meeting to discuss results of information gathering, best practices and options for implementation (October 2015)
• Web conference to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (December 2015)
• Identification of recommendations for improving compliance promotion and of solutions to compliance challenges (January to May 2016)
• Web conference to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (June 2016)
• Develop final recommendations for improving SNAc/SNUR compliance promotion and summary of best practices for sharing information on chemicals throughout the supply chain. (July to November 2016)
• Publication of a final summary document outlining findings, recommendations for best practices and plan for implementation of recommendations. (December 2016)
• Workshop on final results (January 2017)

Work Stream B - Risk Assessment

Environment Canada, Health Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will collaborate in efforts to develop common approaches to address emerging risk issues and jointly considering how the use of novel data can inform the assessment of chemicals.

Planned Initiatives and Sub-deliverables

Initiative A: Comparative analysis of regulatory risk assessment frameworks

• Analysis of similarities and differences related to regulatory risk assessment frameworks and approaches under Canada Environment Protection Act (CEPA) 1999 and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) (external contract) (January to June 2015)
• Compilation of identified learnings (e.g. opportunities and impediments to collaboration, high level principles). (July to October 2015)
• Web conference to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (December 2015)

Initiative B: Collaboration on common priority/priorities

• Compile list of respective priorities including status in each country and priorities in common (January 2015)
• Formation of Multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group and discussion of roles and responsibilities (April 2015)
• Identification of potential case studies on common forward priorities and stakeholder 'sponsor(s)' (June 2015)
• Multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group Workshop (October 2015)
  • Identification of scope of joint collaboration (eg. problem formulation, hazard characterization, use pattern)
  • Identification of milestones, roles and responsibilities, timelines
  • Documentation of workshop outcomes
• Collaboration on joint priority/priorities (Oct 2015 - Oct 2016)
• Web conferences to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (April 2015, December 2015, June 2016, December 2016)

Initiative C: Development of assessment collaboration framework

• Based upon learnings from Initiative A and Initiative B develop draft assessment collaboration framework, including (November 2016 to April 2017)
  • common high-level principles for chemical risk assessment
  • identification of opportunities and impediments to joint work
  • forward plan to build on opportunities (eg peer review)
  • forward plan to explore mechanisms to address impediments
• Web conference to provide broad update on progress to all stakeholders (June 2017)
• Publication of a final summary document outlining findings and assessment collaboration framework (December 2017)

For further information please contact:

Regulatory Cooperation Council (Canada)

Regulatory Cooperation Council Chemicals (US)