Consultation meeting on revisions to Ozone-depleting Substances Regulations

Environment Canada (EC) held a consultation meeting on June 10, 2013, to present the current proposal for revisions to the Ozone-depleting Substances Regulations, 1998 (ODSR 1998). The meeting provided stakeholders an opportunity to understand how EC has taken stakeholder feedback into account since the 2008 consultations. The meeting also served to obtain stakeholder feedback on the additional proposed controls on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) before the draft regulations are pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for public comment.

The purpose of the consultation was:

• to invite all stakeholders to provide their comments on all of the proposals for revisions to the ODSR 1998,
• to provide rationale for the current proposals, and
• to contribute to the development of regulatory revisions that are based on a common understanding of the environmental benefits to be achieved through these revisions.

The workshop included participants representing organizations importing and/or manufacturing these substances or using them in their products (e.g., the cooling and foam industry), a representative from a non-governmental organization, as well as officials from EC. A complete list of workshop participants is available in Appendix A of this report.

The session was divided into three segments. Two of the segments focused on a particular section of the Consultation Document entitled “Proposed Revisions to the Ozone-depleting Substances Regulations, 1998” that was provided in advance of the meeting.

1. Production and consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) (section 2.1)
2. Permitting and reporting provisions for HFCs (section 2.2)
3. An Information Session on the North American Proposal to phase-down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol (information item not included in the discussion document but available by presentation)

In the first two segments, EC presented a brief overview of the current status of the proposals for revisions to the ODSR 1998. Participants were then invited to share their feedback and provide additional suggestions for improvement. A copy of the agenda is available in Appendix B.

EC provided an informative presentation on the North American Proposal and participants were again invited to ask questions.

This report provides a summary of the presentations, which are all available upon request from EC, and a synthesis of key discussion points and feedback provided by participants. The report is intended as a record of the meeting to be used by EC in the development of proposed revised regulations.

Opening Remarks

Lucie Desforges, Director of the Chemical Production Division, opened the session by welcoming participants and thanking them for taking the time to attend the meeting. She continued by providing a brief overview of the agenda and stating that EC was seeking the views of stakeholders on the proposals for revisions to the ODSR 1998.

Lucie stressed the importance of stakeholder consultations as an important step in the development of our regulatory provisions and that EC’s intention is to ensure that what it develops is as effective and straightforward as possible, and that protection of the environment and human health is enhanced. She indicated that stakeholders could provide written comments on the Consultation Document until July 5, 2013.