Federal Regulations respecting formaldehyde in composite wood products

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The Government of Canada wishes to inform you of an upcoming multi-stakeholder workshop regarding proposed regulations on formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products.

More information on this initiative can be found on the Formaldehyde webpage accessible on the Government of Canada website https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/chemical-substances.html.
Interested parties who wish to participate in this initiative may include stakeholders in the composite wood sector such as producers, importers, and companies who distribute/sell composite wood products. This may include hardwood plywood, medium-density fibreboard, particleboard, and laminated products as well as finished goods made from these composite wood products. Other interested stakeholders may include non-governmental organizations; Indigenous peoples; labour organizations; provincial and territorial governments.

On July 31, 2017, the Government of Canada published a consultation document to inform stakeholders and solicit comments on the proposed regulatory approach. The consultation document can be found at http://www.ec.gc.ca/lcpe-cepa/default.asp?lang=En&n=00B2F79C-1. Comments on this consultation document are welcome until September 1, 2017 [30 days after its date of publication]. Information on how to submit comments relating to this consultation document is provided below.

The multi-stakeholder workshop is the next step in the consultation process which was launched after publication of the Notice of Intent on March 18, 2017 in the Canada Gazette, Part I. This is further to the initial webinars which were held on April 5 and April 19, 2017. The workshop will provide interested parties with an overview of the initiative and will solicit input to inform the development of the proposed regulations which are intended to be published in 2018.

The workshop will be held on September 6, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario and will also be accessible through WebEx. Interested parties must submit their interest in participating in the workshop by August 16, 2017. Interested parties are invited to participate in a short online questionnaire to help inform the workshop agenda and focus the discussions. To participate, click on the following link http://form.simplesurvey.com/f/l/FormaldehydePre-Consultation and submit your responses by August 16, 2017. Note that this process is being administered by an independent third party – the Intersol Group Ltd. Responses are anonymous and will be held in the strictest confidence.

Comments regarding the consultation document, requests to participate in the workshop and pre-consultation activities, and all other inquiries related to this initiative should be directed to the attention of:

Substances Management Information Line
Telephone: 1-800-567-1999 (Canada or the United States) or 819-938-3232
E-mail: eccc.substances.eccc@canada.ca

Indicate in the subject line: “Formaldehyde Inquiry”.

ACA Expresses Industry Concerns About Marijuana and Workplace Safety

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ACA attended a July 25th workshop hosted by the Alberta Government.  On behalf of members, ACA expressed the following concerns:

  • Employers need legislative certainty that protection of workplace safety trumps privacy and human rights. Perhaps this takes the form of OHS, privacy, and human rights legislation all being amended to confirm statutory protection of employers provided they are appropriately implementing Government approved policy and procedures
  • Employers need Government to establish an evidence-based risk threshold measure of impairment
  • Education and awareness of the signs and impacts of acute and chronic use of cannabis is needed for workers and supervisors
  • Harmonization across provinces is desirable given that construction workers are mobile and construction companies operate beyond Alberta

Further consultations are planned for this Fall.

New Program Supports Hiring of First Nations Women

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Women Building Futures will receive $384,000 for a three-year project to support the hiring and retention of Indigenous women in the construction, maintenance, and oil and gas sectors.

The project will bring together Indigenous women, employers and stakeholders to identify barriers and best practices to advance participation in these industries, states a release issued by Status of Women Canada on July 19.

To read more click here.