Ontario government’s efforts to streamline regulation for the chemistry industry welcomed by CIAC

The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) congratulates the Ontario government and the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, on releasing the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018.

“CIAC firmly supports the Ontario government’s commitment to streamline duplicate regulations that impact the competitiveness of the chemical manufacturing,” said Don Fusco, CIAC Director, Government and Stakeholder Relations, Ontario.  “These measures that affect the chemistry sector will eliminate unnecessary cost, complexity and time, while protecting Canadians’ health and the environment.”

Among the initiatives contained in the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018, CIAC is very pleased to see the province:

  • Repeal the Toxics Reduction Act by 2021 and rely on the robust and science-based Federal Chemicals Management Plan, as other provinces do.
  • Revoke nine regulations related to the Municipal Industrial Strategy for Abatement (MISA) and insert these requirements into Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECAs).
  • Simplify and update rules for operating engineers.
  • Amend Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to allow updated labels to be placed on existing chemical containers.
  • Confirm with the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) that industrial properties will be assessed based on current permitted uses, not speculative uses.

Any action by CIAC members to address the environmental, economic and community impacts of our operations are governed by Responsible Care®, the UN-recognized initiative that ensures CIAC members innovate for safer and greener products and processes, and work to continuously improve their environmental, health and safety performance. Through the Responsible Care commitment, CIAC’s Ontario members have achieved a 47 per cent reduction in emissions targeted by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act over the past 10 years.

Ontario’s $22-billion chemistry industry is the third largest manufacturing industry and second largest exporting sector in the province. Overall, the chemistry sector directly employs 46,000 Ontarians in well-paying jobs and supports another 220,000 jobs in other sectors.  The chemistry sector provides important inputs to a range of manufacturing sectors including automotive, forestry, construction, and food and beverage. The industry is global and Ontario’s chemical manufacturers must compete both for market share and investment.

CIAC is pleased to continue to work with the government on the many priorities to modernize business regulations to be outcome-focused and evidence-based while continuing to protect the public interest.