A running record of every rule change that touches safety data sheets and labels in Canada, federal and provincial.
Each entry gives the date the rule or notice carries, the jurisdiction, what changed and who it affects: suppliers, employers or workers. When there is an effective date or a deadline, the entry shows it. Each entry also says what a CanadaSDS customer should do, and links to the primary source with the date CanadaSDS read it.
CanadaSDS reviews the federal, provincial and territorial sources every week and adds what changed. An entry marked Material change alters a duty, a date or a format. An entry marked Information is new guidance, a newsletter or a consultation worth knowing about.
2026
- FederalInformation
CEPA: Canada starts work on regulations defining carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproductive-toxicity criteria, comments to December 2, 2026
The Ministers of the Environment and of Health published a notice that they are developing regulations under section 67 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 to set criteria for the carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and reproductive toxicity of a substance, for the purpose of subsection 77(3). The notice ties the criteria to prioritizing the prohibition of activities for substances listed in Part 1 of Schedule 1. A consultation document was published the same day, and the public comment period runs from October 3, 2026 to December 2, 2026.
- Who it affects
- Suppliers, Employers
- Effective date or deadline
- Comment period October 3 to December 2, 2026.
- What to do
- Suppliers of products containing substances classed as carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxicants under WHMIS should read the consultation document and consider commenting. No duty changes yet.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part I, October 3, 2026: Notice to develop regulations respecting carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and reproductive toxicity of a substance under section 67 of CEPA 1999 (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalInformation
CEPA: mandatory information surveys on certain substances, reports due March 3, 2027 (Phase 1) and September 8, 2027 (Phase 2)
Two notices under paragraph 71(1)(b) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 require anyone who manufactured, imported or used a listed substance above the set thresholds to report to the ministers so they can assess whether the substances are toxic. Thresholds are 100 kg or 1,000 kg depending on the part of the notice's schedule, with a 0.1 percent concentration test for mixtures, products and some manufactured items. Phase 1 information is due between August 29, 2026 and March 3, 2027; Phase 2 information between March 4, 2027 and September 8, 2027. Extensions may be requested under subsection 71(4).
- Who it affects
- Suppliers, Employers
- Effective date or deadline
- Phase 1 reports due by March 3, 2027; Phase 2 reports due by September 8, 2027.
- What to do
- Manufacturers, importers and industrial users should check the substance lists in both notices against their inventory. A current SDS library makes that cross-check faster. No SDS or label change.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part I, August 29, 2026: Notices with respect to certain substances under the Chemicals Management Plan, 2026 Phase 1 and Phase 2 (section 71 of CEPA 1999) (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalMaterial change
TDG Regulations: Canadian Update amendments in force July 1, 2026, with a 12-month transition
SOR/2026-127 refines existing requirements of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, fixes inconsistencies, and turns common equivalency certificates into regular rules. It requires buffer cars on unit trains to align with U.S. 49 CFR, aligns the transport of radioactive material of unknown classification with the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations, 2015, and completes the alignment with the 22nd edition of the UN Recommendations begun by SOR/2026-112. The regulations came into force on publication, July 1, 2026, and a person may comply with the regulations as they read on May 1, 2026 for 12 months after that.
- Who it affects
- Suppliers, Employers
- Effective date or deadline
- In force July 1, 2026; 12-month transition to comply with the former text.
- What to do
- Suppliers who ship hazardous products should review their TDG classification, documentation and marks before the transition ends. SDS section 14 (transport information) should be checked against any changed shipping name or classification.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part II, July 1, 2026: Regulations Amending the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (Canadian Update), SOR/2026-127 (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalMaterial change
TDG Regulations: international harmonization update in force June 17, 2026, new marks and shipping names after a 12-month transition
SOR/2026-112 brings the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations in line with the 22nd edition of the UN Recommendations, the 2022 IMDG Code and the latest ICAO Technical Instructions, including amendments to dangerous goods marks, classification information, shipping names and packaging requirements. Under certain conditions it allows shipments that follow U.S. 49 CFR classification, marking, labelling, placarding and documentation, and it rewrites Part 12 on air transport. The regulations came into force on publication, June 17, 2026; a person may comply with the former text for 12 months after that, and the periodic retest requirements for container designs come into force on July 1, 2029.
- Who it affects
- Suppliers, Employers
- Effective date or deadline
- In force June 17, 2026; 12-month transition; container retest requirements from July 1, 2029.
- What to do
- Suppliers and shippers should update TDG marks, shipping names and documents before the transition ends. Any SDS whose section 14 quotes a shipping name or classification that changed needs an update; WHMIS supplier labels and the SDS format do not change.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part II, June 17, 2026: Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 (Part 12 and International Harmonization Update), SOR/2026-112 (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalInformation
Pest control products: the old material safety data sheet condition is replaced by a product safety information power, with no regulations yet
SI/2026-25 brought into force subsection 8(4.1) of the Pest Control Products Act and repealed subsection 8(3), which referred to a material safety data sheet as a condition of registration. Registrants may in future be required by regulation to provide product safety information to workplaces, but Health Canada states that regulations are not currently necessary. Pest control products stay excluded from the SDS requirements of the Hazardous Products Act.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Suppliers
- Effective date or deadline
- In force June 17, 2026; no product safety information regulations exist yet.
- What to do
- Employers who use registered pesticides should keep collecting the voluntary SDSs their suppliers provide. Nothing changes for WHMIS-regulated products.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part II, June 17, 2026: Order Fixing the Day on Which Subsections 36(2) and (3) of S.C. 2016, c. 9 Come into Force, SI/2026-25 (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalInformation
CEPA: methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone proposed for Schedule 1, with consumer-product restrictions to come
The final assessment of the Ketones Group concludes that methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) meet the toxicity criteria of section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The ministers propose recommending both for Part 2 of Schedule 1 and propose regulations to restrict their uses in consumer products. They also propose adding 2,4-pentanedione to the List of substances capable of becoming toxic, and no further action on the other seven ketones. The comment period on the risk management approach ran from May 16 to July 15, 2026.
- Who it affects
- Suppliers, Employers
- Effective date or deadline
- Comment period closed July 15, 2026; the Schedule 1 order and the restrictions are still to come.
- What to do
- Employers who use MEK or MIBK solvents should identify where they are in the inventory now. Workplace use is not restricted yet, and the WHMIS classification does not change.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part I, May 16, 2026: Publication of summary of the assessment of 10 substances in the Ketones Group (section 77 of CEPA 1999) (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalInformation
CEPA: 1-bromopropane proposed for Schedule 1, with restrictions on four spray and flush uses
The final assessment of the Alkyl Halides Group concludes that 1-bromopropane meets the toxicity criteria of section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The ministers propose recommending it for Part 2 of Schedule 1 and propose restricting its use in silicone mould release spray, electrical equipment cleaner spray, textile ink remover spray and automotive air conditioning flush. No further action is proposed for bromoethane, chloroethane or trans-1,2-dichloroethene. The comment period on the risk management approach ran from April 25 to June 24, 2026.
- Who it affects
- Suppliers, Employers
- Effective date or deadline
- Comment period closed June 24, 2026; the Schedule 1 order and the restrictions are still to come.
- What to do
- Employers who use 1-bromopropane degreasers or cleaners should locate those products in the inventory and watch for the final order. The WHMIS classification does not change.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part I, April 25, 2026: Publication of summary of the assessment of four substances in the Alkyl Halides Group (section 77 of CEPA 1999) (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalMaterial change
Federal workplaces: hazardous substances rules of the Canada OHS Regulations rewritten, in force January 30, 2027
SOR/2026-10 updates the hazardous substances sections of five federal occupational health and safety regulations, including Part X of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. It adds requirements for engineered nanomaterials, thermal stress, non-solar ultraviolet radiation and radon, makes the standards incorporated by reference ambulatory, and requires substituting a non-hazardous or the least hazardous substance where possible. Records about a hazardous substance must be kept for 30 years after the day the substance is last used, produced, handled or stored. Except for section 25, which took effect on registration, the regulations come into force on the first anniversary of their registration on January 30, 2026, that is January 30, 2027.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- January 30, 2027 (first anniversary of registration); section 25 in force January 30, 2026.
- What to do
- Federally regulated employers (banks, airlines, railways, telecommunications, federal Crown corporations) should plan a hazardous substances program review before January 30, 2027, including substitution assessments and 30-year record retention. An SDS archive that keeps every version with its dates supports the retention duty. Supplier SDS and label formats do not change.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part II, February 11, 2026: Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Canada Labour Code, SOR/2026-10 (read November 2, 2026)
2025
- QuebecInformation
Québec: notices of significant new hazard data now go to the health and safety representative
Décret 1155-2025, published September 10, 2025, amends sections 11 and 23 of the Règlement sur l'information concernant les produits dangereux. Both sections, which set the employer's written notice when significant new hazard data arrives and the deadlines to update a label (180 days) and an SDS (90 days), now name the représentant en santé et en sécurité in place of the représentant à la prévention. The deadlines themselves did not change. The decree came into force October 1, 2025.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- October 1, 2025.
- What to do
- Québec employers should update their written WHMIS procedure so the notice of significant new data goes to the health and safety representative. No change to the 90-day SDS and 180-day label deadlines.
Source: LégisQuébec, Hazardous Products Information Regulation (S-2.1, r. 8.1); amended by Décret 1155-2025, Gazette officielle du Québec, September 10, 2025 (read November 2, 2026)
- Newfoundland and LabradorInformation
Newfoundland and Labrador: physician assistants added to the WHMIS definition of health professional
The definition of health professional in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System Regulations (NLR 34/18) gained a new paragraph covering a registered physician assistant. Under the regulation, a health professional is someone who may receive confidential hazard information about a product to make a medical diagnosis in an emergency. The amending Act (SNL 2024 c22, section 61) came into force on August 29, 2025.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Suppliers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- August 29, 2025.
- What to do
- Employers in Newfoundland and Labrador should note that a physician assistant can now request confidential ingredient information in a medical emergency. No change to SDS or label duties.
Source: House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System Regulations (NLR 34/18), as amended by SNL 2024 c22 s61 (read November 2, 2026)
- QuebecMaterial change
Québec aligns its Hazardous Products Information Regulation with GHS revision 7, in force December 1, 2025
Décret 647-2025, published in the Gazette officielle du Québec on May 21, 2025, amends section 1 of the Règlement sur l'information concernant les produits dangereux (S-2.1, r. 8.1). The definition of precautionary statements (conseils de prudence) now refers to the seventh revised edition of the UN GHS instead of the fifth, the same edition the amended federal Hazardous Products Regulations use. The same decree replaced the table in section 70 of the general OHS regulation (S-2.1, r. 13) that maps the former WHMIS 1988 categories to HPR hazard classes. Sections 1 and 3 of the decree came into force on December 1, 2025.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Suppliers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- December 1, 2025 (sections 1 and 3 of the decree).
- What to do
- Québec employers should confirm that every SDS and workplace label in use follows the amended HPR and carries the GHS revision 7 precautionary statements, in French. Suppliers selling into Québec should check that their French SDSs and labels use the same edition.
Source: LégisQuébec, Hazardous Products Information Regulation (S-2.1, r. 8.1); amended by Décret 647-2025, Gazette officielle du Québec, May 21, 2025 (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalInformation
Federal workplaces: the definition of readily available now applies across the whole Canada OHS Regulations
SOR/2025-79, registered March 6, 2025 and published March 26, 2025, moved the definition of readily available from section 10.1 (Part X, Hazardous Substances) of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations to section 1.2, so it now applies to every Part. The wording is unchanged: a document that is present and easily accessible at the work place at all times. The package also rewrote the lower explosive limit provision in section 10.20 and changed hazardous occurrence reporting. Part X's WHMIS provisions were not otherwise amended.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- In force on publication, March 26, 2025.
- What to do
- Federally regulated employers should keep SDSs present and easily accessible at the workplace at all times, which an electronic SDS system satisfies when workers can reach it. No change to the content of SDSs or labels.
Source: Canada Gazette, Part II, March 26, 2025: Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Canada Labour Code (SOR/2025-79) (read November 2, 2026)
- British ColumbiaInformation
British Columbia: amended emergency planning rules for hazardous substances in effect February 3, 2025
Amendments to sections 5.97 to 5.104 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, which cover emergency planning for hazardous substances, took effect on February 3, 2025. WorkSafeBC says the changes broaden and enhance the existing requirements and published new guidelines with them. The WHMIS sections of Part 5 (5.3 to 5.19) were not part of this change.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- February 3, 2025.
- What to do
- BC employers should review their chemical emergency plan against the amended sections 5.97 to 5.104 and the new guidelines. A current SDS inventory is the starting point for that plan.
Source: WorkSafeBC announcement, February 3, 2025: new requirements for emergency planning now in effect (read November 2, 2026)
2024
- Nova ScotiaMaterial change
Nova Scotia replaces its WHMIS Regulations with Part 3 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations, in force June 18, 2024
N.S. Reg. 119/2024 repealed the former WHMIS Regulations (N.S. Reg. 196/1988) and moved the rules into Part 3 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations, with terms, definitions, label and SDS rules aligned with the federal Hazardous Products Regulations. The rules now apply expressly to self-employed persons as well as employers and employees. New definitions separate general WHMIS education from workplace-specific training, and both are required. A six-month deemed-compliance period ran to December 18, 2024, and a product already in the workplace and labelled under the former regulations may stay in use for three years after June 18, 2024.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- June 18, 2024. Deemed compliance until December 18, 2024. Products labelled under the former regulations may remain in use for three years after June 18, 2024.
- What to do
- Nova Scotia employers should confirm their WHMIS program covers both education and workplace-specific training, keep SDSs aligned with the amended HPR, and plan to relabel or replace any product still carrying a former-regulation label before the three-year period ends.
Source: Nova Scotia Registry of Regulations, Workplace Health and Safety Regulations, Part 3 (N.S. Reg. 119/2024, in force June 18, 2024); safety notice of July 22, 2024 (read November 2, 2026)
2023
- Northwest TerritoriesInformation
Northwest Territories: medical professionals and temporary certificate holders may receive confidential hazard information in an emergency
R-094-2023, in force November 1, 2023, amended section 338 of Part 22 (Hazardous Products and WHMIS) of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. Confidential supplier or employer information may now be disclosed to a medical professional or a temporary certificate holder who requests it to make a medical diagnosis of a person in an emergency. The amendment also adds definitions of nurse and temporary certificate holder tied to the Nursing Profession Act.
- Who it affects
- Employers, Suppliers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- November 1, 2023.
- What to do
- Employers in the Northwest Territories should make sure their procedure for a medical emergency allows disclosure of confidential ingredient information to these professionals. No change to SDS or label duties.
Source: Government of the Northwest Territories, Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (R-039-2015), consolidation of September 26, 2024, amended by R-094-2023 (read November 2, 2026)
- FederalMaterial change
Amended Hazardous Products Regulations: GHS seventh revised edition, in force December 15, 2022
On January 4, 2023, Health Canada published the Regulations Amending the Hazardous Products Regulations (GHS, Seventh Revised Edition) and the Order Amending Schedule 2 to the Hazardous Products Act in the Canada Gazette, Part II (SOR/2022-272 and SOR/2022-273). The amendments came into force on December 15, 2022 and gave every stakeholder a three-year transition period that ended on December 14, 2025. Health Canada's page, updated October 23, 2026, states that until November 19, 2027 (the U.S. implementation deadline for mixtures) it will focus on compliance promotion, and that from November 19, 2027 compliance and enforcement will follow a risk-based approach.
- Who it affects
- Suppliers, Employers, Workers
- Effective date or deadline
- In force December 15, 2022. Transition ended December 14, 2025. Compliance promotion until November 19, 2027.
- What to do
- Every SDS and label in a Canadian workplace must now meet the amended HPR. Employers should replace any SDS still in the pre-amendment format, update workplace labels for the new and renamed hazard classes, and retrain workers on them. Suppliers who have not finished their updates should do so now.
Source: Health Canada, Amended Hazardous Products Regulations (page updated 2026-10-23) (read November 2, 2026)
How CanadaSDS keeps you current
CanadaSDS tracks these sources every week, keeps your SDS library current with supplier updates, and flags what each change means for your library, your labels and your training.
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