PART 1. DESCRIPTION OF RELEVANT PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS AND INITIATIVES

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Heavy Metals Protocols

Description

As a member of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Canada has agreed to meet specific atmospheric pollution objectives under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). The Convention has historically been focused on abatement of conventional pollutants whose effects include impacts due to acidifying emissions and ground level ozone. A newer direction for the Convention is its present initiatives on Persistent Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metals. These two pollutant-specific protocols were signed by Canada in June of 1998 and ratified in December of 1998.

Both the POPs and Heavy Metals protocols include an initial list of substances and the associated control actions to be taken, as well as a process for adding future substances. The 16 substances included in the POPs Protocol are: aldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexabromobiphenyl, chlordane, hexachlorocyclohexane, hexachlorobenzene, dieldrin, mirex, PCBs, DDT, toxaphene, chlordecone, chlorinated dioxins and furans, and PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons). The 3 metals included in the Heavy Metals Protocol are: cadmium, lead and mercury.

Action

For the 16 specified POPs¹, Canada will be required to:

• Eliminate production and/or use of 12 POPs (aldrin, chlordane, chlordecone, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexabromobiphenyl, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, PCBs and toxaphene)
• Restrict use of 3 POPs (DDT, lindane and PCBs)
• Control atmospheric emissions of 4 POPs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans and hexachlorobenzene) from designated industrial sectors
• Commit to environmentally sound destruction and disposal of substances that are subject to elimination
• Maintain/develop emission inventories for substances requiring atmospheric emission controls as well as collect available information relating to production and sale of substances scheduled for elimination of production and/or use and restriction of use
• Agree to reassess all restricted uses of lindane no later than two years after the date of entry into force of the Protocol

For the 3 specified Heavy Metals, Canada will be required to:

• Control atmospheric emissions from new plants in designated industrial sectors
• Reduce by 50% atmospheric emissions from existing facilities (based on 1990 values)
• Control lead content in gasoline and mercury content in alkaline batteries
• Develop and maintain emission inventories

United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Global POPs

In February 1997, the UNEP Governing Council responded to the growing calls for action on POPs by mandating an International Negotiating Committee (INC) to prepare a POPs agreement. The negotiations are addressing an initial list of 12 POPs (all Track 1 substances under Canada's Toxic Substance Management Policy) as well as establish science-based criteria for identifying future candidate POPs. In June 1998, Canada kick-started the negotiations by funding and hosting the initial INC meeting in Montreal (a total of five negotiation sessions are anticipated). Negotiations are expected to conclude by end of-2000. Control obligations are under development; however, the specific details will be determined at future negotiation sessions.

North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, (NAAEC)

North American Regional Action Plans, (NARAPs)

Description

As a condition of the North American Free Trade Agreement, (NAFTA) an environmental side agreement was negotiated and ratified in parallel with NAFTA. This agreement, the NAAEC, between Canada, the USA and Mexico, establishes the formation of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, (CEC) which is located in Montreal, to "facilitate cooperation on the conservation, protection, and enrichment of the environment in their territories." Led by the Council (of Ministers), the CEC has, as its mandate, under Article 95-5, an obligation to establish the Sound Management of Chemicals (SMOC) working group This SMOC working group has overseen the development of four chemical specific North American Regional Action Plans (NARAPs).

As of July 1999, NARAPs on PCBs, DDT, chlordane and mercury are completed. The mercury NARAP is being further extended into a Phase 2 effort with more specific targets and time frames with approval by Ministers with a scheduled completion date of December 1999. Future substances will be selected according to criteria developed by the Substance selection task group. Using these criteria, dioxins/furans and hexachlorobenzene have been identified for coverage under a single Action Plan. Nomination dossiers are being consolidated for lead and lindane, an isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane.

Action

Commitments under the NAAEC, CEC, SMOC, NARAPs:

PCB Regional Action Plan

• Establish a trinational PCB information database
• Manage storage, use, treatment, transport and waste production of PCBs
• Work towards virtual elimination

DDT Regional Action Plan

• Mexico to develop and test alternative vector controls
• Improve health services coverage and information exchange
• The three Parties will ensure enforcement of violations and phase out
• By 1997 and annually thereafter report on use/production/importation/exportation/violations

Chlordane Regional Action Plan

• Identify a control strategy for termites in Mexico and ban exports/imports
• Assure Chlordane is no longer released in North America

Mercury Regional Action Plan, (Phase I)

• Develop partnerships and voluntary initiatives
• Improve scientific understanding
• Develop information transfer systems and a comparative data base
• Develop an implementation program (Phase II) with specific time frames and reduction targets

Mercury Regional Action Plan, (Phase II Implementation) Draft in Preparation

• Manage mercury in emissions, processes, operations, products and wastes
• Develop and refine research and scientific measurement capacity
• Communicate with and educate North Americans
• Implement the plan and assess compliance.

Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade

Description

In March 1998, after two years of negotiations, 95 governments finalized the text of the Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. The text of the convention was opened for signature at a Diplomatic Conference in Rotterdam in September 1998.

The Convention represents an important step towards ensuring the protection of citizens and the environment in all countries from the possible dangers resulting from trade in highly dangerous pesticides and chemicals. It will protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of toxic pesticides and other chemicals.

The Convention covers pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by participating Parties, and which have been subject to notification by Parties for inclusion in the PIC procedure. The inclusion of chemicals in the PIC procedure is decided by the Conference of the Parties. The Convention will initially include at least 27 chemicals carried forward from the present voluntary PIC procedure and hundreds more are likely to be added as the provisions of the Convention are implemented.

The Convention will enter into force once fifty countries have ratified it. As a first among the multilateral environmental agreements, Governments have agreed to continue to implement the voluntary PIC procedure using the new procedures of the Convention until the Convention formally enters into force. This will avoid a break in the implementation of the PIC procedure and is a clear indication of the importance Governments attach to this Convention.

Action

Canada has not yet signed the PIC Convention but will likely do so once the new Canadian Environmental Protection Act enters into force.

Annex 15 pesticides covered under PIC include:

• aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, hexachlorocyclohexane, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, lindane and pentachlorophenol.

Annex 15 industrial chemicals include:

• mercury compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB).

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal

Description

Canada actively participated in the development of the Basel Convention on the Control of Tranboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. We were one of the original signatories in March 1989 and ratified it in August 1992. The Basel Convention entered into force for Canada in November 1992 at the time CEPA's Export and Import of Hazardous Waste Regulations (EIHWR) were introduced. As of July 1999, there are 122 Parties to the Convention.

The Convention is the response of the international community to the problems caused by the annual world-wide production of 400 million tonnes of wastes which are hazardous to people or the environment because they are toxic, poisonous, explosive, corrosive, flammable, eco-toxic, or infectious.

This global environmental treaty strictly regulates the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and provides obligations to its Parties to ensure that such wastes are managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. The main principles of the Basel Convention are:

• Transboundary movements of hazardous wastes should be reduced to a minimum consistent with their environmentally sound management.
• Hazardous wastes should be treated and disposed of as close as possible to their source of generation.
• Hazardous waste generation should be reduced and minimized at source.

In order to achieve these principles, the Convention aims to control the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes, monitor and prevent illegal traffic, provide assistance for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, promote cooperation between Parties in this field, and develop Technical Guidelines for the management of hazardous wastes.

Action

Canada has played a very active role in the activities related to hazardous waste management that have been initiated within the Convention, including:

• the development of technical guidelines for environmentally sound management and model legislation for the control of hazardous waste;
• negotiation of the liability and compensation protocol for accidents resulting from transboundary movements;
• the establishment of regional training centers to assist developing countries in the implementation of the Basel Convention; and
• work related to the clarification of the scope of the Convention and the types of wastes that it should control.

Relevant waste streams covered under the Basel Convention include:

• waste substances or articles containing Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Polychlorinated terphenyls (PBTs) and/or polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs)
• cadmium and cadmium compounds
• lead and lead compounds
• mercury and mercury compounds
• phenols and phenol compounds including chlorophenols
• halogenated organic solvents
• any congener of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzo-furan
• other organohalogen compounds other than substances specifically referred to in Annex of the Convention.

Once the new CEPA comes into force, EIHWR will be revised to ensure that we are meeting fully our international obligations. ^1. Please note that some substances are subject to multiple control regimes