Proposed Amendments to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (Part 6 – Training)

Proposed amendments to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations were published in the Canada Gazette, Part 1, on December 11, 2021.

Canada Gazette is the official newspaper of the Government of Canada, and it is where the government publishes new statutes, new and proposed regulations, and various government and public notices. To allow Canadians to participate in Canada’s regulatory process, the government publishes proposed changes to regulations for public comments in Part I. The feedback received is taken into consideration in the development of the final amendment, which is published in Part II.

The proposed changes to the TDG Regulations primarily affect Part 6 (Training). Some of the key changes include:

• Introduction of a competency-based training and assessment that will require persons to be competent to transport dangerous goods
• Incorporation by reference of the new Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) standard: CGSB-192.3-2020 (Transportation of dangerous goods training, assessment and competency), which outlines the requirements for competency as having received general awareness and function-specific training and assessment
• Aligning training requirements in the TDG Regulations with the current versions of the United Nations Model Regulations for the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (UN Model Regulations), Title 49 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR), the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Technical Instructions

The text in Canada Gazette, Part I, includes a regulatory impact analysis statement (which provides background information in plain language to explain why the changes are required) as well as a description of the main updates that would be made. It provides Transport Canada’s rationale for proceeding with the changes and outlines the expected costs and benefits that would result from the proposal. It also summarizes the consultations that Transport Canada has held to date on related issues and shows how the comments received have been addressed in the proposal.

It’s also important to note that these changes will affect all TDG training courses – not just those for radioactive materials. If your organization provides training for transportation and handling of other dangerous goods, please make sure you are aware of the proposed regulatory changes.