Call for Participation

Invitation to participate in an information session on the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach, under the Chemicals Management Plan

Environment Canada and Health Canada invite NGOs to participate in a conference call on the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach, under the Chemicals Management Plan.

On December 8, 2006, the Government of Canada announced the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP), which includes a number of proactive measures to make sure that chemical substances are managed properly. A key element of this Plan is the "Challenge", which is an initiative to develop and implement measures to assess and manage potential health or environmental risks posed by approximately 200 high priority substances. These substances have been divided up into a number of smaller groups (batches) that are being addressed sequentially. Since February 2007, the Government of Canada has been releasing one batch every three months, along with substance profiles and a survey notice to gather information. Further information on the Chemicals Management Plan and the Challenge can be found at http://www.chemicalsubstances.gc.ca.

Another key element of the Chemicals Management Plan is the “Petroleum Sector Stream Approach”, which includes approximately 160 petroleum stream substances that are high priority, but were set aside from the Challenge to be addressed under a sectoral approach because of: the large number of substances; the fact that the substances are primarily, if not exclusively, related to the petroleum sector; and the fact that most of the substances are complex mixtures that may need to be considered differently from discrete substances.

The objective of the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach is to have a comprehensive sectoral approach to effectively and efficiently assess and manage high priority petroleum substances identified as requiring further action. Environment Canada and Health Canada have developed a workplan for the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach that includes data collection, assessment of the substances, and development of risk management measures as needed.

Environment Canada and Health Canada invite NGOs to a conference call to provide an overview of the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach. They will discuss the key tasks that need to be performed in order to address these substances and will also be soliciting expressions of interest to participate in future consultations.

The conference call is scheduled for:

Date: Wednesday March 5, 2008
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST)
Target audience: Non-government and civil society sector

They are looking forward to speaking with all interested parties. Presentations during the call will be made in English however questions can be answered in both official languages. A separate conference call in French could be arranged if there is a request.

Please RSVP by February 29, 2008 to the e-mail address: CMP.PetroleumStream@ec.gc.ca. (RCEN note: Please cc Leela Ramachandran, RCEN National Caucus Coordinator, on your reply). When doing so, please include your full name, email address, phone number, organization (if applicable), and language of choice. The organizing government departments will send out instructions for joining the conference call and additional information on the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach to all registered participants before the call.

Should you wish to forward this invitation to anyone else who might be interested, please don't hesitate to do so. If you have any questions on this initiative, please feel free to include them with your RSVP email, or contact Indrani Hulan at (819) 956-9439.