PEI Energy Commission seeking Islanders’ views

Islanders are invited to share their views on the future of electricity in the province, says the Prince Edward Island Energy Commission.

Today the Energy Commission released a discussion paper: Charting Our Electricity Future. “In addition to researching the factors that impact our electricity supply, the Commission is consulting widely with Islanders,” said PEI Energy Commission Co-Chair David Arsenault. “Islanders can learn more about the factors that affect our electricity costs by reading the discussion paper.”

The discussion paper provides an overview of electricity in Prince Edward Island, outlines key issues that affect electricity costs in the province, and raises questions to be addressed in planning for the province’s electricity future. “We hope Islanders will read the paper, consider the issues, and share their views about how to address the challenges involved in securing an affordable and sustainable electricity supply,” said Commission Co-chair Mike O’Brien. “All feedback will shape the recommendations we present to government this fall.“

Islanders can provide their views online, through written submissions and in person. The Energy Commission will hold stakeholder presentations and public forums across the Island from February 22 through March 8. All sessions will be open to the media. For more details about the consultations and other ways to provide input, please visit www.peiec.ca.

The work of the Commission is a key component of the Prince Edward Island Energy Accord announced in November 2010. Once the research and consultation phases are complete, the Commission is expected to report to the provincial government by fall 2012.

Media Contact: Angela Court

Pensions – Consultation: New Funding Regime for Public Plans

New Funding Regime for Public Plans
		New Funding Regime for Public Plans.pdf  ( 122.6 KB )

The CFIA is seeking comments on proposed regulatory amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations and a new regulation under the Canada Agricultural Products Act about the labelling of wine prior to the changes being posted in Canada Gazette Part I.

These amendments will help Canada in harmonizing its wine labelling rules with other wine producing trading partners. Comments will be accepted until February 14, 2012.

• Consultation on Wine Labelling Regulatory Amendment

The regulatory amendments will:

• Develop a national standard for icewine in Canada, and
• Change where mandatory labelling information can be placed on wine bottles or containers.

Currently, mandatory labelling information must be displayed on the front of the wine container on the section of the label referred to as the “principle display panel.”

These amendments will allow wine manufacturers to display this information on any part of the surface of the wine container, excluding its top and bottom, provided that it can all be seen without having to turn the container.

For example, a wine bottle could feature its mandatory labelling information on the back of the bottle.

In addition, these amendments will require that wine labelled as icewine in Canada meet a national standard. This standard would require icewine to be made only from grapes naturally frozen on the vine.

Currently, icewine production in Canada is only regulated in British Columbia (British Columbia Wine Authority), Ontario (Vintners Quality Alliance) and Nova Scotia (Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation).

Society Act discussion paper invites feedback

VICTORIA – A new discussion paper on the Society Act invites discussion on the governance of B.C. societies and possible directions for reform.

The Province launched a review of the Society Act in 2009 to identify legislative obstacles that may be preventing societies from operating most effectively and to ensure continued protection of the public interest.

The first round of consultations invited stakeholder comments and received submissions from more than 200 individuals and organizations. The discussion paper puts forward a number of proposals based on the feedback received.

The proposals recognize the unique nature of societies and aim to balance societies’ need for flexibility with broader concerns of accountability and integrity. The discussion paper does not represent government policy, but is intended to encourage discussion and provide interested parties with the opportunity to comment on possible directions for reform to the Society Act.

The Society Act outlines the rules that govern B.C.’s more than 26,000 societies. Societies are non-profit corporations organized primarily for social purposes. They make valuable contributions to B.C.’s families and communities, ranging from small community-based organizations to large charitable foundations.

Legislation is targeted for 2013 at the earliest.

The official deadline for submissions is April 30, 2012.

To view the discussion paper or make a submission, visit http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/cep/fcsp/society_act_discussion.htm

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is inviting comments on its proposed Guidance on Arts Organizations and Charitable Registration.

All submissions will be considered. To make it easier for us to review your submissions, we recommend the following format:

1. General comments: These comments could include general observations such as whether the guidance is helpful, suggestions for improving the document’s readability, and any relevant issues that should be added.
2. Specific comments:When you comment on specific aspects of the guidance, include the following:
   1. the paragraph number of the section you are commenting on;
   2. the issues with the paragraph in question; and
   3. a solution or alternative that could be considered, if possible.

The CRA also welcomes questions that could be used to build a list of Questions and Answers to supplement the guidelines.

Please note that we cannot answer questions through this consultation process. If you are seeking answers to questions about charities, please contact our Client Service Section at 1-800-267-2384.

We will consider all the comments that we receive by January 13, 2012.

Where to send your comments

Send all comments in writing to the address or fax number listed below, or by email to: consultation-policy-politique@cra-arc.gc.ca.

Mailing address

Charities Directorate
Canada Revenue Agency
Ottawa ON K1A 0L5

Fax
613-948-1320

Proposed Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act

Department of Justice

The province is proposing legislation that will make it harder for thieves to sell stolen metals, which will better protect the health, safety and property of Nova Scotians.

“The thieves who are stealing oil pipes, telephone cables and power lines are threatening the safety of Nova Scotians, harming our environment and hurting the economy of our province,” said Justice Minister Ross Landry. “Nova Scotians want these vandals and thieves stopped, and we intend to make it harder for them to profit from their crimes.”

Before the legislation is introduced, Mr. Landry is asking for input from Nova Scotians, including the scrap metal industry.

The legislation would require scrap metal dealers and recyclers to keep a record of their transactions, including the identity of the seller. They must also notify police when they receive certain items, such as industrial copper wire. The penalties for not complying with the legislation would be a fine of up to $5,000 or one year in jail.

“Copper theft is a real problem in Nova Scotia,” said Paul Casey, director of reliability and control centre operations for Nova Scotia Power. “These thefts cause unnecessary power outages, they cost our customers hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses, and they create hazardous worksites for our crews who have to repair the damage.”

The consultation period will close Friday, Oct. 21. More information on how Nova Scotians can be involved can be found at www.gov.ns.ca/just/consultation .

Strata Property Act consultation launched

VICTORIA – The Province is seeking public input through an online discussion paper and survey launched today that introduces a new approach to resolving strata property disputes.

The paper presents a tribunal model for review and includes details on:

• The proposed model.
• The role of the tribunal.
• The process involved to reach a settlement or ruling.

The approach would make dispute resolution services available to any strata owner in the province by offering an accessible, efficient and lower-cost alternative to the courts system and the current arbitration model.

The survey gives more than half a million strata owners in B.C. an opportunity to provide feedback and help shape the new model. Over 1,600 strata owners have already pre-registered.

The survey will be available until Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 at 4:30 p.m. and can be accessed at:  www.bcstrata2011.malatest.net

For more information on the survey and strata corporations, please visit: http://housing.gov.bc.ca/strata

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect

Cutting Red Tape…freeing business to grow

Between January and March 2011, the Commission consulted with Canadians and received approximately 2,300 ideas about where red tape was getting in the way of businesses.

On September 6, 2011, the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), and chair of the Red Tape Reduction Commission, announced the release of the Commission’s What Was Heard report.

Members of the business community are invited to complete an online questionnaire to share their views on the proposed lasting, systemic solutions identified in this report.

Consultation on the Proposal for Cadmium Guidelines in Children’s Jewellery

Health concerns over cadmium in children’s jewellery began after analytical testing by Health Canada revealed certain low-cost children’s jewellery contained cadmium at levels up to 93%.  It has been demonstrated, with tragic consequences, that swallowed jewellery may become lodged in the stomach, leading to the release of large amounts of lead in certain cases.  Although no reported incidents of cadmium poisoning were found following ingestion of jewellery, it is considered this may pose an analogous threat.  Young children under the age of 4 commonly place non-food items in their mouths, and therefore represent the group most at risk.

The incidental ingestion of a piece of jewellery must be considered carefully from a risk assessment perspective, especially since acute exposure limits have not been well defined for cadmium.  A review of the toxicological literature revealed that no reliable human data existed in order to define an acceptable one-time ingestion of cadmium.  Therefore, results from animal studies were used to derive an oral acute provisional minimal risk level (pMRL) of 0.0732 mg/kg bw for cadmium.

Health Canada analyzed approximately 200 children’s jewellery samples that were judged small enough to fit into a child’s mouth for cadmium content.  A subset of these samples were also subjected to migration testing, which revealed no consistency between the total amount of cadmium in a sample, and the amount that might be released in the simulated physiological environment of the stomach over an extended period (such as in the case of a piece of jewellery lodged in the stomach over several days).  Since standardized migration testing cannot accurately predict the amount of cadmium that might be leached out of a sample in such an environment, using total cadmium content to derive a guideline is considered the most health-protective approach.

Based on a conservative weight of evidence approach, it is proposed to restrict the total cadmium concentration in children’s jewellery to 130 ppm (0.013%), as this should protect small children from the risk of acute toxicity from cadmium following ingestion.

In addition, while risks associated with daily licking or sucking of a piece of cadmium-containing jewellery were not the primary focus of this report, a restriction of 130 ppm total cadmium should also be protective for chronic effects attributable to cadmium.