Review officers for the Canadian Environmental Protection Act

Part 10 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) requires the Minister to establish a roster of review officers and to appoint one of them as Chief Review Officer, in order to conduct hearings if persons subject to environmental protection compliance orders (EPCOs) request a hearing. The Chief Review Officer also has authority to establish hearing procedures and assign review officers to conduct the hearings. For information about the Chief Review Officer and the roster of review officers, including their names and background experience, please consult the Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada Website.

Enforcement officers

Enforcement officers have all the powers of a peace officer for the purposes of enforcing the act. They also have inspection powers similar to those contained in many other federal statutes. These inspection powers, used for the purpose of verifying compliance, include the authority to:

• enter premises
• open containers and examine their contents
• take samples
• conduct tests and measurements, and obtain access to information (including data stored on computers)