2. Public Participation (Part 2)
Part 2 of CEPA 1999 outlines public participation requirements under the Act, including the establishment of an environmental registry, whistleblower protection, and the right of an individual to request an investigation and pursue court action.
The CEPA Environmental Registry was launched on Environment Canada's website with the proclamation of CEPA 1999 on March 31, 2000. Since that time, ongoing efforts have been made to increase the Registry's reliability and ease of use. The Registry encompasses thousands of CEPA-related documents and references. It has become a primary source of environmental information for the public and private sectors, both nationally and internationally, and has been used as a source of information in university and college curriculum.
The Registry was recently revamped--its content and structure being reviewed and updated and new documents being added. The new site was launched in August 2010.
From April 2010 to March 2011, over 250 requests for CEPA-related information were received sent to the registry mailbox. Many of these requests were for information on the assessment reports of Batch 7 and 8, substances identified under the Challenge program, a key element of the CMP. Other requests involved pollution prevention plans, proposed regulations, guidelines, importing chemicals, biotechnology, permits and the Domestic Substances List.
During 2010–2011, there were 55 opportunities posted on the Environmental Registry for stakeholders and the public to consult; this is slightly above the average number usually posted within a given reporting period.
Please see the Public Consultations section of the CEPA Environmental Registry.