Environmental emergencies: prevention

Taking action to reduce or eliminate the risks of natural or human-induced disasters can be more cost-effective when compared to response and recovery.

To that end, the Environmental Emergency Regulations (E2 Regulations) under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) require facilities to develop environmental emergency plans. These emergency plans help industry to better prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from an environmental emergency.

When a facility is using a regulated substance, they must notify Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and may have to prepare emergency plans when they have certain quantities or concentrations of the substance. The Environmental Emergencies Program assesses which substances should be regulated and under what conditions.