Canada Revises Tents Regulations

On 20 November 2024, the Canadian Government, on the recommendation of Health Canada, published within the Canada Gazette (Part II, Volume 158, Number 24) the revised Tents Regulations: SOR/2024-217, under section 37 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA).

Reasons for Changes

The requirements of the former Regulations had not changed substantively since 1988 and had incorporated an outdated industry standard that addressed the flammability issues associated with tent materials commonly used at the time, namely, paraffin-coated cotton canvas. Consequently, performance requirements in the former Regulations were less suited to address the flammability hazards of the types of tent materials sold in the market today, and tent manufacturers may have applied flame retardant chemicals to tent materials in order to comply with the requirements.

Substantial Changes (for Toys)

The new Tents Regulations have, amongst other changes, revised the definitions in the Toys Regulations for the following items: (1) plush toy, (2) soft toy, and have the following requirements specifically for “Toys Intended to be Entered by a Child”:

- Must be tested in accordance with subclauses 5.1 and 5.4 of the the ISO 8124–2 “Safety of toys – Part 2: Flammability” and meet the requirements set out in subclause 4.4 of that standard, excluding the requirement that the toy and its packaging be permanently marked with a statement if the rate of the spread of the flame of the test sample is from 10 mm/s to 30 mm/s.

- The outer surface must have a permanent label containing the following warning or its equivalent, in bold upper-case letters at least 3 mm in height and in both official languages: “WARNING: KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT AND OPEN FLAME / MISE EN GARDE: TENIR LOIN DES SOURCES DE CHALEUR ET DES FLAMMES NUES”.

- The permanent label must contain the following alert symbol, at least 6 mm in height, immediately before the warning. The warning and the alert symbol must be affixed in such a manner that they are legible and clearly visible throughout the life of the toy.

Effective Date

The revised Tents Regulations are effective upon this publication within the Canadian Gazette, with a transitional period of two years.

References

https://canadagazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2024/2024-11-20/html/sor-dors217-eng.html