New Changes to the TDGR Formatting

Here is an important overview of the changes to the TDGR published recently in the Gazette. 

Since 2002 the TDGR stood alone due to the unique features it held that we all enjoyed. But this was not consistent with all Canadian regulation formatting standards that are used by the Canadian government. The TDGR included the use of clear language, explanatory italic text (to help us better understand the meaning of regulation terminology), and a table of contents at the beginning of each part. All these features made this regulation very easy to navigate. 

Recently, Transport Canada came to a decision to reformat the TDGR to better align with the Department of Justice drafting standard. Aligning this together was to make this regulation more accessible to everyone, and to have everything in one place on the Justice Laws website. 

The information listed below are some of the big changes in the TDGR that is stated directly in the Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 154, Number 4, http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2020/2020-02-19/html/sor-dors23-eng.html

• The table of contents preceding the TDGR and each of its 16 parts have been removed. Instead, there is a table of provisions at the beginning of the Regulations, which serves as a table of contents.
• The italicized explanatory text throughout the Regulations has been removed with the exception of the list of UN numbers following the special provisions in Schedule 2 of the Regulations.
• Terms that are defined in the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 (TDG Act) have been removed from the list of definitions in the TDGR.
• The title of any act, regulation, standard, or other document referenced in the TDGR is written in italics instead of being placed within quotation marks.
• The table of safety standards and safety requirements is no longer in a table format but rather presented as a list of standards and requirements.
• While the provision numbers and content remain the same, the number of each provision is now found at the beginning of the first line of the section (or subsection), instead of before the section title. Section titles are now headings.

These changes will have a direct impact on those who are just entering the field of dangerous goods as they are yet to develop a whole lot of experience. The Dangerous Goods field has its own language that takes experience and training. But if you are ever unsure about anything within this field of work, ICC regulatory team is there to help interpret those issues. Give us a call today with your questions, 855.734.5469.