The new regulations made under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA 1999) seek to progressively eliminate the use of PCBs with a priority on those located near sensitive areas (schools (preschool and primary), hospitals, senior citizen residences, drinking water treatment plants, food processing plants), to eliminate the storage of PCBs and to prohibit the release of PCBs into the environment.

Friends of the Earth is calling on concerned Canadians to join in insisting the federal Minister of Environment enforce this important PCB regulation.

This new regulation should help concerned citizens like Alan Williams in Newfoundland to insist on clean-up of PCBs dumped in his community.  Read Alan’s request for an investigation of the PCBs dumped by the Province of Newfoundland more than a decade ago. (video interview)

Its time to finish the job on this harmful chemical and we need your help to insist that no deals are struck behind closed board room doors for extensions on the 2009 end of use deadline.  Companies operating in Canada with stored PCBs have had more than enough notice. Write the federal Minister of Environment, the Honourable Jim Prentice to insist the PCB regulation is effectively enforced.

The public has a right to know threats to their health and to the environment in their communities - especially, as noted in the regulation, people working and living near "sensitive areas" defined as schools (preschool and primary), hospitals, senior citizen residences, drinking water treatment plants, food processing plants. 

The PCB inventory available to the public is outdated - let's work together to get up-dated information available.  As of December 2005, there were 1,615 waste storage sites in Canada with 226 of them federal sites and 1389 non-federal. FOE notes that this would not include sites in dispute like the New Harbour, Newfoundland dump site.

PCBs and the new Canadian federal PCB regulations Fact Sheet

Act now and write

1) your mayor and ask for the inventory of PCB storage in your community with specific addresses

2) your provincial electricity utility and ask what their work to-date has been and plans going forward to finish the job on eliminating PCBs

3) your provincial/territorial and federal officials to send you the current PCB inventory.

Help Friends of the Earth help more citizens to stand up for their environment rights.

Donate now to Friends of the Earth’s fund to “clean up our messes”. Your donation will make it possible for FOE to help citizens like Alan Williams fight to have PCBs cleaned up in their communities.