The Minister of the Environment and The Minister of health approved Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations, which was published in the Canada Gazette, Part II on July 07,2021, it will come into force from Jan 07,2023, Here are the highlights:

A．Scope
The Regulations shall apply to any composite wood product that contains formaldehyde，Most products imported or sold in Canada will need to comply with the applicable requirements once the Regulations come into force. However, the emission requirements specific to laminated products will not take effect until five years after the Regulations come into force, nor will testing and certification requirements for laminated products. Furthermore, the Regulations would not apply to products manufactured in Canada or imported before the coming-into-force date, so long as records are available to demonstrate the date of manufacture.

B Formaldehyde emission limits
The Regulations establish maximum formaldehyde emission levels from composite wood products. These emission limits, expressed as the concentration of formaldehyde resulting from specific test methods, are the same as those in the U.S.:

• 0.05 parts per million (ppm) for hardwood plywood;
• 0.09 ppm for particleboard;
• 0.11 ppm for medium-density fibreboard;
• 0.13 ppm for thin medium-density fibreboard; 
• 0.05 ppm for laminated products.

C. Labelling and Certification requirement
All composite wood products must be labelled prior to being sold in Canada, or the seller must keep a copy of the label and have it available upon request. Composite wood products that already have a bilingual label indicating compliance with the U.S. Rule will be recognized as compliant with Canadian labelling requirements.
composite wood panels and laminated products must also be certified by a third-party certifier (TPC) prior to import or sale (Composite wood products that have been certified under TSCA Title VI will be accepted as certified under the Regulations).

D. Record keeping requirements
Manufacturers of composite wood panels and laminated products will be expected to keep extensive records of testing, and to make those records available to the Minister of the Environment upon request. Importers and retailers will need to keep statements of certification for their products. Some additional requirements to obtain information from manufacturers exist for importers. In addition, the Regulations will also require all regulated businesses to self-identify by informing the Minister of the Environment of which regulated activity they are involved in and their contact information.

E. Reporting requirements
Every person that manufactures, imports, sells or offers for sale a composite wood product that contains formaldehyde must provide the Minister with the following information in writing:
(a) its name, civic and postal addresses, telephone number and, if any, email address as well as the name of its contact person;
(b) a statement of whether it manufactures, imports, sells or offers for sale composite wood panels, laminated products, component parts or finished goods, as the case may be.

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