Improvement needed in federal environmental enforcement

Due to numerous weaknesses in the management of its environmental enforcement program, Environment Canada does not know how much its enforcement activities contribute to regulatory compliance and minimize environmental damage, says Scott Vaughan, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, in his report tabled Wednesday in Parliament.

The audit looked at the Department’s enforcement of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) and regulations.

“Enforcement actions have been limited by longstanding problems with the regulations, inadequate training of enforcement officers, and lack of laboratory tests to verify compliance,” said Vaughan.

The audit found that the Department lacks key information on those it regulates—information that would help it target the organizations whose activities pose the greatest risk of environmental damage as a result of non-compliance.

It also failed to follow up on half of its enforcement actions to verify that violators were now complying with CEPA regulations. In addition, many regulations are enforced only if the Department receives a complaint.

“The Canadian Environmental Protection Act is an important part of protecting the health of Canadians and the quality of the environment,” said Vaughan. “I am concerned that shortcomings in key management systems have impeded the effective enforcement of the Act.”

The chapter “Enforcing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999” is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada website.