Heavy Duty Vehicle Green House Gas & Fuel Economy Standards

From Don’s Desk:
Heavy Duty Vehicle Green House Gas & Fuel Economy Standards

One of the key benefits of membership in any trade association is the ability of the association to lobby and be heard by government. A very important goal of the CTEA is to be recognized by all levels of government across Canada as a spokesperson for the truck and trailer manufacturing industry.

Last week I attended my second meeting with a joint working group of Environment Canada and Transport Canada that has been set up to provide industry consultation with respect to the proposed Green House Gas and Fuel Economy Standards. Essentially, the current plan of the two Ministries is to adopt the requirements recently outlined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Working Group is focussed on how appropriate these requirements are in Canada.

Key points in current discussion that may affect CTEA members:

  • Vocational vehicles are included, but only in that they are to use low rolling resistance tires and have drive train efficiency gains over the regulated period.
  • Trailers are not included at this time due to difficulty of developing test procedures, but they are anticipated to be included in the future.
  • Small-business exemption for companies with less than 1,000 employees.

I am not going to get into further details in the discussions, but I just want to stress the importance of the fact that the CTEA is at the table and is representing the interests of your industry.

CTEA Business Conference:
Just a quick reminder: The CTEA 48th annual Manufacturers’ Conference is coming up fast. We hope to see you all in Moncton on October 24th through 26th. For details of the program and registration information go to http://www.ctea.ca/index.php/events-mainmenu-170.

Ontario Disabled Persons Regulations:
A quick heads-up for companies with facilities in Ontario: there are a number of new requirements that came into effect on July 1, 2011, regarding company obligations for accessibility for individuals with disabilities that may affect you. For details, go to http://www.aoda.ca/.

From September:
I am including a couple of items that I mentioned in September as a reminder to those members that they might affect.

  • The Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) have asked that we pass on a letter to all our Ontario manufacturing members offering assistance with complying with changes to the Professional Engineers Act. These changes have repealed exemptions from licensing requirements for professional engineering work related to producing production equipment. You can download a PDF of the letter here.  Please read the letter and if you have any questions contact the PEO at the coordinates in the letter.
  • Industry Canada has a new program that may be of interest to our small and medium sized members. They are trying to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)  to get the credit they need in their businesses. For more information download the French here or English here.

I know there always seems to be information specific to Ontario. I try to include things from all over, so if you know of something of interest to members in your area, please pass it along. This is a big country and it is always tough to catch all the latest without your help.

Don Moore
519-631-0414
Executive Director
CTEA


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