July 2, 2013 – Electro-Federation Canada (EFC) says it has—along with the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH)—engaged Canadian and American industry stakeholders to address concerns about “non-aligned regulator objectives, duplicative supporting standardization, regulatory and compliance requirements”.

EFC and CIPH first presented their findings to the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) to seek support in facilitating dialogue with industry stakeholders, standards development organizations and regulatory bodies in Canada and the States. A recent forum held in Ottawa confirmed stakeholder support for reducing barriers with and between jurisdictions, says EFC, through the alignment of standards.

EFC presented findings revealing over $500-million potential in annual cost-saving benefits associated from aligning duplicate standards requirements and certification practices for cross-border trade in the electrical sector.

“When cross-examining both Canadian and American requirements for these sectors, we found that although the infrastructure, designs and products are fundamentally similar, duplicative certification requirements remain,” said Jim Taggart, EFC’s CEO and president. “Reducing these where possible simply makes sense.”

The partners insist aligning standardization and regulatory requirements will result in cost reduction for both businesses and consumers, promote economic growth and “result in job creation while emphasizing, ensuring and maintaining the highest level of health, safety and environment standards”.

“Where multiple standards exist, we adhere to the most stringent of them,” said Ralph Suppa, president and general manager of CIPH. “Our industry stakeholders remain committed to that practice, but have realized the need to eliminate unnecessary duplication where possible.”

Common issues for regulatory alignment are energy efficiency, chemical management and extended producer responsibility with recycled products.