ECCC Notice for Manufacturers and Importers of Off-Road Diesel Engines

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is reaching out to importers of off-road diesel engines into Canada, and manufacturers of such engines, to raise awareness of the upcoming importation and installation deadline for various transition engine power and emission standard categories under the Off-Road Compression-Ignition Engine Emission Regulations.

With the recent implementation of the Canada Border Services Agency’s Single Window Initiative (SWI) to the commodities regulated by the Transportation Division of ECCC, important information is provided below on the upcoming importation deadline of December 31, 2020.  Should you have any questions, please  contact us directly at ec.vehicleandenginei[email protected]

To: Manufacturers and Importers of Off-Road Diesel Engines or Machines Fitted with such Engines

Subject: Expiration of Transition Engine Timeframes under the Off-Road Compression-Ignition Engine Emission Regulations

The purpose of this letter is to raise awareness, amongst manufacturers and importers, of the upcoming importation deadline of December 31, 2020 for various transition engine timeframes under the Off-Road Compression-Ignition Engine Emission Regulations. 

The transition engine provisions set out in section 13 of the Regulations allow, for certain periods of time, the import and manufacture of engines meeting previous-tier standards, as long as they are installed in or on a machine in Canada before the end of the set time frames. Under these provisions, you can import engines of the following power categories and model years meeting previous-tier standards into Canada until December 31, 2020, but not after this date.

 Power (kW)Model YearsEmission StandardImportation and Installation Deadline
56 ≤ kW < 752014+Interim Tier 4Dec 31, 2020
75 ≤ kW < 1302014+Interim Tier 4Dec 31, 2020
130 ≤ kW < 5602014+Interim Tier 4Dec 31, 2020

• For loose transition engines, importation and installation in or on a machine in Canada must occur on or before the deadline.

• For transition engines installed in or on a machine, importation into Canada must occur on or before the deadline.

Please be aware that although the emission standards of the Regulations align with those of the U.S. EPA, the provisions under the Regulations are different. There are no provisions under the Regulations that provide Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) the authority to extend the importation period or allow for the importation of transition engines after the deadline regardless of the date of manufacture or the location of the engine or the machine equipped with such engine.

It is the responsibility of those importing a regulated product into Canada, or the company manufacturing such a product in Canada, to ensure that they meet the applicable emission standards and that the administrative requirements are satisfied. Failure to comply with the Regulations is a punishable offence. Individuals or companies who do not meet the requirements of the Regulations may be subject to the following regulations and policy:

• The Environmental Violations Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations

• The Compliance and Enforcement Policy

For additional information, the Regulations along with a technical guidance document are available on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 Registry here.

If you have any questions related to this matter, please do not hesitate to contact ECCC’s Transportation Division directly at the e-mail address or phone number provided below.

Sincerely,

Regulatory Compliance Management Team | Transportation Division
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Gatineau, Québec K1A 0H3

Email:  [email protected]

Contact: Tel # 819-420-4216 or toll free 1-844-454-9017