Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada-Nova Scotia and Canada Oil and Gas Framework Regulations

Enabling Acts

• Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act (COGOA)
• Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act
• Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act

Rationale

The regulations below are outdated and have been the subject of reviews/recommendations by the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations. International jurisdictional reviews have indicated the need to modernize these regulations.

Narrative

Through the Frontier and Offshore Regulatory Renewal Initiative, Natural Resources Canada and its partners are currently working to modernize and amalgamate the following regulations into one set of operational requirements, known as the 'Framework Regulations':

• Newfoundland Offshore Area Oil and Gas Operations Regulations
• Newfoundland Offshore Area Petroleum Geophysical Operations Regulations
• Newfoundland Offshore Certificate of Fitness Regulations
• Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Drilling and Production Regulations
• Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Installations Regulations
• Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Installations Regulations
• Nova Scotia Offshore Area Petroleum Diving Regulations
• Nova Scotia Offshore Area Petroleum Geophysical Operations Regulations
• Nova Scotia Offshore Certificate of Fitness Regulations
• Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Drilling and Production Regulations

Priority has been placed on the Accord Act regulations, listed above, for now.

The following regulations from the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act will come at a later date.

• Canada Oil and Gas Drilling and Production Regulations
• Canada Oil and Gas Geophysical Operations Regulations
• Canada Oil and Gas Installations Regulations
• Canada Oil and Gas Operations Regulations 
• Canada Oil and Gas Certificate of Fitness Regulations
• Canada Oil and Gas Diving Regulations

There will be federal and provincial mirror Framework Regulations to ensure coherence between federal and provincial regulations in each Accord Area, and coherence amongst regulations for each of the four offshore areas.

FORRI is an intergovernmental partnership between Natural Resources Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and the Provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, and the Canada Energy Regulator are also participants in this initiative.

The Framework Regulations will:

• Update safety and environmental protection requirements to ensure our regulations remain world-class
• Reduce multi-regulation redundancy
• Shift to a hybrid regulatory approach with a balance of prescriptive and performance-based requirements
• Support consistency across jurisdictions
• Ensure an effective and efficient regulatory regime

Date of last review or amendment

The Drilling and Production Regulations were modernized in 2009. Other regulations have not had a comprehensive review since they were brought into force.

Targeted start for review

The review of the above referenced regulations began in 2014.

Stakeholder Feedback

The draft Regulations were published in Canada Gazette, Part I in June 2022. Governments are working to incorporate technical and other feedback received.

For further information

• Frontier and Offshore Regulatory Renewal Initiative

Departmental contact

Cheryl McNeil
Deputy Director
Offshore Management Division
Analysis and Operations Branch
Cheryl.Mcneil@canada.ca