Canada – New Carriages and Strollers Regulations Proposed

Vol. 1243 | 12 May 2021

Carriages and strollers are wheeled conveyance devices used primarily for the transportation of infants and children. The Canadian Carriages and Strollers Regulations first came into effect in 1985 under the Hazardous Products Act. In 2011, they came into force under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and were updated in 2016 for administrative changes.

The Health Canada proposal to revise the Carriages and Strollers Regulations, SOR/2016-167 aims to improve product safety, increase alignment with other regulatory requirements and address concerns in the current regulations. The proposal further includes a questionnaire to gather stakeholder feedback.

Significant changes to the proposed regulations can be divided into 5 sections:

• Mechanical
  • Health Canada is proposing compliance with either the most current ASTM F833 or most current ISO 31110 standards.
• Surface coating materials
  • Health Canada is proposing to remove the reference to the requirements in the Toys Regulations, and instead list them in the Carriages and Strollers Regulations.
  • Further, Health Canada proposes clarifying the scope to include stickers, films, and other surface coating materials.
• Toxicological hazards
  • The current regulations refer to the toxicological requirements in the Toys Regulations. Health Canada is proposing to keep the requirements but incorporate them into the Carriages and Strollers Regulations instead of referencing the Toys Regulations.
• Phthalates
  • The proposal requires phthalate requirements to be applied to all vinyl components of carriages and strollers.
• Information and warnings
  • The proposal is recommending alignment of the content of information and warning labeling with the most current version of either the ASTM F833 or the ISO 31110 standards. The bilingual labeling requirement in French and English, however, will continue to be required.

Comments on the proposed regulation and consultation sections can be submitted until June 17, 2021.

The Proposed Regulation can be viewed at: Summary of the consultation on the proposed amendments to the carriages and strollers regulations - Canada.ca

For questions, please contact Laxmi Ravikumar (laxmi.ravikumar@intertek.com, +1-630-209-9265) or Dr. Pratik Ichhaporia (pratik.ichhaporia@intertek.com, 847-212-8273).