Environment and Climate Change Canada: Notifications under s. 106(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act for gene-edited plantsExtended without a date
2 Sept 2026 · Access to Information Act · A-2026-00235
23 Sept: a question on scope. 1 Oct: the Department extended its time by 120 days and named no date.
Request under the Access to Information Act — notifications under subsection 106(1) of CEPA for gene-edited plants, and records on the application of paragraph 106(6)(a)
Hello,
I make this request under section 6 of the Access to Information Act. I am a Canadian resident and I request access to the following records held by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
1. All notifications provided to the Minister under subsection 106(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the New Substances Notification Regulations (Organisms) in respect of gene-edited plants, from 18 May 2022 to the date this request is processed, showing the notifier and the date of each notification.
2. All correspondence between Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada, or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, or Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, concerning the application of paragraph 106(6)(a) of that Act to gene-edited plants determined to be non-novel, dated between 1 January 2021 and the date this request is processed.
3. All legal opinions, legal risk assessments and internal analyses held by the department addressing whether subsection 106(1) applies to a gene-edited plant that falls outside Part V of the Seeds Regulations under the guidance approved on 3 May 2023.
4. All records concerning any review of Schedule 4 of that Act after 3 May 2023, including any assessment of whether the Seeds Regulations continue to satisfy the condition in paragraph 106(6)(a) following the change in guidance.
5. All records showing the number of applications for investigation received under section 17 of that Act since 1 January 2023 that concern products of biotechnology, and the disposition of each.
I request the records in electronic format.
Where the department holds no record answering item 1, I require a written statement to that effect. That statement is the object of this request as much as any record.
Fees. I am without income and I am unable to pay the application fee. I request a waiver of the fee under subsection 11(6) of the Access to Information Act. The records sought concern living organisms released into the Canadian environment, and the public benefit of their release is direct. If the waiver is refused, I ask to be advised in writing of the refusal, the reason for it, and the method of payment, and I will pay the 5.00 dollar fee.
I require registration of this request on the date of its receipt. A refusal to register this request until a fee is paid, an absence of a file number, or an absence of a decision on the waiver request will be placed before the Information Commissioner of Canada.
I note for the record that I filed an application for investigation under section 17 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 with the Minister on 2 September 2026 on a related matter.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban