OFA has submitted comments to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on the review of the Environmental Emergency Regulations.

OFA highlights that many agricultural operations continue to rely on propane due to limited rural electricity capacity. The current exemption threshold for on-site propane storage (4.5 tonnes) is far below what is required for routine farm activities such as grain drying, creating impractical compliance burdens for rural operations. OFA recommends that ECCC work with agricultural stakeholders to establish higher, more realistic propane exemption thresholds; reduce regulatory duplication caused by overlapping federal, provincial, and regional emergency requirements; and develop clear, standardized emergency planning protocols suited to smaller farms and rural communities. OFA further advises that full-scale emergency exercises should focus on scenarios with meaningful off-site environmental or public safety impacts, rather than low-probability worst-case events, in order to better align regulatory requirements with rural capacity and risk.