Update To Canada Tents Regulation

Under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, Health Canada is proposing a revision to the current regulation for Tents Regulations, SOR/2016-185 to adopt an updated regulation and method for testing. If adopted, the target date for publication of the new codified method CAN/CGSB-182.1 is March 31, 2019.

The scope of the revised regulation would cover consumer tents and tent trailers while tents intended for indoor use only would be excluded.

This may also impact the current Canadian Toy Regulation, SOR/2011-17, by adding a requirement to the toy regulation for the flammability of play tents that are intended for indoor use only. Some of the considerations are as follows.

“Instead of referring to these products as "play tents", Health Canada is considering using the term "toys intended to be entered by a child" to align with ISO 8124-2:2014, Safety of toys - Part 2: Flammability and EN 71-2:2011+A1:2014, Safety of toys, These products are defined in these standards as toys that are made of flexible materials such as fabric and vinyl and that at least partially enclose a child, such as toy tents, puppet theatres, wigwams and play tunnels, but not open canopies.”

 “Options being considered to assess the flammability of these products include:

the flammability requirements for soft toys in the Toys Regulations; or

the flammability requirements for toys intended to be entered by a child in ISO 8124-2:2014 and EN 71-2:2011+A1:2014.”

The first version of CAN/CGSB-182.1 is intended to focus on the fire safety of tents. Other tent-related health and safety issues - including laceration, puncture, entrapment, strangulation, and suffocation from carbon monoxide poisoning - may be introduced in later versions.