These definitions are specific to the Retail Food Sector Review and
may or may not be relative to all aspects of Measurement Canadas
progams....
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Alternate Service Delivery (ASD) Mechanisms
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- means the effective delivery of MC programs and services to
the Canadian Public through various organizational forms or
through arrangements with other government or private
organizations. Examples of ASD:
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MC Accreditation Program
- allows organizations to be granted the authority to inspect
and certify weighing and measuring trade devices provided that
they implement a quality assurance program based on Measurement
Canada's S-A-01 standard and comply with all aspects of the
program. These arrangements are subject to audit by MC auditors;
Memorandum of Understanding - is an agreement with
another government department or private organization for the
recognition of the results of their programs;
Other Delegated Arrangements - where organizations are
conferred the authority and responsibility, under specific
contract or not, to deliver Measurement Canada programs or
services. MC would continue to perform audit functions only.
(See also Voluntary Codes)
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Approvals
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- a formal evaluation of a device types design and construction.
This is a mandatory step before any design or model of device
may be sold as Legal for Trade in Canada.
Once approved, an approval number is issued authorizing the use
of the device type for 'Legal for Trade' use in Canada.
Weights and Measures approval numbers may be found on the device
and will generally be in the format of SWA-XXXX or
AM-XXXX.
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- C -
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Commodity
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Prepakaged - Any product that is packaged in a
container in such a manner that it is ordinarily sold to a
consumer without being re-packaged. Prepackaged commodities may
be of random or predetermined sizes.
Clerk Served - Any product which is weighed or measured
in the presence of the purchaser at the time of sale.
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Computing/Counter Scale
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- refers to any of a number of scale types which function
independent of a cash register and are used for direct sales to
the public. These scales are commonly found on the counters of
delicatessens, candy and confectionary stores as well as at the
checkout of many smaller grocery and general stores.
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Custody Transfer
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- the point at which possession of the product changes
possession or ownership.
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- D -
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Dominant Party
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- considered the purchaser or seller of a product who owns or
controls the measuring device used in the trade transaction.
(See also Vulnerable Party)
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- I -
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Initial Inspection
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- the mandatory first inspection of an individual device before
it may be placed into trade service. This inspection ensures
that the device is installed and measuring correctly.
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- L -
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Legal For Trade / Legal For Use in Trade
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- the term used to describe a measuring device (scale) of a type
which has been approved by the MC approvals process. The device
must be Initially Inspected before it may actually be used in
trade. (See also Trade)
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Legal Metrology
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- the science of measurement in legal for trade applications.
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Legislation
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- for the purposes of the Retail Food Sector Review, the term
legislation and legislative requirements, refers to the Weights
and Measures Act, Regulations and Specifications.
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Level of Intervention
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- the amount of government involvement in regulating an industry
sector to ensure fair and equitable trade measurement.
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- M -
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MC
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- means Measurement Canada, an agency of Industry Canada.
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- P -
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Performance Indicators
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- a means of measuring the effectiveness of a program which has
been implemented to assure that MC's mission, of ensuring
equity in the marketplace, has been fulfilled. Although
historically Performance Indicators have been synonymous with
Compliance rates, they may take other forms as well. All
programs, whether delivered directly by MC or indirectly by a
third party must be measurable.
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Periodic Inspection
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- a term used to describe the type of inspection other than the
initial inspection of a trade measuring device. The frequency of
periodic inspections is not currently pre-determined by MC.
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Point of Sale (POS) scale
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- refers to a scale used at the checkout stand of a retail
store. Usually interfaced to a cash register or computer system
and may be a combination scanner/scale.
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Prepack Scale
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- refers to a scale used as part of a packaging and labelling
system designed to package individual commodities for future
sale. These scales are often found as part of a meat prepack and
wrapping station in the butcher department of a grocery store.
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- S -
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Standards (test weights)
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- refers to the actual test equipment or test weights usually
calibrated or referenced to a national or international physical
standard. The standards are then used to test trade measuring
equipment or devices.
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- T -
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Test Procedures
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- refers to the written technical specifications, procedures and
policies.
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Test Weights
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(See also Standards (test weights))
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Traceable/Traceability
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- refers to the step by step accountability of a calibration of
a standard or device back to a reference standard. Test
weights may be traceable to the international prototype
kilogram held in Sèvres, France. MC Standards are
traceable
to the Canadian one kilogram standard which in turn is
traceable to the international prototype.
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Trade
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- means the selling, purchasing, exchanging, consigning, leasing
or providing of any commodity, right, facility or service on the
basis of measure and includes the business of providing
facilities for measuring. (See also Legal For
Trade)
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Trade Sector Review
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- a process whereby MC periodically reviews and assesses its
services provided to the marketplace to ensure their relevancy
to the needs of the sector stakeholders.
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- V -
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Voluntary Codes
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- Voluntary Codes are non-regulatory initiatives-commitments not
required by legislation, agreed to by one or more organizations
and applied consistently to influence or measure behaviour. A
report on the use of Voluntary Codes may be obtained by clicking
on the link above.
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Vulnerable Party
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- a party who is the purchaser or seller of a product and who
does not own or control the measuring equipment used in the
trade transaction. The degree of vulnerability may vary from nil
to high depending upon the capacity and ability of the
vulnerable party to detect measurement errors, re-measure the
product and have corrective measures taken where appropriate.
(See also Dominant Party)
NOTE: For more information or clarification, please consult the
Measurement Canada Web Site or call your nearest Measurement Canada office.