Factory Licence
For manufacturing facilities for explosives.
This facility can be a fixed site for the manufacture of blasting explosives,
ammunition or fireworks, etc., or, in the case of bulk explosives, it can be
the base of operations with the facilities necessary to clean, decontaminate
and repair vehicles that support satellite sites, customer sites, and temporary
factories from which trials and demonstrations may be conducted and where the manufacture
of the product occurs.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
(CEAA) requires that the Explosives Regulatory Division (ERD) conduct an
environmental assessment (EA) before a factory licence is issued (and in some cases amended) and prior to any irrevocable decision
being made. The EA provides a systematic approach for identifying the environmental effects of proposed projects.
An EA is normally triggered for the following reasons:
- a new factory licence and some new magazine licences,
- an amendment to an existing licence and, in some cases, where the level of emissions or effluents is increased or where new emissions or effluents are to be expected, or
- a change of location.
Site Decommissioning - A licence will not be allowed to lapse until ERD is satisfied that remediation/decommissioning
has been satisfactorily carried out. In the absence of stricter federal/provincial/territorial
requirements, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment criteria will apply. For further
information on environmental services contact the
Licensing and Compliance Group.
When developing a site for the manufacture of explosives,
you must follow guidelines cited in various standards developed by ERD. In the
case of factories for the manufacture of ammunition, propellants, rockets, fireworks
and packaged explosives, each has unique requirements and the factory fee structure
is scaled differently than those fees for bulk explosive factories. Please contact
the Licensing and Compliance Group
for the schedule of these fees.
In the case of bulk explosive facilities, the requirements
may be found in the Guideline for Bulk Explosive
Facilities. Appendix "D" sets out the minimum requirements for
a base factory site along with various other categories of certificates and
permissions for operations associated with bulk explosives. See the fee structure
below.
Temporary Factory Licence
Temporary factory sites are licensed factory sites that move with the construction of
roads, hydro lines or pipelines, or are of short duration, such as some construction
projects (e.g., air fields). Such sites must be supported by existing, licensed
base factories equipped to properly service the process vehicles that would
be located at the temporary site. A licence for a temporary factory is granted
when the company has provided evidence that the site is truly temporary in nature.
The licence will be renewed only for a maximum of two years. The fee structure
for a temporary factory site is the same as for a factory site.
Licensing fees for blasting explosive factories are based on the
number of process units, process vehicles, and the net weight of
explosives stored at the site. The minimum fee is $900 and the maximum
is $20 000.
Licence Fee:
- $180 per process unit, per process vehicle and per magazine.
Following are the forms and guidelines used for these types of licences issued
by ERD. They are available for download in .pdf format. Copies can also be obtained
from the Licensing and Compliance Group.
Forms Required |
1 |
Application For Explosives Manufacture and Annex |
G1 |
Guideline for Completion of Factory/Manufacturing Certificate Applications |
4 |
Plant, Buildings and Equipment |
5 |
Authorized Explosives Manufacture and Storage |
6 |
Authorized Operations and Processes |
7 |
Distances to be Maintained
Between the Buildings and Process Units of the Site(s) and Other Buildings and Works Outside the Site or Operations |
Magazine Licence
For the establishment of storage for sale or use of all explosives.
This type of licence is issued by the five regional offices located in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Varennes and Halifax.
There are two main types of licence issued (for a Vendor or User) and these are broken down as noted below. A vendor licence is required
to store for sale blasting explosives, propellants, fireworks and pyrotechnics when so required
by the Explosives Regulations. A user licence allows storage for use of explosives in different
circumstances (e.g., a zone user licence allows the licensee to move with operational requirements,
while a special user licence allows the licensee to share a magazine with others).
Perforating, Seismic, Heliportable and Track Drill relate either to oil exploration or production.
All fees are based on 12-month renewals. Electronic copies of noted forms are available in MS Word
format and can be obtained by contacting the regional office
nearest you or e-mail
canmet-erd@nrcan.gc.ca.