Info Session on Proposed Updates to Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality – Haloacetic Acids

Health Canada is proposing updates to the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality for Haloacetic Acids (HAAs). First Nations are encouraged to attend a technical information session on these proposed changes, hosted by Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation (OFNTSC), and to submit any comments to Health Canada.

English session: February 4, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
French session: February 5, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Please share this invitation with the appropriate technical staff who support the delivery and oversight of your drinking water. Recommended participants include:

Water operators
Community-based water monitors
Public works and band managers
Engineers and technical advisors
Environmental public health officers
Circuit rider trainers

The draft guideline is available on Health Canada’s website: Draft Guideline

How to Register

To attend the English session, please register via Zoom.

How to Provide Comments

All formal comments on the proposed updates must be submitted to Health Canada by email at: water-consultations-eau@hc-sc.gc.ca. The deadline to submit comments is March 13, 2026.

Background

Health Canada works with provinces and territories, as well as other federal departments, to develop the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. Guidelines are periodically reviewed and updated based on new scientific information.

When a new or updated guideline is proposed, Health Canada publishes the draft technical document on its website for a 60-day public consultation period and invites written feedback. Comments are welcome on the proposed guideline, the approach used to develop it, and the potential challenges and costs of implementation.

OFNTSC, in collaboration with ISC and Health Canada, will host a virtual information session on the proposed updates to the Guideline for Canadian Drinking Water Quality - Haloacetic Acids (HAAs) to promote First Nations’ participation.

HAAs are a group of compounds that can form when the chlorine used to disinfect drinking water reacts with organic matter that is naturally present in water. The current guideline is for the sum of five specific HAAs and the revised guideline proposes to expand this to include a sixth HAA while maintaining a Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) of 80 ug/L based on an annual running average of at least quarterly samples.

The session will include:

Presentation by Health Canada (30 min): Outline of the public consultation process and technical overview of the proposed changes

Q&A (30 min): Opportunity to pose questions directly to Health Canada and ISC