Pixelated
Moderator - CPST Instructor
Nicole (QuassEE - writing skill is hers!) and I have a press release that has gone out to a few places...no response yet. You might want to distribute it locally, or if you have any media contacts, send it to them. If you want a doc or pdf copy of it, please email me at cvcarseattechs at gmail dot com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nicole Carlson and Jen Shapka, Children’s Restraint Systems Technicians
Tel: <removed>
E-mail: cvcarseattechs at gmail dot com
NON-COMPLIANT CHILD SAFETY PRODUCTS FOUND AT CANADIAN RETAILERS
Over three weeks after new law, products still available on shelves at major retailers
Canadians rely on legislation such as the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) to protect them from unsafe products being sold and distributed within our nation. Health Canada administers and enforces the CCPSA, which according to their website includes products such as “children’s toys, household products and sporting goods” but excludes products such as cars and car parts, food products and drugs. But when illegal, unsafe, and non-compliant items enter the marketplace it seems that ultimately it’s the consumer who must do their due diligence in ensuring that their purchases are legal, safe, and compliant. Recent events have left consumers questioning whether or not the CCPSA is effectively protecting Canadians.
On June 22 of last year, the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of Health Canada issued a letter to all retailers and distributors of child restraints in Canada, copying all manufacturers and importers, outlining the changes to compliance requirements for child restraints sold to the Canadian public in the new year. These changes to motor vehicle regulations were published in the Canada Gazette by Transport Canada over a year prior to Health Canada’s letter. Health Canada’s letter presumably should have served as a reminder to merchants that all stock must be compliant to Transport Canada’s new regulations as of the January 1, 2012, deadline.
While many retailers proactively discounted stock and eventually pulled non-complaint car seats from the shelves, other retailers have still failed to comply. Consumers and child passenger safety advocates have been finding illegal and non-compliant stock for sale at big box stores such as Sears Canada and Zellers, even well into January. You can walk into your local Sears Canada store and they will sell you non-compliant child restraints, with some staff and management completely unaware of any changes in compliance requirements. This is clearly a violation of the CCPSA, but without Health Canada enforcing retailer compliance, the Act amounts to nothing more than a polite suggestion. So this begs the question: is Health Canada really protecting Canadian consumers?
If pharmaceuticals were being distributed three weeks after a safety recall, consumers would be outraged. If salmonella tainted food products were still available for purchase weeks after the discovery of a problem, our nation would be up in arms. Should we be any less angered by CCPSA violations, especially where the safety of our nation’s children is concerned?
Canadian parents should not have to be CCPSA gurus or Children’s Restraint Systems Technicians in order to confidently purchase a child restraint from Canadian retailers. They should be ensured that the product they are purchasing is safe, legal, and compliant with current regulations. This is no longer the case. Without Health Canada intervention, it is likely that major Canadian retailers will continue to sell non-compliant stock to unsuspecting consumers...to unsuspecting parents!
Canadian parents and caregivers need to be able to trust that all products they are purchasing meet current safety standards. Health Canada’s lack of enforcement of the CCPSA not only means that Canadians can no longer shop with confidence, it may also mean that Canadian kids’ lives are at risk. This is not acceptable for our Canadian public, and Health Canada needs to become accountable for their lack of CCPSA enforcement before an innocent life is affected.
# # #
If you would like more information about this release, or to schedule an interview with its authors, please contact Nicole Carlson at <number removed>, Jen Shapka at <number removed> or email the authors at cvcarseattechs at gmail dot com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nicole Carlson and Jen Shapka, Children’s Restraint Systems Technicians
Tel: <removed>
E-mail: cvcarseattechs at gmail dot com
NON-COMPLIANT CHILD SAFETY PRODUCTS FOUND AT CANADIAN RETAILERS
Over three weeks after new law, products still available on shelves at major retailers
Canadians rely on legislation such as the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) to protect them from unsafe products being sold and distributed within our nation. Health Canada administers and enforces the CCPSA, which according to their website includes products such as “children’s toys, household products and sporting goods” but excludes products such as cars and car parts, food products and drugs. But when illegal, unsafe, and non-compliant items enter the marketplace it seems that ultimately it’s the consumer who must do their due diligence in ensuring that their purchases are legal, safe, and compliant. Recent events have left consumers questioning whether or not the CCPSA is effectively protecting Canadians.
On June 22 of last year, the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of Health Canada issued a letter to all retailers and distributors of child restraints in Canada, copying all manufacturers and importers, outlining the changes to compliance requirements for child restraints sold to the Canadian public in the new year. These changes to motor vehicle regulations were published in the Canada Gazette by Transport Canada over a year prior to Health Canada’s letter. Health Canada’s letter presumably should have served as a reminder to merchants that all stock must be compliant to Transport Canada’s new regulations as of the January 1, 2012, deadline.
While many retailers proactively discounted stock and eventually pulled non-complaint car seats from the shelves, other retailers have still failed to comply. Consumers and child passenger safety advocates have been finding illegal and non-compliant stock for sale at big box stores such as Sears Canada and Zellers, even well into January. You can walk into your local Sears Canada store and they will sell you non-compliant child restraints, with some staff and management completely unaware of any changes in compliance requirements. This is clearly a violation of the CCPSA, but without Health Canada enforcing retailer compliance, the Act amounts to nothing more than a polite suggestion. So this begs the question: is Health Canada really protecting Canadian consumers?
If pharmaceuticals were being distributed three weeks after a safety recall, consumers would be outraged. If salmonella tainted food products were still available for purchase weeks after the discovery of a problem, our nation would be up in arms. Should we be any less angered by CCPSA violations, especially where the safety of our nation’s children is concerned?
Canadian parents should not have to be CCPSA gurus or Children’s Restraint Systems Technicians in order to confidently purchase a child restraint from Canadian retailers. They should be ensured that the product they are purchasing is safe, legal, and compliant with current regulations. This is no longer the case. Without Health Canada intervention, it is likely that major Canadian retailers will continue to sell non-compliant stock to unsuspecting consumers...to unsuspecting parents!
Canadian parents and caregivers need to be able to trust that all products they are purchasing meet current safety standards. Health Canada’s lack of enforcement of the CCPSA not only means that Canadians can no longer shop with confidence, it may also mean that Canadian kids’ lives are at risk. This is not acceptable for our Canadian public, and Health Canada needs to become accountable for their lack of CCPSA enforcement before an innocent life is affected.
# # #
If you would like more information about this release, or to schedule an interview with its authors, please contact Nicole Carlson at <number removed>, Jen Shapka at <number removed> or email the authors at cvcarseattechs at gmail dot com
