GEN-01—Measurement Canada bulletins

The copy of this document located on Measurement Canada's website is considered to be the controlled copy.

Category: General
Bulletin: GEN-01 (rev. 4)
Issue Date: 2006-07-20
Effective Date: 2006-10-01
Supersedes: GEN-01 (rev. 3)


Table of contents


1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this bulletin is to describe the system used for issuing bulletins.

2.0 Scope

The scope of this bulletin is to encompass all external bulletins issued by Measurement Canada with the exception of the Information bulletins.

3.0 Responsibility for issuing bulletins

3.1 The President of Measurement Canada will issue bulletins that involve matters for which authority has not been delegated below the position of President, Measurement Canada.

3.2 The Vice-President of Innovative Services Directorate (ISD) or Program Development Directorate (PDD) will issue bulletins that are of a general nature within their area of responsibility and/or that cover more than one measurement discipline.

3.3 Managers of the Utility Metering Division (UMD) or the Weighing and Measuring Division (WMD), as well as Program Officers in PDD and ISD, will issue bulletins that are applicable to subjects within their areas of responsibility. Senior Engineers may issue bulletins applicable to their areas of responsibility, with the approval of the Manager of UMD or WMD.

4.0 Bulletins are used to communicate:

4.1 Policies with respect to the administration and the application of legal requirements and to ensure compliance with the Weights and Measures Act, its Regulations and related Specifications; the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act, its Regulations and related Specifications; and various programs for authorized service providers.

4.2 Rulings and interpretations related to specific sections of the legislation administered and enforced by Measurement Canada.

5.0 Bulletins are not used to:

5.1 Provide field inspection procedures, laboratory test procedures or calibration procedures;

5.2 Provide instructions on the use of internal computer applications STARS (PICASSO), AIMS (SIGA) or CATS (SGAE), or instructions for forms completion;

5.3 Communicate finance or personnel related instructions or directives.

6.0 Consultation and implementation

Prior to being issued, bulletins are to go through appropriate internal consultation and, where necessary, external consultation. Once issued, they are to be implemented on the specified effective date.

7.0 Identification codes for bulletins

Each bulletin will bear a unique identification code of the form GEN for general matters; A for programs for authorized service providers matters; Cfor commodity inspection related matters; E for electricity measurement related matters; G for gas measurement related matters; M for mass measurement related matters; S for statistics related matters; and for matters related to liquid volume measurement.

7.1 When a bulletin is applicable to more than one category, the bulletin will be included in the General (GEN) section.

8.0 Explanation of bulletin format

8.1 Heading

Category:

Refers to the various measurement disciplines within Measurement Canada: General, Programs for authorized service providers, Commodity, Electricity, Gas, Mass and Volume.

Bulletin:

Refers to the bulletin number. The identification system is alphanumeric and sequential within a category. Bulletins that belong to the General category will be numbered as GEN-01, GEN-02, etc.; the same being applicable to the other categories: Programs for authorized service providers, A-01, A-02; Commodity, C-01, C-02; Electricity, E-01, E-02; Gas, G-01, G-02; Mass, M-01, M-02; Statistics, S-01, S-02; and Volume as V-01, V-02.

The number of a revoked or withdrawn bulletin is not to be reused for a period of 2 years from the date of the withdrawal.

Issue Date:

The date the bulletin was issued.

Effective Date:

The date on which the bulletin will be implemented.

Document(s):

Indicates which particular section(s) or part(s) of the Acts, Regulations, Specifications or Trade Sector Review accepted recommendations the bulletin refers to.

Supersedes:

The bulletin number that the bulletin replaces.

8.2 Sections

Purpose:

Indicates the aim of the bulletin.

Scope:

If applicable, provides the area encompassed by the bulletin.

Authority:

If applicable, clarifies the Acts, Regulations or Specifications authority specified in the Documents(s) section of the heading. Can also include the Trade Sector Review accepted recommendations.

Terminology:

If applicable, clarifies any specific language used in the bulletin.

Background:

Explains the context relating to the policy.

Policy:

States the policy that Measurement Canada intends to apply.

Revision:

When the bulletin is a revision to a previously issued bulletin, this section will indicate the reasons for revising the bulletin.

9.0 Revision

Effective date of the initial version of this bulletin: 1994-05-01.

9.1 The purpose of revision 1 (1998-09-24) was to:

  1. provide the authority and delineate the responsibility for issuing bulletins (section 3);
  2. ensure that adequate consultation is part of the bulletin development process (section 6); and
  3. make minor changes to the text.

9.2 The purpose of revision 2 (2004-01-08) was to:

  1. indicate the Vice-Presidents and Managers responsible for issuing bulletins (section 3);
  2. indicate when a bulletin number can be used again, following the withdrawal of a bulletin (section 8.1);
  3. introduce the designation of "programs for authorized service providers" and bulletins related to statistics; and
  4. make minor changes to the text.

9.3 The purpose of revision 3 (2005-06-10) was to:

  1. eliminate the section related to the bulletin distribution;
  2. insert effective date of previous versions; and
  3. make minor changes to the text and to the presentation of the bulletin.

9.4 The purpose of revision 4 is to indicate that Senior Engineers may sign a bulletin related to their areas of responsibility, when approved by the Manager of UMD or the Manager of WMD.