Regulatory Framework Plan: 2026 to 2029
Background
The CER is dedicated to implementing a Regulatory Framework that is clear and robust. To achieve this goal, we work with a broad range of stakeholders to continually improve our regulatory tools; review our regulatory stock to ensure regulations that are in force remain appropriate; and assess our regulatory documents, policies, and guidance products to ensure they achieve their intended purpose.
The Regulatory Framework Plan (Plan) is a tool produced by the CER that supports planning and communication. The Plan describes which regulations, regulatory documents, policies and guidance products we intend to amend or develop over a three-year period, and sets out expected timelines for each.
The Plan is updated every year through a review process that is informed by:
- strategic priorities that focus how we do our work and prioritize change;
- evaluation of performance data from across the CER’s regulatory programs;
- input from stakeholders and Indigenous Peoples provided during the CER’s engagement activities and participation in regulatory proceedings; and
- learnings from other jurisdictions and regulators within Canada and abroad.
Only those initiatives that are established with formal project plans and clear deliverables for the Regulatory Framework are included in the Plan, year to year. We anticipate additional Plan projects will be added in future years, as we advance our work to:
- foster the trust and confidence of Canadians;
- advance Reconciliation and implement the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesFootnote 1 ;
- enhance Canada’s global competitiveness through regulatory excellence; and
- prepare for the future and inform the energy transition.
Advisories generally do not appear in the Plan. View all Safety and Information Advisories.
The Plan was first published in 2021, for a comprehensive list of projects previously featured view Regulatory Framework Improvements.
Regulations
Development of Regulations
Regulations are laws made in support of acts. The Governor in Council, Cabinet Ministers and administrative tribunals like the CER are given authority to make regulations through legislation passed by Parliament. See a list of our acts and regulations.
In accordance with the Cabinet Directive on Regulations, the development of regulations in Canada generally involves:
- developing policy intent to inform the drafting of the regulations
- drafting regulations
- pre-publication in Canada Gazette, Part I
- public comment period on draft regulations
- publication in Canada Gazette, Part II
The Plan includes a number of projects that involve review, improvement and development of CER regulations with aims to address legal issues, enhance regulatory outcomes, and make our existing regulatory stock current.
| Project | Type | Plan | Stage | Estimated Completion | Objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Export and Import Regulatory Framework | Administrative Update | FRP RTR |
Preparing Final Publication | December 2026 | To align with current legislation, simplify and streamline the regulations by replacing outdated or unnecessary requirements. |
| Onshore Pipeline Regulations | Comprehensive Review | FRP RTR |
Regulatory Proposal | 2028/29 Fiscal Year |
To align with current legislation, support the highest level of safety, security and environmental protection, advance Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, encourage innovation, and improve efficiency, clarity and transparency of regulatory requirements. |
| Rules of Practice and Procedure | Comprehensive Review (Made by the Commission) |
FRP RTR |
Drafting | February 2027 | To align with current legislation, and to modernize practices, processes and terminology. |
| Cost Recovery Regulations | Comprehensive Review | FRP RSRP |
Policy Analysis | 2029/30 Fiscal Year | To align with current legislation and develop a cost recovery framework that aims to make cost allocations fair, simple in their administration, predictable and flexible. |
| Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations | Comprehensive Review | RSRP | Policy Analysis | 2028/29 Fiscal Year | To align with current legislation, and to modernize and strengthen the CER’s enforcement framework. |
| Designated Companies Cost Recovery Regulations | Develop New Regulations | RSRP | Paused | No estimate | To recover costs, expenses and damages associated with a pipeline release when a company has been “designated” by the Governor in Council (GIC). Will be developed in future years, after the Cost Recovery Regulations are finalized. |
Plans:
- Regulatory Stock Review Plan (RSRP) identifies existing regulations that will undergo a routine review in the near future
- Forward Regulatory Plan (FRP) confirms intentions to amend existing or develop new regulations within the next two years
- Regulatory Red Tape Review (RTR) is a Government of Canada’s initiative to reduce regulatory red tape, including complicated or outdated processes, unnecessary, duplicative, or overly burdensome rules, or inefficient or unpredictable regulatory administration or service delivery. See CER actions in the Red Tape Review Report.
Development of regulations led by Natural Resources Canada
There are several regulations made by the GIC under the CER Act or the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act (COGOA) that are being developed by Natural Resources Canada. For further details, including contact information, see that department’s Forward Regulatory Plan.
The CER actively participates in the development of these regulations.
Guidance
We produce guidance materials for varied audiences, published in different formats, covering many topics related to the work of the CER but all serve the same essential functions to help people understand how we regulate and guide the actions of those who must comply with our requirements or processes. See a list of our guidance.
Filing Manuals and Supplemental Filing Guidance
The filing manuals help applicants and interested parties understand what to include in an application to the Commission. The CER has a Filing Manual which details filings for pipelines and an Electricity Filing Manual which details filings for electrical power lines. While it is ultimately the responsibility of the applicant to follow applicable legislation and regulations, these manuals have been developed to provide guidance about the information we expect to see addressed in an application to the Commission.
Regulatory Guidance
Guidance products developed to help regulated companies, Indigenous Peoples, interested parties, and the general public understand our requirements and to promote compliance. We produce regulatory guidance to explain our expectations, give a window into how we apply the law when we carry out our functions, and share how we respond when expectations are not met and how enforcement works.
We adopt an approach of continual improvement to ensure the quality of guidance materials. Reviews and updates occur in stages, on a periodic basis. The Plan includes projects that involve review, improvement and development of CER guidance.
| Project | Type | Plans | Stage | Estimated Completion | Objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Oversight Guidance | Develop New Regulatory Guidance | Implementation | October 2026 | To provide clarity on CER expectations concerning regulated companies’ obligations to ensure contractor/sub-contractor oversight. | |
Filing Manual, Guide A2: Facilities – Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment and Guide A4: Facilities – Lands Information Electricity Filing Manual, Chapter 6: Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment |
Technical Update of Filing Guidance | Drafting | November 2026 | To help avoid need for additional information requests, project conditions, and lack of process clarity. Will address biophysical (e.g., land aspects such as plants and animals) and human socio-economic aspects to be considered over the life of the project. | |
Filing Manual, Chapter 3, Section 4: Engagement and Guide L - Early Engagement Guide |
Technical Updates to Filing Guidance | Drafting | November 2026 | To reflect a depth of consultation approach in associated engagement expectations and information required for Project Notifications.d To align wording regarding the justification for not undertaking engagement with that of the Streamlining Order and Decommissioning Exemption Order for Negligible-Risk Projects. |
|
| Remediation Process Guide | Technical Update of Regulatory Guidance | Engagement | October 2026 | To clarify terminology, improve explanations, incorporate remediation process advancements, reference other updated guidance, incorporate best practices, and modernize the look of materials. |
Enterprise Improvements
The CER is committed to continual improvement and consistently strives to modernize and implement regulatory efficiencies. Enterprise improvement projects may result in changes to internal systems and/or processes in support of effective regulatory activity.
The Plan includes projects that involve review, improvement and development of enterprise improvements.
| Project | Type | Plan | Stage | Estimated Completion | Objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CER Portal Project | Digital Improvement | RTR | Phased Implementation | 2029/30 Fiscal Year |
To create a single-window digital platform that consolidates multiple systems and information sources for people and companies to manage all aspects of their regulatory activities in one place. |
| Regulatory Asset Data (RAD) Project | Data Improvement | Phased Implementation | September 2027 | To develop a solution with regulated companies to acquire digital geospatial and physical asset information in a more systematic and streamlined way. |
Plans:
- The Regulatory Red Tape Review (RTR) is a Government of Canada’s initiative to reduce regulatory red tape, including complicated or outdated processes, unnecessary, duplicative or overly burdensome rules, or inefficient or unpredictable regulatory administration or service delivery. See the details of CER actions in the Red Tape Review Report.
Contact Us
The CER is committed to ensuring that our work, and the decisions we make are informed by diverse input from people across Canada. We encourage those who may be impacted by our decisions and work to get involved.
We are committed to meaningful and transparent engagement with stakeholders, Indigenous Peoples, and the public. Engagement occurs at numerous stages in the process of regulatory development, whether developing regulations or drafting guidance materials.
To obtain up to date details of engagement opportunities:
- consult the CER Consultation and Engagement activities webpages;
- consult CER Dialogue for individual project pages as available;
- subscribe to the CER RSS – Regulatory Improvements feed to receive notifications;
- reach out to CER contacts directly;
- inquire at regulatory.framework@cer-rec.gc.ca; or
- reach-out through Contact Us.
| Project | Type | General Inbox | CER Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administration of Monetary Penalties Regulations | Regulations | regulatory.framewework@cer-rec.gc.ca | Andrea Boras Regulatory Policy, System Operations (403) 837-5376 andrea.boras@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| Contractor Oversight by CER-Regulated Companies | Guidance | Contractor.Oversight.Guidance@cer-rec.gc.ca | Tess Evenson Research and Innovation, System Operations (403) 836-6693 tess.evenson@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| Cost Recovery Regulations | Regulations | costrecoveryregulations@cer-rec.gc.ca | Rumu Sen Regulatory Policy, System Operations (403) 390-6177 rumu.sen@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| CER Portal Project | Enterprise | Info@cer-rec.gc.ca | Blair Reilly Facilities Adjudication, WEST (403) 478 - 4259 blair.reilly@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| Export and Import Regulatory Framework | Regulations | EIRF@cer-rec.gc.ca | Jenni Low Regulatory Policy, System Operations (403) 607-3857 jenni.low@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| Filing Manual, Guide A and L | Guidance | filingmanual@cer-rec.gc.ca | Erin Tabah Facilities Adjudication, EAST (403) 390-2571 erin.tabah@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| Onshore Pipeline Regulations | Regulations | opr-rpt@cer-rec.gc.ca | Elliot McLauchlan Regulatory Policy, System Operations (403) 561-7435 elliot.mclauchlan@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| Regulatory Asset Data Project | Enterprise | Info@cer-rec.gc.ca | Carson Bannon Research and Innovation, System Operations (403) 837-9213 carson.bannon@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| Remediation Process Guide | Guidance | rpg-gpa_review@cer-rec.gc.ca | Adele Houston Field Operations, Environmental Protection (403) 829-1993 adele.houston@cer-rec.gc.ca |
| Rules of Practice and Procedure | Regulations | RPPR@cer-rec.gc.ca | Rumu Sen Regulatory Policy, System Operations (403) 390-6177 rumu.sen@cer-rec.gc.ca |
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