History

Operating for over 35 years, Emergency Response Assistance Canada (ERAC) was created to provide a safe, effective emergency response program across Canada.

1979	A train derailment occurs in Mississauga, Ontario carrying chlorine, butane, propane, toluene and styrene, among other products. 250,000 people are evacuated. The Grange Commission inquiry leads to the first Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Act.
1980	The first Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Act is passed by Parliament.
1985	First full set of TDG regulations come into force.
March 1986	The Propane Gas Association of Canada, now the Canadian Propane Association (CPA), forms LPG Assistance Corp. in cooperation with LPG Mutual Aid Plan (LPG-MAP) as a non-funded mutual aid program.
June 1992	The TDG Act receives Royal Assent, replacing the 1980 version.
1996	The propane industry and the federal government conduct a gap analysis of emergency response capabilities in Canada and identify a need to make the network more robust.
July 1997	In response to concerns by the propane industry and the federal government, the funded, not-for-profit LPG Emergency Response Corp. (LPGERC) is formed after discussion between LPG Assistance Corp. and the LPG-MAP.
July 2013	The Lac-Mégantic rail disaster occurs when an unattended 74-car freight train carrying crude oil rolls down a hill and derails downtown, resulting in the fire and explosion of multiple tank cars and killing 47 people.
April 2014	Protective Direction 33 is announced, which directs every person who offers for transport or imports certain flammable liquids by rail to have an Emergency Response Assistance Plan (ERAP) approved as set out in section 7 of the TDG Act. The Minister of Transport announces the creation of the Task Force under the TDG Directorate to work on strengthening emergency response capacity across the country.
May 2014	The LPGERC Board of Directors approves a new flammable liquids division because of Protective Direction 33.
May/June 2014	LPGERC develops an ERAP for flammable liquids and other supporting documentation with assistance from a working group. The flammable liquids division of LPGERC is created with funding from the ten founding Plan Participant members.
September 2014	New regulations pertaining to section 7 of the TDG Act take place.
October 2014	Due to the change in services, the LPGERC and CPA Board of Directors approve a change to the business operating name from LPGERC to Emergency Response Assistance Canada (ERAC).
October 2015	As the flammable liquids by rail ERAP requires addressing fire suppression support activities, to support its Plan Participant members ERAC places four fire suppression trailers across Canada in Parkland County, AB, Prince George, BC, Saint John, NB and Levi, QC.
May 2016	Two additional fire suppression trailers are placed in Regina, SK and Capreol, ON.
May/June 2016	The ERAC and CPA Board of Directors approve ERAC providing training (LPG firefighting training to fire departments across Canada, ICS 100,200 and 300 and Plan Participant Readiness and Review program), coverage for other dangerous goods requiring ERAPs (e.g., ammonia, LNG and CNG), and emergency preparedness (environmental emergency (E2) plans, drills and exercises, and emergency response plans).
September/ October 2016	The ERAC and CPA Board of Directors approve ERAC providing dangerous good coverage for the top 10 commodities shipped that do not require an ERAP (fuel oil, LPG, anhydrous ammonia, gasoline, petroleum crude oil, sulphuric acid, corrosive liquid, sodium hydroxide solution, flammable liquids, and paints and paint related material).
July 2017	A flammable liquids equipment cache is placed in Roxton Falls, QC.
June 2018	An LPG equipment cache is placed in Roxton Falls, QC.
December 2018	A flammable liquids and an LPG equipment cache are placed in Calgary, AB.
January 2019	An LPG response team is trained and equipped with an ERAC-owned equipment cache in Prince George, BC and a fire suppression trailer placed in Castlegar, BC.
April 2019	ERAC, in cooperation with NOVA Chemicals, makes network upgrades on butadiene capabilities from Alberta to Quebec.
June 2019	Changes to Part 7 TDG ERAP Regulations, released by Transport Canada, come into force (SOR/2001-286).
August 2019	Changes to the Environmental Emergency Regulations, released by Environment and Climate Change Canada, come into force.
November 2019	ERAC’s ArcGIS Resource Locator and Incident Dashboard is officially launched.
December 2019	ERAC updates and submits flammable liquids and LPG ERAPs to Transport Canada that meet the new regulatory requirements and potential incident analysis scenarios; the ERAPs are approved.
February 2020	ERAC, in support of COVID-19 efforts, provides ERAP services to distilleries and breweries for manufacturing of hand sanitizer.
March 2020	After the nine-month implementation period, the June 2019 changes to the TDG Regulations became enforceable.
March 2020	Near Prince George, BC, ERAC technical advisors coordinate the first LPG tank car hot tap in Canada.
September 2020	An LPG transfer trailer is placed at the AltaGas terminal at Ridley Island (Prince Rupert), BC.
March 2021	New by-laws and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) are agreed to by the LPGERC and CPA Boards of Directors.
June 2021	Launch of ERAC’s Plan Participant Portal (documents, Resource Locator and Incident Dashboard).
October/November 2022	The ERAC and CPA Boards of Directors approve ERAC providing ERAPable dangerous goods coverage for hydrogen.