TDG Spill Reporting: Who to Call, the Thresholds, and the 30-Day Report

A drum tips. A valve drips. A tank car cracks. Canadian law gives you a precise sequence of phone calls and one written report. Here is the whole chain, with the exact thresholds that trigger each step.

What counts as a release or anticipated release

Under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992, a release covers any escape of dangerous goods from their container during handling or transport, including leaks, spills, emissions, and explosions. The law also covers the near miss: an anticipated release. Transport Canada's reporting guide explains that an anticipated release includes situations where a container is damaged badly enough that its integrity is compromised, where the goods will likely have to be transferred to another container, or where a container is lost in navigable waters.

In other words, you do not wait for liquid on the ground. A crushed tote that has not dripped a drop yet can already be reportable. But reportable to whom, and starting at what quantity? That is where the threshold table takes over.

The reporting thresholds, class by class

Section 8.2 sets one table that decides whether the first phone call is mandatory. The test is whether the dangerous goods released, or that could be released, are in excess of these quantities:

Read that table the way an inspector would. Gases, infectious substances, and the most dangerous packing groups have no floor at all: any quantity counts. The 30 L or 30 kg cushion exists only for the lower-risk groups. Not sure which class your product sits in? Our guide to the 9 classes of dangerous goods sorts them all out.

Now for the part most workers get wrong: the first call does not go to CANUTEC.

Call one: the emergency report

The first report goes to the people who can actually get to the scene.

Local authority means the emergency responders for that spot on the map, which in most of Canada starts with 911. The duty falls on the person who has charge, management, or control of the container at that moment, usually the driver, the train crew, or the shipmaster.

Section 8.3 lists what the emergency report must include: your name and contact information, the date, time, and location of the release or of the incident that led to an anticipated release, the mode of transport, the shipping name or UN number, the quantity in the container before the incident, the estimated quantity released, and, if applicable, the type of incident, such as a collision, roll-over, derailment, overfill, fire, explosion, or load-shift.

That information sits on the shipping document in the cab, which is exactly why the regulations keep it within reach of the driver. One call made. When is a second call required? Only when the incident bites hard.

Call two: CANUTEC and the consignor

Section 8.4 adds a second telephone report after the emergency report, but only if the incident caused serious consequences: a death, an injury needing immediate medical treatment by a health care provider, an evacuation or shelter in place, or the closure of a loading facility, road, main railway line, or main waterway. Two container conditions also require a report, even without those outcomes: a means of containment damaged to the point that its integrity is compromised, or a tank car with a broken centre sill or stub sill, or a crack in the metal of 15 cm or more.

Section 8.5 expands the information list from the emergency report: everything from Section 8.3, plus any road, rail line, or waterway closed; a description of the container; the number of people evacuated or sheltered in place; and any deaths or injuries treated by a health care provider.

Both of those reports happen by phone in the first hours. The paperwork comes later, and it has its own deadline.

The written 30-day follow-up report

Section 8.7 makes this the most detailed document in the whole chain. On top of the incident basics, it asks for the names of the consignor, consignee, and carrier, the classification of the goods, a description of any container failure, the events leading to the incident, whether there was an explosion or fire, how long each facility, road, rail line, or waterway stayed closed, how long any evacuation lasted, the ERAP reference number if one applied, and an estimate of the financial loss, emergency response costs, and remediation costs. Transport Canada provides form TP16-0086.

Then the file stays open. Section 8.8 adds three duties: notify the Minister of changes to key details within one year, keep a copy of the report for two years, and produce it for an inspector within 15 days of a written request.

Spills are only one branch of Part 8. What happens when nothing spilled, but a pallet of dangerous goods is not there anymore?

Lost, stolen, or tampered dangerous goods

This is a security rule, so it does not cover every product. Section 8.16(2) sets three tiers. First, any quantity of 19 specifically named substances with explosive potential, including UN1942 ammonium nitrate, potassium and sodium chlorates and nitrates, nitric acid, nitromethane, and strong hydrogen peroxide solutions. Second, any quantity of goods in the highest-risk classes: Class 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, Class 2.3 toxic gases, temperature-controlled Type B organic peroxides, Class 6.1 Packing Group I, Class 6.2 infectious substances, and Class 7 radioactive materials. Third, 450 kg or more for a wider band that includes most other explosives, Class 2.1 flammable gases, Class 3 flammable liquids, desensitized explosives, Packing Group I or II pyrophoric substances, and Packing Group I or II goods in Classes 4.3, 5.1, and 8.

The calls go to CANUTEC, plus a Natural Resources Canada inspector at 613-995-5555 for explosives and the listed high-risk substances, plus the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for Class 7. Section 8.17 lists the report contents, and Section 8.16(4) adds a detail people forget: if the goods turn up later, you must notify the same people again.

Tampering has its own twin rule. Section 8.18 requires the person in charge of the goods to report any unlawful interference by telephone, as soon as possible after discovering it, to the same list of recipients. Section 8.19 requires a detailed description of the interference, the goods, the containers, and where and when it happened.

One more branch remains, and it has the highest stakes: shipments that carry an emergency response plan.

ERAP incidents: the extra phone call

Some dangerous goods are so hazardous that they cannot move without an approved Emergency Response Assistance Plan, a pre-arranged team with specialized equipment. When those goods are involved in a release or anticipated release, Part 8 adds a dedicated report.

The threshold table under Section 8.20 is short and strict: any quantity for Classes 1 through 6 and Class 8, and the same radiation level test as Section 8.2 for Class 7. The number you call is printed on the shipping document itself, which is one more reason that document rides in the cab. Section 8.21 lists the report contents, including whether the container's integrity could be compromised and whether a transfer to another container is expected.

When the plan holder activates the response, a final report closes the loop.

Tier 1 means remote support: technical advice and monitoring from a distance. Tier 2 means the plan holder also sends emergency response resources to the scene. Section 8.23 lists what the implementation report covers, including which tier was activated and what measures were taken.

"Part 8 is really four phone calls and one piece of paper. Local responders first, CANUTEC and the consignor when it gets serious, the security line when goods go missing, the ERAP number for the worst cargo, and a written report inside 30 days. Learn the order and the panic disappears."

Samira AliCertified Public Health Inspector, 10+ years across Canada and the U.S.

Air shipments follow different rules now

Until 2026, air reporting lived in Part 8 alongside everything else. That changed. The June 17, 2026 amendments (SOR/2026-112) repealed sections 8.9 through 8.15.2 and moved all air reporting into Part 12, where sections 12.22 through 12.27 now cover dangerous goods accident and incident reports, the air 30-day follow-up, undeclared and misdeclared dangerous goods, occurrence reports, security reports, and ERAP reports, all aligned with the ICAO Technical Instructions. If your operation touches air cargo, that is the part of the regulations to study, and any older guide that cites Section 8.9 or 8.14 for air is out of date.

For everyone on the road, rail, or water, Part 8, as covered above, is the complete playbook.

The short version

• Know your threshold. Any quantity for gases, infectious substances, and Packing Group I or II goods. 30 L or 30 kg for Packing Group III and most Class 9.
• Call local responders first. The Section 8.2 emergency report goes to the local authority at the scene, not to Ottawa.
• Serious consequences mean a second call. Death, treated injuries, evacuations, closures, or compromised containers trigger the Section 8.4 report to CANUTEC and the consignor.
• Paper follows within 30 days. A written follow-up report goes to the Minister, then stays on file for two years.
• Missing or tampered goods require security reports. Specific substances and thresholds apply under Sections 8.16 to 8.19, with CANUTEC always on the call list.
• ERAP cargo gets its own call to the number on the shipping document, plus an implementation report to CANUTEC when the plan activates.

Reporting is one of the topics Part 6 requires every certificate holder to be trained on, and it shows up on the exam for good reason: in a real incident, the person in charge of the goods is the one the law points at. Warehouse teams that handle these products indoors pair their TDG certificate with WHMIS training, and you can see how well you know the reporting chain right now with our free TDG practice test.

Regulations evolve. This guide reflects the federal Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations as consolidated to June 17, 2026, including the SOR/2026-112 amendments that moved air reporting to Part 12. Consignors, carriers, and drivers remain responsible for verifying their reporting duties against the current regulations before shipping.