Health Canada – Corded Window Coverings Regulations

The following is provided by the Consumer and Hazardous Products Safety Directorate.

Notice to Stakeholders – Corded Window Coverings Regulations (CWCR)

Requirements under the CWCR serve an important purpose to help eliminate the strangulation hazard associated with corded window coverings and help protect the health and safety of children.

More specifically, the CWCR seek to address the root cause of the pathway to injury or death by strangulation by restricting the length of reachable cords and the size of loops that can be created by a cord.

The Government of Canada is aware that the COVID-19 pandemic, and the measures that governments across Canada have implemented to manage it, have had an impact on the normal operations of Canadian businesses.

The CWCR comes into force on May 1, 2021. Health Canada expects industry to continue to make best efforts to comply with these upcoming Regulations despite the circumstances, and is not delaying the coming-into-force date.

Health Canada plans to take the following approach to compliance and enforcement regarding the new CWCR requirements:

From May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2022, Health Canada intends to prioritize promoting awareness of and compliance with the CWCR. We will also be monitoring progress towards compliance; and

Beginning on May 1, 2022, Health Canada intends to increase its compliance monitoring activities and take appropriate enforcement action, where necessary, to address identified instances of non-compliance to the CWCR.