Canada

Overview
Canada is a federal country with devolved powers from the Federal Government to the ten provinces and three territories that make up Canada.

Many of the powers relating to electrical safety are under the jurisdiction of each province or territory under their own electrical safety acts. In some provinces this is also regulated by the electrical utility provider. However many of the accreditations for third party agencies are carried out at a Federal level. The Standards Council of Canada is a Federal Crown Corporation that is the designated Canadian national organization responsible for accrediting testing and certification organizations for Canada.

Devices that are connected to a mains supply must be tested and certified by an organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada.

Made possible by the USA/Canada Free Trade Agreement, in November 1992, UL was accredited by the Standards Council of Canada as a testing organization (TO), certification organization (CO) and Registration Organization. The UL Mark for Canada, indicating certification to Canadian standards is officially accepted and recognized by the all of the provinces and territories of Canada, including the Federal Government.

Canadian Acceptance, Canadian Certification Services

UL is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada as a testing and certification organization and is authorized to test and certify products to Canadian National Standards. The C-UL Mark, UL’s Mark for Canada, is officially accepted in all Canadian provinces and territories. Clients can obtain the C-UL Mark for Canada and the UL Mark for the United States with one product submittal, providing the ultimate in efficiency and convenience to our clients who sell their products in both countries. In addition, UL’s affiliate, Underwriters’ Laboratories of Canada (ULC), located in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, evaluates products to Canadian requirements and offers the ULC Mark. This mark has achieved national recognition for many product categories, including building materials and fire protection and suppression products.

Listing Service - This is one of the most common UL Marks. If a product carries this Mark, it means UL found that samples of this product met UL’s safety requirements. These requirements are primarily based on UL’s own published Standards for Safety. This type of Mark is seen commonly on appliances and computer equipment, furnaces and heaters, fuses and electrical panel boards. The mark indicates compliance with both Canadian and U.S. requirements.

Recognition Service – These are marks consumers rarely see because they are specifically used on component parts that are part of a larger product or system. These components may have restrictions on their performance or may be incomplete in construction. The Component Recognition marking is found on a wide range of products, including some switches, power supplies, printed wiring boards, some kinds of industrial control equipment and thousands of other products. Products intended for Canada carry the Recognized Component mark "C."

UL Listing vs. Recognition. What is the difference?

Classification Service – This mark appears on products which UL has also evaluated. Products carrying this mark have been evaluated for specific properties, a limited range of hazards, or suitability for use under limited or special conditions. Typically, products Classified by UL fall into the general categories of building materials and industrial equipment.


Maintaining the Integrity of the Mark

A factory countercheck program or a field surveillance program is required by the Standards Council of Canada. All products authorized to use any of the Canadian UL Marks are covered by UL’s extensive Follow-Up Services program.

As part of the program, our inspectors monitor products that bear the UL Mark to make sure those products continue to be produced in accordance with specified safety requirements. This is completed through a series of on-site factory inspections. The frequency of these inspections is general four times per year, but this may vary depending on the type of the certification and the volume of production at a specific factory.

Depending on the certification type, labels may either be reproduced on behalf of UL or they must be ordered from UL’s Label Center.

UL Affiliates can assist you to enter into this market place.