Reports on Compliance and Enforcement

Below are searchable tables of reports on the work we do to check that companies are meeting requirements and the work we are doing to enforce those requirements. We take great care in making sure we enforce requirements in a manner that is fair predictable, consistent, timely, and transparent. Learn more about compliance and enforcement at the CER, our Enforcement Policy, and the tools available to enforce requirements.



Compliance verification activity reports

We go out in the field regularly to follow up with companies and to check that our regulations are being met. These regulations are there to protect people, property, and the environment. These reports are produced from field inspections and emergency response exercises that we do with companies. We’ll list whether we’ve issued a corrected non-compliance or a notice of non-compliance to a company in these reports.

  • Corrected non-compliance (CNC): This is issued for a noncompliance corrected during an inspection activity. The non-compliance must be addressed to the satisfaction of the inspection officer before the officer completes the site inspection (before the close out meeting.
  • Notice of non-compliance (NNC): If a company needs more time to address a noncompliance, the inspection officer issues what we call a notice of non-compliance.
Warning letters

We use warning letters in two ways: to let others know that a non-compliance still hasn’t been addressed and as a reminder about what may happen if the non-compliance happens again.

  • A reminder: Sometimes we may need to let others know that a non-compliance is not being addressed. This helps us generate the action necessary to help a company return to compliance. Warning letters can be sent to senior company officials or third parties.
  • A warning: We may also want to remind a company about how serious a non-compliance is, or was if they’ve already addressed it. The letter will warn of other enforcement action we may take if it happens again.

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Inspection officer orders

An order issued by an inspection officer is a tool we may use to ensure company takes prompt action. A breach of an inspection officer order is a punishable offence and could mean fines, imprisonment, or both.

We may require a company to:

  • immediately suspend work
  • stop (cease) the operation or activity
  • complete special measures or terms

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Commission orders and directions

If we’re having trouble bringing a company into compliance with other tools or we need to address a specific safety or environmental concern, we may issue an order or letter of direction from the Commission. They can be issued at any time and may contain measures a company must take to address issues or non-compliances. A breach of a commission order or direction is a punishable offence and could mean fines, imprisonment, or both.

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Audit reports

Once we finish an audit of a company we regulate, we publish a report and a letter closing the audit. We expect all companies to consider and review the findings in these reports and use them to improve their management systems.

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Administrative monetary penalties

Both companies and individuals can get fined for actions that are unsafe. It’s important that we take action to prevent harm and help stop something that could be dangerous from happening again.

We may fine a company or individual if:

  • serious harm has been caused or is likely to happen
  • the nature and severity of the non-compliance is significant
  • we need to escalate to a higher level of enforcement
  • we need to change behavior to prevent an issue from happening again

Maximum daily penalty per violation: We have a limit on how much a penalty for each violation can be each day. For individuals: $25,000.00. For companies: $100,000.00.

When a violation continues: A violation is considered a separate violation for each day that it continues. This means we issue separate penalties per violation, per day with no maximum total financial penalty.

No total limit: There is no total limit to how much an individual or company can be fined for a single violation. Only a daily maximum for each violation.

Find out more on how we calculate administrative penalties and about our process in the Administrative Monetary Penalties Process Guide, the Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations (Canadian Energy Regulator), and the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations.

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For companies, you’ll see the name of the company, the date we issued the penalty, where and for what facility, the violation, and how much. We protect privacy and do not release the names of individuals.

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