Enforcement of Mandatory Inspections for Weighing and Measuring Devices

Changes to the Weights and Measures Act and Regulations came into effect on August 1, 2014. The changes require that owners have their scales, gas pumps and other measuring devices inspected by a Measurement Canada authorized service provider (ASP) within a prescribed mandatory inspection frequency in eight sectors: dairy, downstream petroleum, fishing, forestry, grain and field crops, mining, retail food, and retail petroleum. For more information

Guidelines for propane scales used for cylinder refilling (for ASPs only)

Propane scales at some retail petroleum establishments are being used to refill propane cylinders for a flat rate or for filling propane cylinders used in cylinder exchange programs.

Propane scales used exclusively to refill propane cylinders for a flat fee are considered as not being used in trade since the amount of propane added is not declared and has no bearing on the price paid. Therefore, these devices would not require approval, initial examination, or mandatory periodic examinations and should be marked “Not for Use in Trade” or “Not Legal for Trade”.

Propane scales used exclusively to refill propane cylinders used in cylinder exchange programs are exempt under subsection 4(2) of the Weights and Measures Regulations from section 8 and subsection 15(1) of the Weights and Measures Act.

Therefore, these scales do not require approval, initial examination, or mandatory periodic examinations and should be marked “For Prepackaging Use Only” in accordance with subsection 23(2) of the Weights and Measures Regulations.

If these scales are also used at the time of sale to weigh propane or any other commodity that is sold by weight, then the exemption does not apply and the scale must be approved, initially examined and examined at the prescribed intervals.