TORONTO — The province of Québec is enforcing changes to the plumbing code that will require drinking water treatment equipment to be certified or approved, according to a July 10 Canadian Water Quality Association (CWQA) announcement.

The Montréal-based Régie du bâtiment du Québec, which oversees and enforces the provincial Building Code and Safety Code, is upholding its October 2 deadline on the sale of uncertified products. The changes have been in development since last year.

Effective October 2, it will be illegal to sell or lease uncertified materials, appliances or equipment to be used in a plumbing installation. It also will be illegal as of that date to sell or lease uncertified or unapproved drinking water treatment equipment.

Both regulatory changes, as well as other changes to the Chapter Plumbing Code of construction, were finalized July 1, the CWQA said.

CWQA, via the Plumbing Industry Advisory Committee, has sent feedback to the Régie du bâtiment du Québec to adjust the enforcement dates of the regulations to allow members to clear their shelves of product in preparation for the changes and to allow the Canada Standards Association (CSA) B483’s testing and certification process to come into effect. To date, CSA has not announced the certification program — it is in the final stages of development.

According to the CWQA, the October 2 deadline was decided upon without the feedback of the industry in this latest revision to the codes.