Photos courtesy Square D Integrated Power and Control Solutions and CSA

The new Canadian Electrical (CE) Code will have far-reaching effects on manufacturers, designers, builders, engineers, and contractors.

In January 2009, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is publishing the 21^st edition of the Canadian Electrical (CE) Code Part I, addressing safety, shock, and fire hazards for the nation's electrical products. (The code also includes Part II, a series of standards for the construction, testing, and making of electrical equipment.)

Updated to address changing technology and operating conditions, the CE Code serves as the model basis for mandatory wiring regulations across the country. The 2009 edition marks its move from a four- to three-year production cycle, similar to the United States' National Electrical Code (NEC).

The major changes include:
• requirements for tamper-resistant receptacles in dwellings;
• new section on passenger ropeways (e.g. ski lifts) and similar equipment;
• new bonding requirements for swimming pools;
• new requirements for additional seals where electrical equipment is mechanically connected to piping containing flammable liquids or gases;
• consolidation of equipment requirements for Class I Zone 2 hazardous locations;
• recognition of new cable types (e.g. under-carpet communications and cross-connect wires and cables);
• updates to recognize electronic overload technology and motors installed in hazardous locations;
• recognition of plug-in combination kitchen microwave/range hoods;
• specification of requirements for connection of non-mandatory equipment to emergency power supplies; and
• requirements for electrically connected carbon monoxide alarms.

For more information, visit www.csa.ca/standards/electrical.