FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2004-12-01

Export Alert! Celebrating 5 years of automated service to Exporters

OTTAWA – The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is pleased to announce that Export Alert! is celebrating a milestone 5 years of service to Exporters.

Since 1999, Export Alert! has been electronically keeping its subscribers abreast of regulatory changes and enabling them to avoid the surprise of new or changing trade-related measures in global markets. “The SCC is pleased to have provided our clients with this invaluable tool for the past 5 years” said Elva Nilsen, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade at the SCC. “We encourage our users to continue taking advantage of Export Alert! and the many benefits this service has to offer." 

Unexpected changes in rules and regulations that affect the treatment of imported goods can be costly and cause unwanted surprises for exporters.  Since regulations dictate many of the terms of market access, changes to technical requirements may introduce hurdles that can result in delays, or even prevent market entry. Export Alert! offers advance warning to subscribers of pending changes to trade-related regulations.  It also provides them with the unique opportunity to input into the proposed measures that affect their trading activities – and even ward off regulations that could become barriers to their trading practices. 

The automated Export Alert! replaced a fax-based system, and has undergone a few changes of its own since it was first introduced. In November 2001, the SCC released an enhanced version of Export Alert!  Improvements to the service included the option to monitor regulatory developments in selected countries, and the ability to request regulatory text at the click of a button. Export Alert! serves a number of diverse clients within Canada, including private industries with an interest in exporting, federal and provincial government representatives, industry associations, and standards development organizations.

The Standards Council of Canada is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective standardization in Canada. It offers Canadians the latest and most comprehensive information on standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment in Canada and around the world through its Web site, Information and Research service and Technical Document Centre. The Standards Council also serves as Canada's World Trade Organization and North American Free Trade Agreement (WTO/NAFTA) Enquiry Point.  For more information on the Standards Council's programs visit www.scc.ca, or contact the Standards Council's Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade Branch via e mail at [email protected].

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