Ottawa begins enforcing national ban on fluorescent light bulbs

The federal environment department has begun enforcing a nationwide ban on making and importing compact fluorescent light bulbs, ending years of government promotion of products now restricted due to mercury contamination concerns.The ban, drafted in 2024 by then–environment minister Steven Guilbeault, targets bulbs once marketed as climate‑friendly alternatives to incandescent lighting. The department said the prohibition will roll out gradually.“Between 2026 and 2030 the import, manufacture and sale of the most common types of lamps containing mercury will be progressively prohibited in Canada,” spokesperson France Gionet said, adding the phase‑out reflects advances in lighting technology.Officials said the three‑year transition period was designed to give retailers time to clear remaining inventory. Homeowners are being urged to bring used compact fluorescent bulbs to municipal toxic‑waste depots rather than throw them in household garbage.Guilbeault introduced the Products Containing Mercury Regulations in 2024, arguing the rules were needed to prevent mercury contamination in landfills. The ban covers tube‑style fluorescents and screw‑in compact fluorescent bulbs, all of which contain small amounts of mercury..“The main objective of the regulations is to protect Canadians by lowering the risk of mercury releases into the environment,” the department wrote in a 2024 Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, calling mercury a “global contaminant.”For years, federal officials and environmental groups promoted fluorescent bulbs as a green alternative. Ottawa’s 2003 Project Porchlight campaign distributed 200,000 free bulbs, and a federal fact sheet insisted they were safe, claiming the mercury content was so small that breakage posed no health risk.Environmental activist David Suzuki also endorsed the program, saying it reduced greenhouse gases and supported community health.Only later did regulators acknowledge the hazards. A 2014 federal guide instructed homeowners to evacuate rooms, ventilate for 15 minutes and wear disposable gloves when cleaning up broken fluorescent bulbs.Parliament followed up in 2017 with Bill C‑238, which required a national strategy for safe disposal of mercury‑containing lamps. Liberal MP Darren Fisher, who sponsored the bill, warned at the time that as many as 100 million such bulbs were in circulation and that most people likely discarded them without considering the mercury they contained.