A New Edition of CSA Z768 Is Coming, With Climate Change in Scope

The Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment standard has stood on its 2001 text for a quarter of a century, reaffirmed rather than revised. That is now set to change: a notice of intent published in June 2026 proposes a new edition bringing climate change into Phase 1 practice.

What is proposed

According to the notice filed with the Standards Council of Canada, the new edition would integrate climate change adaptation considerations throughout Phase 1 practice. It contemplates incorporating forward-looking climate data, projections and methodologies, and enabling assessors to identify climate-related risks that may affect site conditions, contaminant behaviour and remediation outcomes over the life of a property.

Why it is a significant shift

A Phase 1 has always looked backwards — historical land use, aerial photographs, records, past activities — to identify what may already be present. Adding forward-looking climate risk asks a different question: how might conditions at this site change, and how might that affect contamination that is present or the remediation planned for it.

Consider a site with contamination currently below a stable water table, or a property in a flood-prone area where the projected flood regime changes. The contamination has not moved. The risk profile has.

What to do now

Nothing yet. A notice of intent is the start of a standards development process, not a rule in force. Until a new edition is published, Z768-01 (R2022) remains the standard, and assessments should be conducted and cited accordingly.

It is worth knowing about if you are planning long-horizon work — a large redevelopment, or a portfolio review intended to last several years. Reports prepared under the current edition will remain valid, but a later edition may ask questions the earlier one did not.

We will report the outcome

Standards development takes time, and proposals change during it. We will cover the published edition here when it appears, including what changes in practice for anyone commissioning a Phase 1.