Skip to content

Standards Development Process

All Standards published by ULC Standards are developed by Technical Committees made up of a balance of producers, users, regulators and general interests, selected on the basis of representing major interests across Canada.

ULC Standards develops and/or adopts the following types of Standards:

a) National Standards of Canada;
b) ULC Standards;
c) ISO or IEC adoptions; and
d) Bi-national Standards

Three main steps are implemented before a Standard is designated as a ULC Standards Standard or as a National Standard of Canada:

1. The responsible ULC Standards technical committee must ballot on the requirements of the Standard. A successful ballot requires at least a two-thirds majority of votes cast in favour or 50% plus 1 (simple majority) of the members who are eligible to vote, whichever is greater.  Negative votes without justification, negatives based on material not under consideration, abstentions without justification, as well as unreturned and blank ballots shall be considered not cast.

2. The Standard is then subjected to a second-level review to ensure all the accredited standards development procedures of ULC Standards, and the requirements of the Standards Council of Canada Document CAN-P-1 are met.

3. On receipt of a successful ballot by the ULC Standards technical committee and following a second level review, the final stage is as follows:

a) Publication as a ULC Standards’ Standard; or

b) Formal request to the Standards Council of Canada for approval as a National Standard of Canada.

The reaffirmation, or the publication of a new edition, of an existing Standard is accomplished at least every five years, or in the case of an identical adoption of an IEC or ISO Standard, in accordance with the IEC/ISO maintenance cycle.