Ontario. Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations. Technical Standards Division

• Technical Standards Division

The Technical Standards Division was created within the the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations in 1972. Its immediate predecessor was the Safety and Technical Services Division of the Department of Labour.

When it was first established, the Technical Standards Division consisted of the Operating Engineers Branch, the Boiler Inspection Branch, the Energy Branch, the Elevating Devices Branch, the Uniform Building Standards Branch, and the Upholstered and Stuffed Articles Branch.

In 1975, the Boiler Inspection Branch was renamed the Pressure Vessels Safety Branch. The Energy Branch became the Energy Safety Branch as of 1975 and by 1978 was named the Fuels Safety Branch. The Operating Engineers Branch was absorbed into the Pressure Vessels Safety Branch during the late 1970s. The Uniform Buildings Standards Branch was re-named the Building Code Branch in 1976.The Building Code Branch was transferred to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 1983.

In 1994 the Division was restructured substantially. At that time, the Fuels Safety Branch, the Pressure Vessels Safety Branch, the Elevating Devices Branch, and the Upholstered and Stuffed Articles Branch all disappeared. The Division was restructured along functional lines, the results being the Licensing and Administration Branch, the Engineering and Standards Branch, and the Inspection and Enforcement Branch.

The functions of the Technical Services Branch were turned over to the private sector on May 5, 1997. At that time the Technical Standards and Safety Authority -- an independent, non-government, not-for-profit organization -- was created.

The Technical Standards Division developed standards for ensuring public safety in the areas of elevating devices, pressure vessels, flammable fuels, upholstered and stuffed articles, and the provincial building code. This was accomplished through several branches responsible for licensing, certification, registration and inspection programs.

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Archives of Ontario, Inventory 31: Records of the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations; Government of Ontario Telephone Directories; KWIC Indexes to Services; Technical Standards and Safety Authority Website [www.tssa.org]. Canadiana Name Authorities (12-24-1996)

Archivist(s):
Steve Billinton