Cutting The Cord: Canadian Government’s Crackdown On Corded Window Coverings

Corded blinds and shades will no longer be available due to new restrictions under the Government of Canada Consumer Product Safety Act that come into effect May 1 2022. The new restrictions are aimed to improve child safety when it comes to potentially hazardous dangling cords.

What’s changing: Any blind or shade with any mechanisms or components that meet the new definition as too high a risk of causing child strangulation will no longer be legal for sale in Canada. These include:

Continuous Loop Cords

Inner cords on horizontal blinds (also called ladder strings)

Back cords on roman and bamboo shades

Standard cord lifts

Top-down bottom-up inner cords

What it all means: Many blinds and shades will continue to be offered but without the above options. And that the following products will be discontinued altogether:

·         Mini/aluminum blinds

·         Top-down-bottom-up option on all shades

·   Faux Wood Blinds

Worried about matching existing blinds and shades with ones that are no longer available? Look for window coverings that are still available in the same colours and fabrics, with different lift systems.

If your windows are too high to raise & lower with a cordless lift system, consider other lift systems.

Breathe easy: Any blinds that you already have in your home are not affected by these new restrictions. But if you have corded blinds in a home with small children or pets, you may still think about replacing them with cordless or motorized versions that are safer.

The bottom line…If you’ve already ordered samples for any blinds that will no longer be available, you only have a few days left to order them….cut-off date for ordering is April 20.

Full details of the new law are available here: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2019-97/index.html  

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