Canutec (Canadian Transport Emergency Centre) is Canada's counterpart to Chemtrec. Operated by Transport Canada, Canutec is staffed by scientists specialized in emergency response and experienced in interpreting technical information and providing advice.
Canutec (http://www.tc.gc.ca/CANUTEC/en/menu.htm) deals with somewhere around 30,000 calls a year, about 1,000 of which require an emergency report. Assistance can be provided in English or French. The Canutec database contains information on more than 750,000 commercial chemicals and other products.
One of Canutec's most important services to emergency responders is an online version of the Emergency Response Guidebook, an invaluable resource that can be accessed at http://www.tc.gc.ca/canutec/erg_gmu/erg2000_menu.htm. A downloadable version of the guidebook also is available. ERG information is posted in English, French, and Spanish.