Transportation in Canada
Canada is developed country whose economy relies heavily on the extraction and export of raw materials. Because of this, it has a very large transportation system which includes more than 1.4 million kilometres of roads, 10 major international airports, 300 smaller airports, 72,093 kilometres of functioning railroad track, and more than 300 commercial ports and harbours that provide access to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans as well as the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.[1] In 2005, the transportation sector made up 4.2% of Canada's GDP, compared to 3.7% for Canada's huge mining and oil and gas extraction industries.[2]
Transport Canada oversees and regulates most aspects of transportation within Canadian jurisdiction. Transport Canada is under the direction of the federal government's Minister of Transport. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is responsible for maintaining transportation safety in Canada by investigating accidents and making safety recommendations.
Roads
There is a total of 1,042,300 kilometers (647,655 miles) of road in Canada,of which 415,600 kilometers (258,242 miles) is paved, including 17,000 kilometers (10,563 miles) of expressways). As of 2006, 626,700 km were unpaved.[3] In 2006, there were 19,499,843 road vehicles registered in Canada, of which 18,738,949 were vehicles under 4.5 tonnes, 442,614 were vehicles between 4.5 and 15 tonnes and 318,280 were 15 tonnes or greater. These vehicles travelled a total of 326.14 billion kilometers, of which 296.9 billion was for vehicles under 4.5 tonnes, 7.4 billion was for vehicles between 4.5 and 15 tonnes and 21.8 billion was for vehicles over 15 tonnes. For the 4.5 to 15 tonne trucks, 92.2% of vehicle-kilometers were intra-province trips, 4.5% were inter-province and 3.2% made between Canada and the US. For trucks over 15 tonnes, 58% of vehicle-kilometers were intra-province trips, 18.4% inter-province trips, 15.4% Canada-US trips and 8.4% trips made outside of Canada. Canada's vehicles consumed a total of 31.1 billion liters of gasoline and 10.1 billion liters of diesel. [4] Trucking generated 35% of the total GDP from transport, compared to 25% for rail, water and air combined (the remainder being generated by the industry's transit, pipeline, scenic and support activities).[5] Hence roads are the dominant means of passenger and freight transport in Canada.
Roads and highway were all managed by provincial and municipal authorities until construction of the Northwest Highway System (the Alaska highway) and the Trans Canada highway project initiation. The Alaska highway of 1942 was constructed during World War II for military purposes connecting Fort St. John, British Columbia with Fairbanks, Alaska.[6] The transcontinental highway, a joint national and provincial expenditure, was begun in 1949 under the initiation of the Trans Canada Highway Act in December 10, 1949. The 7,821 kilometer (4,859.7 miles) highway was completed in 1962 at a total expenditure of $1.4 billion.[7]
The Ministry of Transportation maintains the road network in Ontario and also employs Ministry of Transport Enforcement Officers for the purpose of administering the Canada Transportation Act and related regulations.[8][9] The Department of Transportation in New Brunswick performs a similar task in that province as well.
Regulations enacted in regards to Canada highways are the 1971 Motor Vehicle Safety Act[10] and the 1990 Highway Traffic Act[11]
Internationally, Canada has road links with both the lower 48 US states and Alaska.
Air Transport
The Hon. J.A. D. McCurdy flew the Silver Dart in Nova Scotia in 1909. Following World War I, civil air transport in Canada developed, providing air service to inaccessible areas, air patrols of forested areas, and inter-city travel. The Second World War constructed airports and aerodromes in Canada for airmen training in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.[6] Air traffic service can be divided into non-scheduled and scheduled services. Non-scheduled service include charter, contract and specialty civil aviation.
Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA) was incorporated in 1937 to provide scheduled air service for Canada. Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Limited began in 1942, and began to be absorbed by TCA in 1955. The International Civil Aviation Organization was initially formed to enact international agreements with other nations.[12] September, 1944 amended the Aeronautics Act to form of the Air Transport Board. The Board regulates commercial airline service, all aspects of air traffic and regulates licensing. In 1949 Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Limited, an amalgamation of commercial operators, provided trans-Pacific services as well as Canadian services.[6]
The Canadian Transportation Agency employs transportation enforcement officers to maintain aircraft safety standards, and conduct periodic aircraft inspections, of all air carriers.[13] The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is charged with the responsibility for the security of air traffic within Canada. In 1994 the National Airports Policy was enacted[14]
| Location | Quantity | Land aerodromes | Water aerodromes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1444 | 1117 | 327 |
| Alberta | 187 | 182 | 5 |
| British Columbia | 217 | 130 | 87 |
| Manitoba | 136 | 112 | 24 |
| New Brunswick | 31 | 31 | 0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 37 | 30 | 7 |
| Northwest Territories | 67 | 42 | 25 |
| Nova Scotia | 29 | 22 | 7 |
| Nunavut | 31 | 29 | 2 |
| Ontario | 322 | 220 | 102 |
| Prince Edward Island | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Quebec | 187 | 139 | 48 |
| Saskatchewan | 162 | 149 | 13 |
| Yukon | 34 | 27 | 7 |
Principal airports
- Toronto Pearson International Airport
An aerial view of Toronto Pearson International Airport - Vancouver International Airport
- Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
- Calgary International Airport
- Edmonton International Airport
- Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
- Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
- Halifax Stanfield International Airport
Heliports
| Location | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Canada | 296 |
| Alberta | 53 |
| British Columbia | 69 |
| Manitoba | 4 |
| New Brunswick | 6 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 5 |
| Northwest Territories | 5 |
| Nova Scotia | 20 |
| Nunavut | 0 |
| Ontario | 92 |
| Prince Edward Island | 2 |
| Quebec | 38 |
| Saskatchewan | 2 |
| Yukon | 0 |
Rail
As of 2006, Canada has a total of 72,131 kilometers of freight and passenger railway, of which 31km is electrified. [15] While intercity passenger transportation by rail is now very limited in Canada, freight transport by rail remains common. Total revenues of rail services in 2006 was $10.4 billion, of which only 2.8% was from passenger services. The Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway are Canada's two major freight railway companies, each having operations throughout North America. In 2006, 352 billion tonne-kilometers of freight were transported by rail, and 4.24 million passengers traveled 1.45 billion passenger-kilometers (an almost negligible amount compared to the 491 billion passenger-kilometers made in light road vehicles). 34,137 people were employed by the rail industry in the same year. [16]
Nation-wide passenger services are provided by the federal crown corporation VIA Rail. Three Canadian cities have commuter train services: in the Montreal area by AMT, in the Toronto area by GO Transit, and in the Vancouver area by West Coast Express. Smaller railways such as Ontario Northland and Algoma Central also run passenger trains to remote rural areas.
1835 saw the first rail line come into existence in Canada, a 16 mile 26 kilometers line connecting Laprairie and St. John's, Quebec. The greatest boom in railway construction occurred in the 1850s with the Grand Trunk and Great Western Railways lines. The second major expansion period saw the building of the Intercolonial and Canadian Pacific Railways. Canada currently supports a well developed railway system from coast to coast. The Canadian Transcontinental Railway was constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1881 and 1885.[17] Later two other transcontinental rail lines spanned the nation, in 1912, Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) and in 1917, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) with the National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) system. The CNoR, GTPR, and NTR amalgamated together to form the Canadian National Railway[18]
In Canada railways are served by standard gauge, 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm), rails.
Railway links with adjacent countries
- United States - yes
- Alaska - no - proposed[19] (yes, if you count rail ferry service from Seattle, Washington and CN Rail from Prince Rupert, British Columbia.)
- Russia (via Alaska) - no - Proposed.[20]
- St. Pierre and Miquelon - no
Waterways
The Statute of Westminister of 1931 was updated by the Canada Shipping Act in 1934 to consolidate all aspects of Canadian shipping. The Canadian Maritime Commission was put into place in 1947 pursuant to the 1934 Canada Shipping Act and took over responsibilities regarding shipping and ship building services formerly looked after by the Department of Trade and Commerce.[6]
Transport Canada is currently mandated to oversee most of the regulatory functions related to marine registration[21], Large Vessel Safety[22], and port pilotage duties.[23] Many of Canada's Port facilities are in the process of being divested from a federal responsibility to other agencies or municipalities.[24]
Inland waterways comprise 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), including the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Transport Canada has passed several acts and regulations governing water transportation and safety.[25]
Ferry services
- Passenger ferry service
- Vancouver Island to the mainland
- several Sunshine Coast communities to the mainland and to Alaska.
- Internationally to St. Pierre and Miquelon
- Automobile ferry service
- Nova Scotia to Newfoundland and Labrador,
- Quebec to Labrador
- Labrador and the island of Newfoundland.
- Rail ferry service
- British Columbia to Alaska or Washington state.
Canals
The St. Lawrence waterway was at one time the world's greatest inland water navigation system enabling international trade. The main route canals of Canada are those of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. The others are subsidiary canals.[12]
Ports and harbours
Trade routes for imports and exports are facilitated by Canadian harbours. The National Harbours board administers Halifax, Saint John, Chicoutini, Three Rivers, Chicoutini, Churchill, and Vancouver. Over 300 harbours across Canada are supervised by the Department of Transport.[12]
Merchant marine
The Canadian Government Merchant Marine, Limited began with 66 vessels.[6] The merchant marine comprises a total of 173 ships (1,000 GRT GRT uses unsupported parameter (help) or over) 2,129,243 GRT or 716,340 t DWT DWT uses unsupported parameter (help) at the end of 2007.[26]
Pipelines
Pipelines are part of the energy extraction and transportation network of Canada and are used to transporte carry natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, synthetic crude and other petroleum based products. Canada has 23,564 kilometers (14,641 miles) of pipeline for transportation of crude and refined oil, and 74,980 kilometers (46,590 miles) for Liquid Petroleum Gas.[27]
Urban transport
Urban, suburban, and inter-urban transport includes electric trolleys, electric railway, motor buses, motor coach, rapid transit, and subway.[12] The horse car system of 1861 in Montreal and Toronto were replaced with electric street railways as early as 1885. The single overhead electric track system of streetcars (electric trolleys) started to be replaced by the trackless trolley-buses in the 1940s. Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Saskatoon were some centers using overhead trolley buses.[6]
Cities with commuter train systems
Commuter train systems exist in Montreal, Quebec (Agence métropolitaine de transport); Toronto, Ontario (GO Transit); and Vancouver, British Columbia (West Coast Express).
Cities with subway/metro or light rail systems
1949 saw the initial construction of Canada's first underground electric railway at Toronto, Ontario. It was 9.1 miles (15 kilometer) in length and operated 5 trains of two cars each.[6]
| Location | Transit |
|---|---|
| Calgary, Alberta | C-Train |
| Edmonton, Alberta | Edmonton Light Rail Transit |
| Montreal, Quebec | metro or métro |
| Ottawa, Ontario | O-Train |
| Toronto, Ontario | Toronto Subway/RT |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | SkyTrain |
History
European contact
Early European settlers and explorers in Canada introduced the wheel to North America's Aboriginal peoples, who relied on canoes, kayaks, umiaks and bull boats, in addition to the snowshoe, toboggan and sled in winter. Europeans adopted these technologies as they pushed deeper into the continent's interior, and were thus able to travel via the waterways that fed from the St. Lawrence River and Hudson Bay.[28]
In the 1800s and early 1900s transportation relied on harnessing oxen to red river carts or horse to wagon. Maritime transportation was via manual labour such as canoe or wind on sail. Water or land travel speeds was approximately 8 to 15 kilometers per hour (5 to 9 miles per hour).[29]
Settlement was along river routes, and trade was locally concentrated. Agricultural commodities were perishable, and trade centers were within 50 kilometers. Rural areas centered around villages, and they were approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart. The advent of steam railways and steamships connected resources and markets of vast distances in the late 1800s.[29]
Evolution
With the return of the nation's service men following World War II, the 1950s with a population of about 13,921,000 overcame topographic barriers and vast distances to initiate the modern transportation network.
Different parts of the country are shut off from each other by Cabot Strait, the Strait of Belle Isle, by areas of rough, rocky forest terrain, such as the region lying between New Brunswick and Quebec, the areas north of Lakes Huron and Superior, dividing the industrial region of Ontario and Quebec from the agricultural areas of the prairies, and the barriers interposed by the mountains of British Columbia
— The Canada Year Book 1956[6]
The Federal Department of Transport established November 2, 1936 supervised railways, canals, harbours, marine and shipping, civil aviation, radio and meteorology. The Transportation Act of 1938 and the amended Railway Act, placed control and regulation of carriers in the hands of the Board of Transport commissioners for Canada. The Royal Commission on Transportation was formed December 29, 1948 to examine transportation services to all areas of Canada to eliminate economic or geographic disadvantages. The Commission also reviewed the Railway Act to provide uniform yet competitive freight-rates.[6]
See also
- Royal tours of Canada: Transportation
- Canadian Forces VIP aircraft
- Transportation in the United States
External links
- "Transportation and Maps" in Virtual Vault, an online exhibition of Canadian historical art at Library and Archives Canada
References
- ^ "Transportation in Canada". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "An Analysis of the Transportation Sector in 2005" (PDF). Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ "CIA - The World Factbookl". The World Factbookl. CIA. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ "53-223-XIE2006000" (PDF). Statistics Canada. 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "An Analysis of the Transportation Sector in 2005" (PDF). Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Howe, C.D., the Right Honourable Minister of Trade and Commerce; Canada Year Book Section, Information Services Division Dominion Bureau of Statistics (1956), The Canada Year Book 1956 The Official Handbook of Present Conditions and Recent Progress, Ottawa, Ontario: Kings Printer and Controller of Stationery, page 713 to 791
- ^ Coneghan, Daria (2006), "Trans-Canada Highway", The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan, CANADIAN PLAINS RESEARCH CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF REGINA, retrieved December 29, 2007
{{citation}}: Text "Details" ignored (help) - ^ "Regional Enforcement Officers". Canadian Transportation Agency. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Enforcement blitz improves road safety". Canada NewsWire. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Motor Vehicle Safety Act". Retrieved 2008-01-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Highway Traffic Act". Retrieved 2008-01-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
YearBookwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Enforcement". Canadian Transportation Agency. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "National Airports Policy". Retrieved 2008-01-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Rail transportation, length of track operated for freight and passenger transportation, by province and territory". statcan.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Railway carriers, operating statistics". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "Canadian Pacific Railway". Retrieved 2008-01-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Canadian National". Retrieved 2008-01-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ AlaskaCanadaRail.org
- ^ Bering Strait bridge
- ^ "Small Vessel Monitoring & Inspection Program". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Port State Control". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Marine Personnel Standards and Pilotage". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Airport and Port Programs". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Marine Acts and Regulations". Transport Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "CIA - The World Factbookl". The World Factbookl. CIA. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ "CIA - The World Factbookl". The World Factbookl. CIA. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ Virtual Vault, an online exhibition of Canadian historical art at Library and Archives Canada
- ^ a b Rodrigue, Dr. Jean-Paul (1998–2008). "Historical Geography of Transportation - Part I". Dept. of Economics & Geography. Hofstra University. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
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