Transportation in Canada

The Trans-Canada highway in Chilliwack, BC

There is a total of 1,042,300 km (647,700 mi) of roads in Canada, of which 415,600 km (258,200 mi) are paved, including 17,000 km (11,000 mi) of expressways (the third-longest collection in the world, behind the Interstate Highway System of the United States and China's National Trunk Highway System). As of 2008, 626,700 km (389,400 mi) were unpaved.[3]

In 2009, there were 20,706,616 road vehicles registered in Canada, of which 96% were vehicles under 4.5 tonnes (4.4 long tons; 5.0 short tons), 2.4% were vehicles between 4.5 and 15 tonnes (4.4 and 14.8 long tons; 5.0 and 16.5 short tons) and 1.6% were 15 tonnes (15 long tons; 17 short tons) or greater. These vehicles travelled a total of 333.29 billion kilometres, of which 303.6 billion was for vehicles under 4.5 tonnes, 8.3 billion was for vehicles between 4.5 and 15 tonnes and 21.4 billion was for vehicles over 15 tonnes. For the 4.5- to 15-tonne trucks, 88.9% of vehicle-kilometres were intra-province trips, 4.9% were inter-province, 2.8% were between Canada and the US and 3.4% made outside of Canada. For the trucks over 15 tonnes, 59.1% of vehicle-kilometres were intra-province trips, 20% inter-province trips, 13.8% Canada-US trips and 7.1% trips made outside of Canada.[4]

Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan has a quarter of US-Canada trade cross over it.

Canada's vehicles consumed a total of 31.4 million cubic metres (198 Mbbl) of gasoline and 9.91 million cubic metres (62.3 Mbbl) 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).[2] Hence roads are the dominant means of passenger and freight transport in Canada.

Roads and highways were 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.[5] The transcontinental highway, a joint national and provincial expenditure, was begun in 1949 under the initiation of the Trans Canada Highway Act on December 10, 1949. The 7,821-kilometre (4,860 mi) highway was completed in 1962 at a total expenditure of $1.4 billion.[6]

Internationally, Canada has road links with both the lower 48 US states and Alaska. 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.[7][8] 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[9] and the 1990 Highway Traffic Act.[10]

The safety of Canada's roads is moderately good by international standards, and is improving both in terms of accidents per head of population and per billion vehicle kilometers.[11]

Air transportation made up 9% of the transport sector's GDP generation in 2005. Canada's largest air carrier and its flag carrier is Air Canada, which had 34 million customers in 2006 and, as of April 2010, operates 363 aircraft (including Air Canada Jazz).[12] CHC Helicopter, the largest commercial helicopter operator in the world, is second with 142 aircraft[12] and WestJet, a low-cost carrier formed in 1996, is third with 100 aircraft.[12] Canada's airline industry saw significant change following the signing of the US-Canada open skies agreement in 1995, when the marketplace became less regulated and more competitive.[13]

The Canadian Transportation Agency employs transportation enforcement officers to maintain aircraft safety standards, and conduct periodic aircraft inspections, of all air carriers.[14] 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[15]

Principal airports

Of over 1,800 registered Canadian aerodromes, certified airports, heliports, and floatplane bases,[16] 26 are specially designated under Canada's National Airports System[17] (NAS): these include all airports that handle 200,000 or more passengers each year, as well as the principal airport serving each federal, provincial, and territorial capital. However, since the introduction of the policy only one, Iqaluit Airport, has been added and no airports have been removed despite dropping below 200,000 passengers.[18] The Government of Canada, with the exception of the three territorial capitals, retains ownership of these airports and leases them to local authorities. The next tier consists of 64 regional/local airports formerly owned by the federal government, most of which have now been transferred to other owners (most often to municipalities).[17]

Below is a table of Canada's ten biggest airports by passenger traffic in 2019.

Toronto Pearson, Canada's busiest airport

Vancouver International Airport

Rank	Airport	Location	Total passengers	Annual change
1	Toronto Pearson International Airport	Toronto	50,499,431[19]	2.0%
2	Vancouver International Airport	Vancouver	26,395,820[20]	1.8%
3	Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport	Montreal	20,305,106[21]	4.5%
4	Calgary International Airport	Calgary	17,957,780[22]	3.5%
5	Edmonton International Airport	Edmonton	8,151,532[23]	1.2%
6	Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport	Ottawa	5,106,487[24]	0.1%
7	Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport	Winnipeg	4,484,249[25]	0.0%
8	Halifax Stanfield International Airport	Halifax	4,188,443[26]	3.0%
9	Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport	Toronto	-	−
10	Kelowna International Airport	Kelowna	2,032,144[27]	1.3%

A CPR freight train in Rogers Pass

In 2007, Canada had a total of 72,212 km (44,870 mi)[28] of freight and passenger railway, of which 31 km (19 mi) is electrified. While intercity passenger transportation by rail is now very limited, 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. In a year are usually earned about $11 billion, of which 3.2% is from passengers and the rest from freight. The Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway are Canada's two major freight railway companies, each having operations throughout North America. In 2007, 357 billion tonne-kilometres of freight were transported by rail, and 4.33 million passengers travelled 1.44 billion passenger-kilometres (an almost negligible amount compared to the 491 billion passenger-kilometres made in light road vehicles). 34,281 people were employed by the rail industry in the same year.[29]

Nationwide passenger services are provided by the federal crown corporation Via Rail. Three Canadian cities have commuter rail 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, Rocky Mountaineer, and Algoma Central also run passenger trains to remote rural areas.

In Canada railways are served by standard gauge, 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm), rails. See also track gauge in Canada.

Canada has railway links with the lower 48 US States, but no connection with Alaska other than a train ferry service from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, although a line has been proposed.[30] There are no other international rail connections.

The Port of Vancouver, Canada's busiest port

In 2005, 139.2 million tonnes (137.0 million long tons; 153.4 million short tons) of cargo was loaded and unloaded at Canadian ports.[31] The Port of Vancouver is the busiest port in Canada, moving 68 million tonnes (67 million long tons; 75 million short tons) or 15% of Canada's total in domestic and international shipping in 2003.[32]

Transport Canada oversees most of the regulatory functions related to marine registration,[33] safety of large vessel,[34] and port pilotage duties.[35] Many of Canada's port facilities are in the process of being divested from federal responsibility to other agencies or municipalities.[36]

Inland waterways comprise 3,000 km (1,900 mi), including the St. Lawrence Seaway. Transport Canada enforces acts and regulations governing water transportation and safety.[37]

MV Spirit of Vancouver Island en route to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal

Ferry services

• Passenger ferry service
  • Vancouver Island and surrounding islands and peninsulas to the British Columbia mainland[39]
  • Several Sunshine Coast communities to the British Columbia mainland and to Alaska
  • Internationally to St. Pierre and Miquelon
• Automobile ferry service
  • Nova Scotia to Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Quebec to Newfoundland across the Strait of Belle Isle
  • Labrador to Newfoundland
  • Chandler to the Magdalen Islands, Quebec
  • Prince Edward Island to the Magdalen Islands, Quebec
  • Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia
  • Digby, Nova Scotia, to Saint John, New Brunswick
• Train ferry service
  • British Columbia to Alaska or Washington state

Welland Canal, Port Weller, Lock #1

Ports and harbours

The National Harbours Board administered Halifax, Saint John, Chicoutimi, Trois-Rivières, Churchill, and Vancouver until 1983. At one time, over 300 harbours across Canada were supervised by the Department of Transport.[5] A program of divestiture was implemented around the turn of the millennium, and as of 2014, 493 of the 549 sites identified for divestiture in 1995 have been sold or otherwise transferred,[40] as indicated by a DoT list.[41] The government maintains an active divestiture programme,[42] and after divestiture Transport Canada oversees only 17 Canada Port Authorities for the 17 largest shipping ports.[43][44]

Pacific coast Victoria, British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia Prince Rupert, British Columbia Atlantic coast Halifax, Nova Scotia Saint John, New Brunswick St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Sept-Îles, Quebec Sydney, Nova Scotia Botwood, Newfoundland and Labrador

Arctic coast Churchill, Manitoba Churchill, Manitoba Seaport Great Lakes and St Lawrence River Bécancour, Quebec Hamilton, Ontario Montreal, Quebec Quebec City, Quebec Trois-Rivières, Quebec Thunder Bay, Ontario Toronto, Ontario Windsor, Ontario

The TransCanada pipeline route

Pipelines are part of the energy extraction and transportation network of Canada and are used to transport natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, synthetic crude and other petroleum based products. Canada has 23,564 km (14,642 mi) of pipeline for transportation of crude and refined oil, and 74,980 km (46,590 mi) for liquefied petroleum gas.[3]

Some North American cities arranged by size along the horizontal axis and public transportation use on the vertical axis.

Montreal Metro's McGill station during rush hour

Most Canadian cities have public transport, if only a bus system. Three Canadian cities have rapid transit systems, four have light rail systems, and three have commuter rail systems (see below). In 2016, 12.4% of Canadians used public transportation to get to work. This compares to 79.5% that got to work using a car (67.4% driving alone, 12.1% as part of a carpool), 5.5% that walked and 1.4% that rode a bike.[45]

Government organizations across Canada owned 17,852 buses of various types in 2016. Organizations in Ontario (38.8%) and Quebec (21.9%) accounted for just over three-fifths of the country's total bus fleet. Urban municipalities owned more than 85% of all buses.

in 2016, diesel buses were the leading bus type in Canada (65.9%), followed by bio-diesel (18.1%) and hybrid (9.4%) buses. Electric, natural gas and other buses collectively accounted for the remaining 6.6%.

The standard history covers the French regime, fur traders, the canals, and early roads, and gives extensive attention to the railways.[57]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Transport in Canada.

• Royal Commission on Railways
• The Romance of Transportation in Canada, a National Film Board of Canada animated short
• Taxicabs of Canada
• Plug-in electric vehicles in Canada

• Brown, Ron. Rails Across the Prairies: The Railway Heritage of Canada's Prairie Provinces (Dundurn, 2012)
• Currie, Archibald William. Economics of Canadian transportation (U of Toronto Press, 1954.)
• Daniels, Rudolph L. Trains across the continent: North American railroad history (Indiana University Press, 2000)
• Glazebrook, G.P. de T. A history of transportation in Canada (1938; reprinted 1969), The standard scholarly history
• McCalla, Robert J. Water Transportation in Canada (1994)
• McIlwraith, Thomas F. "Transportation in Old Ontario." American Review of Canadian Studies 14.2 (1984): 177–192.
• Pigott, Peter. Canada: The History (2014); Pigott has numerous books on aviation in Canada
• Schreiner, John. Transportation: The evolution of Canada's networks (McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1972)
• Stagg, Ronald. The Golden Dream: A History of the St. Lawrence Seaway (Dundurn, 2010)
• Willoughby, William R. The St. Lawrence waterway: a study in politics and diplomacy (University of Wisconsin Press, 1961)

• Directory of Canada Transportation Companies www.transportationindustry.ca
• "Transportation and Maps" in Virtual Vault, an online exhibition of Canadian historical art at Library and Archives Canada
• North American transportation statistics