Summary of the Regulations Amending the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations and the Canadian Transportation Agency Designated Provisions Regulations

Summary of the Regulations

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has developed new regulations to make sure that accessibility-related orders of the CTA can be enforced through administrative monetary penalties (AMPS) of up to $250,000.

The new regulations also correct minor errors and inconsistences in the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR)– so that the ATPDR is as clear as possible. For example, the new regulations clarify that:

• The obligation for Transportation Service Providers (TSPs) to treat persons with disabilities with dignity should guide how the ATPDR rules are interpreted in general.
• TSPs without a website must publish the specified information in another way that is available to travellers, such as in a travel brochure.
• Delays should be avoided for persons with disabilities during security screening.
• Assistance at bus stops or at the curbside zone of a terminal includes guiding a person, assisting with their baggage, and assisting with a wheelchair.
• TSPs should make "every reasonable effort" to accommodate persons with disabilities in proceeding through certain parts of their transportation experience.

The new regulations also clarify how technical requirements apply to pre-existing or narrowly configured bus fleet or aircraft, and specify that charter bus services are not subject to ATPDR requirements, which were crafted for publicly scheduled services. Charter bus services remain subject to Part V of the Canada Transportation Act.

The new regulations came into force upon registration on February 8, 2021.

Additional information can be found in the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement (RIAS) for the new regulations.