Canada is a developed country whose economy includes the extraction and export of raw materials from its large area. Because of this, it has a transportation system which includes more than 1,400,000 kilometres (870,000 mi) of roads, 10 major international airports, 300 smaller airports, 72,093 km (44,797 mi) of functioning railway 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 Saint Lawrence Seaway.[1] In 2005, the transportation sector made up 4.2% of Canada's GDP, compared to 3.7% for Canada's 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.
| Industry | Share of transportation GDP (%) |
|---|---|
| Air transportation | 9 |
| Rail transportation | 13 |
| Water transportation | 3 |
| Truck transportation | 35 |
| Transit and ground passenger transportation |
12 |
| Pipeline transportation | 11 |
| Scenic and sightseeing transport/Transport support |
17 |
| Total: | 100 |
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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 in the world, behind the Interstate Highway System of the United States and the 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 t (4.4 and 15 long tons; 5.0 and 17 short tons) tonnes and 1.6% were 15 t (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 t (4.4 long tons; 5.0 short tons), 8.3 billion was for vehicles between 4.5 and 15 t (4.4 and 15 long tons; 5.0 and 17 short tons) and 21.4 billion was for vehicles over 15 t (15 long tons; 17 short tons). For the 4.5 to 15 t (4.4 to 15 long tons; 5.0 to 17 short tons) 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 trucks over 15 t (15 long tons; 17 short tons), 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]
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 km (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 96 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]
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 2010.
| Rank | Airport | Location | Total Passengers |
Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Pearson International Airport | Toronto | 31,842,413[19] | 4.9% |
| 2 | Vancouver International Airport | Vancouver | 16,779,709[20] | 3.7% |
| 3 | Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport | Montreal | 12,971,229[21] | 6.1% |
| 4 | Calgary International Airport | Calgary | 12,630,695[22] | 3.7% |
| 5 | Edmonton International Airport | Edmonton | 6,089,099[23] | 0.0% |
| 6 | Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport | Ottawa | 4,473,894[24] | 5.7% |
| 7 | Halifax Stanfield International Airport | Halifax | 3,508,153[25] | 2.6% |
| 8 | Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport | Winnipeg | 3,369,974[26] | -0.3% |
| 9 | Victoria International Airport | Victoria | 1,514,713[27] | -1.2% |
| 10 | Kelowna International Airport | Kelowna | 1,391,725[28] | 1.8% |
In 2007, Canada had a total of 72,212 km (44,870 mi)[29] 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. 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.[30]
Nation-wide 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 rail 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.[31] There are no other international rail connections.
In 2005, 139.2 million tonnes of cargo was loaded and unloaded at Canadian ports.[32] The Port of Vancouver is the busiest port in Canada, moving 68 million tonnes or 15% of Canada's total in domestic and international shipping in 2003.[33]
Transport Canada oversees most of the regulatory functions related to marine registration,[34] safety of large vessel,[35] and port pilotage duties.[36] Many of Canada's port facilities are in the process of being divested from federal responsibility to other agencies or municipalities.[37]
Inland waterways comprise 3,000 km (1,900 mi), including the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Transport Canada enforces acts and regulations governing water transportation and safety.[38]
| Rank | Port | Province | TEUs | Boxes | Containerized Cargo (Tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver | British Columbia | 2,207,730 | 1,282,807 | 17,640,024 |
| 2 | Montreal | Quebec | 1,288,910 | 794,735 | 11,339316 |
| 3 | Halifax | Nova Scotia | 530,722 | 311,065 | 4,572,020 |
| 4 | St. John's | Newfoundland and Labrador | 118,008 | 55,475 | 512,787 |
| 5 | Fraser River | British Columbia | 94,651 | N/A | 742,783 |
| 6 | Saint John | New Brunswick | 44,566 | 24,982 | 259,459 |
| 7 | Toronto | Ontario | 24,585 | 24,585 | 292,834 |
The St. Lawrence waterway was at one time the world's greatest inland water navigation system. The main route canals of Canada are those of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. The others are subsidiary canals.
The National Harbours Board administered Halifax, Saint John, Chicoutimi, Trois-Rivières, Churchill, and Vancouver until 1983. Over 300 harbours across Canada were supervised by the Department of Transport.[5] After divestiture Transport Canada oversees only 17 Canada Port Authorities for the 17 largest shipping ports.[40]
West coast
East coast
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Northern and central
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Canada's merchant marine comprised a total of 173 ships (1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over) 2,129,243 GRT or 716,340 metric tons deadweight (DWT) at the end of 2007.[3]
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]
Most Canadian cities have public transportation, if only a bus system. Six Canadian cities have rapid transit systems and three have commuter rail systems (see below). In 2006, 11% of Canadians used public transportation to get to work. This compares to 80.0% that got to work using a car (72.3% by driving, 7.7% as a passenger), 6.4% that walked and 1.3% that rode a bike.[41][42] In general, Canadian cities have rates of public transit use which are two to three times as high as comparably sized US cities; census data indicates 5.0% of Americans take public transit to work, while 86.1% used a car (76.1% drove alone and 10.0% carpooled).[43][44] This means that transportation planners must allow for higher passenger volumes on Canadian transit systems than American ones.
There are six urban rapid transit systems operating in Canada: The Montreal Metro, the Toronto Subway, the Vancouver SkyTrain, the Calgary C-Train, the Edmonton Light Rail Transit and the O-Train in Ottawa.
| Location | Transit | Weekday Daily Ridership | Length/Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal, Quebec | Montreal Metro | 974,300 (Q3 2011)[45] | 69.2 km/ 68 |
| Toronto, Ontario | Toronto Subway/RT* | 948,100 (Q1 2010) [46] | 68.3 km/ 69 |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | SkyTrain | 384,100 (Q3 2011)[45] | 68.7 km/ 47 |
| Calgary, Alberta | C-Train | 246,800 (Q3 2011)[45] | 48.8 km/ 37[47] |
| Edmonton, Alberta | Edmonton LRT | 93,600 (2010)[48] | 20.5 km/ 15 |
| Ottawa, Ontario | O-Train | 10,900 (Q3 2011)[45] | 8 km/ 5 |
There is also an Airport Circulator, the LINK Train at Toronto Pearson International Airport. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is wheelchair-accessible. It is free of cost.
Commuter trains exist in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver:
| Location | Transit | Daily Ridership | System Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto, Ontario | GO Transit | 175,500 (Q3 2011)[45] | 390 km[49] |
| Montreal, Quebec | Agence métropolitaine de transport | 66,600 (Q1 2011)[50] | 214 km |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | West Coast Express | 10,500 (as of 2008)[51] | 69 km[52] |
Aboriginal peoples in Canada, relied on canoes, kayaks, umiaks and Bull Boats, in addition to the snowshoe, toboggan and sled in winter for transportation prior to European contact. 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 Saint Lawrence River and Hudson Bay.[53]
In the 19th century and early 20th century transportation relied on harnessing oxen to Red River ox carts or horse to waggon. Maritime transportation was via manual labour such as canoe or wind on sail. Water or land travel speeds was approximately 8 to 15 km/h (5 to 9 mph).[54]
Settlement was along river routes. Agricultural commodities were perishable, and trade centres were within 50 km (31 mi). Rural areas centred around villages, and they were approximately 10 km (6 mi) apart. The advent of steam railways and steamships connected resources and markets of vast distances in the late 19th century.[54] Railways also connected city centres, in such a way that the traveller went by sleeper, railway hotel, to the cities. Crossing the country by train took four or five days, as it still does by car. People generally lived within 5 mi (8 km) of the downtown core thus the train could be used for inter-city travel and the tram for commuting.
The advent of the interstate or Trans-Canada Highway in Canada in 1963 established ribbon development, truck stops, and industrial corridors along throughways.
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[5]
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.[5]
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