Transport Action Canada is a non-profit, consumer-based organization that promotes

sustainable transport Sustainable transport refers to ways of transportation that are sustainable in terms of their social and environmental impacts. Components for evaluating sustainability include the particular vehicles used for road, water or air transport; th ...

through advocacy and education. It is concerned with all modes of

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...

, such as

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self p ...

service,

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot ...

including

air safety Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of airc ...

, and

urban transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

. The association functions as a citizen-based

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

group, compared to transport industry based bodies such as the ''

Railway Association of Canada The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) was founded in 1917 as the Canadian Railway War Board in order to coordinate railway activities during World War I. The first meeting of the organization was held on October 23, 1917, and the name was change ...

'' or the

Canadian Urban Transit Association The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) is a national association for urban mobility and both the public and private transit industries in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend ...

Activities

The association regularly communicates with government and industry officials to promote

views, including

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transporta ...

and elected officials of all government levels. Canadian

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), an ...

agencies frequently interview Transport 2000 Canada officials on transportation matters.

History

The organization was founded as Transport 2000 Canada in 1976 following concerns about the future of

passenger trains In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often kno ...

in Canada.

Passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self p ...

service in Canada had declined in the latter 20th century as train routes were being eliminated by

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...

and

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

. In 1993, Transport 2000 became one of seven Canadian non-for-profit organisations supported by

The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation is a private Canadian foundation providing grants to support the community sector. The foundation was established in 1952 as a means by which members of the Bronfman family could combine their philan ...

's Urban Issues program. The association continued to monitor and address developments in the national passenger transportation system, especially since the 1978 formation of

Via Rail Canada Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

to provide national

service. The association later formed its ''Air Passenger Safety Group'', especially prompted by the September 1998 Swissair Flight 111 disaster off the

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

coastline.

Urban transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

is an increasingly important topic addressed by the national and regional associations of the organization. The organization's support for the

O-Train The O-Train is a light metro transit system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The O-Train system has two lines, the electrically-operated Confederation Line (Line 1) and the diesel-operated Trillium Line (Line 2). Since May ...

pilot project (today's

Trillium Line The Trillium Line (french: Ligne Trillium), also called O-Train Line 2 (french: Ligne 2 de l'O-Train), is a diesel light rail transit (DLRT) service in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The line has been closed since May 2020 f ...

) was a significant factor in returning rail transit service to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in 2001. Transport Action Canada has since been critical of the subsequent plans to develop the North-South Light Rail Transit line, citing the proposals to combine the downtown train with bus congestion, disruption to existing O-Train travel (today's Trillium Line) during the line's construction, and longer-term viability of the proposed North-South route. National office facilities for Transport Action Canada are located in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The association has been a contributor to the development of aviation regulation, particularly as it relates to airline passengers, though Transport Canada's

Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council The Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council (CARAC) is the main public consultative body involved in creating and amending the Canadian Aviation Regulations and is a joint effort of Transport Canada and the Canadian aviation industry. The Cou ...

(CARAC) process.

Organization

Transport Action Canada is composed as a federation of the following like-minded regional associations:

Transport Action Atlantic Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land ...

(

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

)

Transport Action British Columbia Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

(

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

)

Transport Action Ontario Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

(

)

Transport Action Prairies Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

(

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

)

Transport Action Quebec Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

(

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

) Equiterre
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Publications

The organization publishes a newsletter titled ''Transport Action'' which provides news and opinion on topical transportation matters. This is published six times per year and primarily distributed to its members. Members of Transport Action Canada are often members of one or more of the affiliated regional associations which often publish their own newsletters. A bulletin of transport-related news is also produced on an approximately weekly basis. This "hotline" is published on the association's official website.

References

External links

Transport Action Canada
(official website)
Transport Action Quebec
(regional association website)

(in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

) {{Authority control Public transport in Canada Transport associations in Canada Aviation in Canada Political advocacy groups in Canada Public transport advocacy organizations