CCMTA held its annual Fall Program Committee Meetings in Ottawa on November 5 and 6 2024. This year, the meetings were structured as closed working sessions for jurisdictional members. This allowed government members to dedicate focused time to advancing priority files. 

​​​​​​The Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety (COMT) has tasked CCMTA with analyzing the challenges with the current safety certificate model. Specifically, the Ministers asked CCMTA to identify recommendations for addressing carriers with problematic safety records that continue to operate across jurisdictions, despite enforcement measures in provinces and territories.   

To address this, CCMTA has established a Safety Certificate Task Force, which has begun an analysis of the issues. The task force’s recommendations will be provided to COMT in early 2025. 

CCMTA is responsible for the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Technical Standard. CCMTA is in the process of revising the ELD Technical Standard. As part of this process, a 60-day consultation period was held from September 12 to November 12, 2024, inviting stakeholder organizations to provide feedback on the draft standard. CCMTA is now reviewing the comments received and may reach out to stakeholders directly for clarification on specific points. Upon approval by the CCMTA Board of Directors, the revised ELD Technical Standard will be published in 2025. 

The National Safety Code (NSC), developed in collaboration with jurisdictions and the motor carrier industry, sets 16 minimum performance standards for the safe operation of passenger and commercial vehicles. Since 1987, it has served as the cornerstone of Canada’s commercial carrier safety framework, providing guidance for legislative, regulatory and administrative action by each jurisdiction and has evolved to address emerging road safety issues and regulations.  

Based on a Memorandum of Understanding with the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety (COMT), CCMTA supports members in the upkeep of the NSC.  Current efforts focus on reviewing standards 7, 14, and 15, as well as Medical Fitness to Drive. The Drivers and Vehicles (D&V) and Compliance and Regulatory Affairs (CRA) Program Committees dedicated significant attention to this work during the 2024 Fall Program Committee Meetings.  

In May 2024, the Council of Deputy Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety (CODMT) requested that CCMTA identify recommendations to help mitigate the issue of stolen vehicles in Canada. In response, CCMTA has established a Stolen Vehicles Task Force which has begun its information gathering stage – with a view to identifying actions CCMTA and provinces and territories may be able to consider to help mitigate against fraudulent VINs (Vehicle Identification Number).  The task force will provide a report to the Council of Deputy Ministers (CODMT) in the spring of 2025.

Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2025 (RSS 2025), a 10-year national initiative, developed in consultation with CCMTA partners, builds on the success of three previous strategies aimed at making Canadian roads safer, with jurisdictions collectively working towards zero fatalities and serious injuries, reflecting the best possible road safety outcomes for all Canadians. CCMTA is the custodian of Canada’s Road Safety Strategy, with each jurisdiction setting their own goals based on local needs.   

With RSS 2025 fast approaching its end date, CCMTA, under the Road Safety Research and Policies (RSRP) Program Committee, is working on the next iteration of the Road Safety Strategy. The goal will be to provide a new strategy to the CCMTA Board of Directors and the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety (COMT) to be launched early in 2026.

Micromobility, including devices like power-assisted bicycles, e-scooters, and hoverboards, is rapidly evolving, yet remains largely unregulated across provinces and territories. In February 2021, Transport Canada updated the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (MVSR), excluding certain vehicles (e.g., with speeds below 32 km/h). However, jurisdictions face challenges in interpreting and implementing these changes, especially regarding micromobility vehicles already in use on Canadian roads. Issues surrounding their regulation and road safety impact have been raised and discussed at several CCMTA tables. 

In response, CCMTA has established a micromobility project group to support jurisdictions to develop consistent regulatory and policy approaches, share knowledge, and gain a better understanding of the best practices related to road safety policies and safe integration for micromobility vehicles, all with the goal of supporting greater interjurisdictional alignment.  

CCMTA's Annual Meeting provides a great opportunity to network and collaborate with delegates in the road safety community who share a mutual commitment to improving road safety outcomes for Canadians.  The Annual Meeting is open to all organizations and individuals with a vested interest in road safety in Canada. We will be sharing additional details as new information becomes available, including registration information in February/March 2025.