Responding to Emergencies, Accidents and Incidents

Responsibilities for Responding

  • Within the Government of Canada, under the Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP), the Minister of Public Safety has the lead for responding to most domestic emergencies and incidents (e.g. terrorist incidents, flooding, forest fires); and the Minister of Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has the lead for responding to international emergencies and incidents (e.g. evacuation of Canadians).
  • Within this framework, the Minister of Transport has extensive legal authorities related to the transportation system in Canada translate into a key role in responding to emergencies, accidents and incidents that touch on the transportation system or transportation infrastructure. Specifically, the Minister of Transport:
    • Leads in responding to aviation, marine, rail and transportation of dangerous goods incidents and accidents. As Transport Canada is not a first responder, its role is to gather, and share, the facts related to accidents and incidents; share knowledge and expertise with first responders; exercise regulatory power to minimize harm to Canadians and the environment and disruptions to the transportation system; and investigate possible regulatory violations.
    • Provides support to other departments (e.g. Public Safety, agencies (e.g. RCMP) or other levels of government (e.g. provinces, municipalities). Some examples include:
      • using authorities under the Canada Shipping Act to limit vessel traffic and speed on flooded waterways;
      • using authorities under the Aeronautics Act to expedite entry into Canadian service of foreign fire-fighting aircraft; and
      • coordinating with Canadian air operators to facilitate the evacuation of Canadians aboard.
  • Other Acts the Minister may invoke in exercising these authorities include:
    • Canada Marine Act
    • Canadian Navigable Waters Act
    • Emergency Management Act
    • Motor Vehicle Safety Act
    • Motor Vehicle Transport Act
    • Railway Safety Act
    • Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act
  • Depending on the nature of the incident, Transport Canada’s partners in these areas could include:
    • The Canadian Coast Guard plays a first responder role for marine accidents and incidents;
    • Local first responders (e.g. local police, fire departments) lead in responding to accidents involving trucks carrying dangerous goods;
    • National security partners (e.g. the RCMP and Department of National Defence) lead on security incidents and
    • The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigates aviation, marine, rail and transportation of dangerous goods accidents.

Resources and systems for responding

  • The Government of Canada as a whole, and Transport Canada in particular, have well-established procedures in place to respond to an emergency or incident. For Public Safety (PS) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) led emergencies, the Government Operations Center (GOC) coordinates a whole-of-government response.
  • Transportation emergencies, accidents and incidents are typically reported to the Transport Canada Situation Center (SitCen). They are then shared more broadly within the department and with Other Government Departments. Through the Transport Canada Situation Center (SitCen), TC has robust lines of communication with the GOC.
  • Most transportation accidents and incidents are managed through an exchange of information via SitCen notifications, emails and phone calls. Management of such incidents can also include face to face briefings for the Minister and Ministerial staff.
  • For more significant incidents (e.g., loss of life, significant aviation security incident) a decision may be made to organize an Incident Management Team (IMT). The IMT brings together all the key players (e.g. officials from the relevant safety or security program, legal, communications, the region), and is a forum to share information, provide direction and make decisions. The Minister’s office will be made aware of such meetings.
  • When required, following an incident response, investigations and enforcement actions are conducted in accordance with the relevant legislative framework.
  • The PS-led Government Operations Center (GOC) sits in the center of a government wide network of departmental situation centers or operations centers. For example, GAC, the RCMP, and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) all have situation or operations centers to help manage emergencies and incidents.
  • Transport Canada’s Situation Center (SitCen), located in Tower C, is a part of this network. It operates on a 24-7 basis to:
    • Co-ordinate with other departments and levels of government through the GOC; and
    • Serve as the Department’s reporting and incident management response hub.
  • Regional Transport Canada situation centres are located in Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver and are only activated in response to a significant regional incident.
  • The Canadian Transport Emergency Centre (CANUTEC) also operates within the SitCen and provides scientific advice to first responders during dangerous good incidents.
  • Notifications disseminated by the SitCen vary significantly, from a regulatory incident that requires inspectorate follow-up to a transportation crisis that requires an immediate response. In 2018, the SitCen triaged 82,628 interactions that generated 7,249 notifications to internal and external stakeholders.