Section 9 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act Footnote 1provides the Minister of Transport with the authority to grant, by order, an exemption for a specified period, in accordance with any conditions specified in the order, for any model of vehicle manufactured or imported by the company from conformity with any standard if the requested exemption from that standard would, in the opinion of the Minister, promote the development of either new safety features that are equivalent to or superior to those that conform to prescribed standards, or new kinds of vehicles, technologies, vehicle systems or components.
WhereasNova Bus Inc. (Nova Bus) was granted an exemption in 2022, MVSA 2022-1, to replace exterior rear-view mirrors with a camera-based system and that it expires on March 30th, 2025, at 23h59 EST.
Whereas, pursuant to subsection 9(5) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act Footnote 2, a new exemption may be granted in accordance with this section on the expiration of the period of an exemption.
Whereas Nova Bus wishes to obtain a new exemption on the expiration of the period of an exemption and, for this purpose, has provided the Minister with the information required by section 14 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations Footnote 3.
Whereas Nova Bus complies with the exemption, MVSA 2022-1, and the conditions specified therein.
Whereas I have reviewed the information obtained during the period of validity of the exemption, MVSA 2022-1, as well as the information submitted as part of this new application.
Whereas I have concluded from the information provided in the new application that an exemption from the requirements set out in subsections 111 (1), (3), (4) and (27) of Schedule IV to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations Footnote 4, would promote the development of new safety features that are equivalent to or superior to those that conform to prescribed standards.
Whereasthis exemption would not substantially diminish the overall safety performance of the vehicle models.
Therefore under section 9 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act Footnote 5, I hereby make this Nova Bus Inc. Exemption Order.
Nova Bus Inc. Exemption Order
The vehicle models listed in the table below, manufactured or imported by Nova Bus, are exempt from the requirements of subsections 111 (1), (3), (4) and (27) of Schedule IV of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations Footnote 6 subject to the following conditions:
- Nova Bus shall ensure the exempted vehicle models are equipped with the camera monitoring system, Smart-Vision CMS from Vision Systems.
- Nova Bus shall promptly inform Transport Canada of any hardware or software revisions made to the Smart-Vision CMS by Vision Systems. The notification must include a detailed description of the revision and the intended purpose of the change.
- Nova Bus shall ensure that the English and French versions of the operator’s manual highlight the importance of proper camera lens maintenance, including information on dirt accumulation and clear instructions on proper cleaning procedures.
- Nova Bus shall make reasonable best efforts to engage with its customers, on an annual basis, through a survey or other appropriate means, to request feedback on customer satisfaction and any issues experienced during the operations of vehicles equipped with the camera monitoring system.
- Nova Bus shall provide an annual incident report. The report must be in writing, in either paper or electronic form and in the company’s official language of choice. Reporting will begin on April 3, 2026. The report must be filed with Transport Canada at ComplianceEngineering-Essaisdequipements@tc.gc.ca and contain the following information:
- a summary of Nova Bus’s engagement with its customers, that includes any feedback received. If no feedback is received or if Nova Bus encounters limitations in obtaining information, such as customers not responding to engagement efforts or performing repairs independently, Nova Bus shall note these challenges in the report;
- a description of the nature of all exterior camera system malfunctions and/or failures, both hardware and software, including the causes, and a description of the specific location of the malfunction, based on information available through warranty claims, customer reports, complaints, or any other means;
- the vehicle systems or components that may be affected by the exterior camera systems malfunctions or failures, both hardware and software, based on information available to Nova Bus;
- a description of the corrective measures to be taken in respect of the camera system malfunctions and/or failures, both hardware and software, and how they are to be implemented, including a general description of the work involved;
| Nova Bus LFS |
| Nova Bus LFS Artic |
Validity
This exemption is in effect until April 3, 2030 at 23:59 EST.
Dated 3rd of April, 2025
Melanie Vanstone
Director General
Multi-modal and Road Safety Programs