Transport Committee on April 4th, 2019

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

I realize all the—

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

That's time, Mr. Rogers. Make it short.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

I realize all the variations of that. Back in Nova Scotia, my grandson was involved with a school bus partially leaving the highway because of freezing rain conditions. He had quite a scare, actually.

[Kevin Brosseau]

I'll bet.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

He made reference to the fact that there are no seat belts on school buses, but he's always strapped in when he's in other vehicles.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Mr. Iacono, go ahead.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to thank the witnesses for being here this morning.

The Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, or MVSRs, may either require manufacturers to install safety equipment on certain types of vehicles or set standards that must be followed by manufacturers that choose to install non-mandatory equipment. What is meant by “non-mandatory equipment”?

[Michael DeJong]

Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the federal government and Transport Canada are mandated to establish the Canada motor vehicle safety standards for the vehicle itself. They're intended to regulate to a minimum level of safety. At the same time, there are also guidelines and standards that we develop in order to encourage and suggest additional levels of safety as well. An example would be distracted driving and the guideline for in-vehicle displays that Transport Canada has published and has now made available on its website. That would be an example of Transport Canada responding to a recommendation from the Transportation Safety Board.

A stronger example would be the technical standards that were identified in the July 2018 school bus seat belt regulations, which the manufacturer must follow if a school board chooses to install seat belts, in order to ensure that the seat belts don't compromise the other safety features.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Thank you.

Can you give us more details on the standards that currently apply to buses, and the safety equipment they must be equipped with?

[Kevin Brosseau]

Are you talking about any kind of bus?

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

I'm interested in school buses.

[Kevin Brosseau]

We have a long list for school buses. I can start, then Mr. DeJong will—

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Could you send the list to the clerk?

[Kevin Brosseau]

Certainly. It would be easier given the many safety criteria.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Could you also explain the differences between the standards for passenger buses and those for school buses?

[Michael DeJong]

There are a number. There are 18 Canada motor vehicle safety standards that apply broadly to buses, whether they are motor coaches, transit buses or school buses. There are specific additional requirements that have contributed to the exceptionally strong safety record of school buses, making them the safest vehicles in Canada. Examples would be the requirements around compartmentalization that specifically protect school children in the event of rear-end and frontal collisions. There is also, for example, Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111, around mirrors and rear visibility systems for school buses. CMVSS 108 is around lighting and reflective devices. This helps control traffic that goes by school buses and requires school buses to have flashing lights. CMVSS 217 is around bus window retention.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Are you reading the list to us? If you prefer, you can also send it to the clerk.

[Michael DeJong]

Absolutely.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

The MVSRs were amended in 2018, particularly with respect to technical standards for school bus passenger seats and collision protection. How will these changes increase and improve passenger safety in the event of a collision?

[Kevin Brosseau]

Are you talking about school buses?

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Yes.

[Kevin Brosseau]

I'll start. Then Mr. DeJong will provide more details.

I would say that the most important consequence of these amendments was the clarification of the requirements.

If, in fact, a school board, a province or a territory wants to have seat belts in school buses, they will have to have that particular seat belt structure. The idea is that you will minimize the potential injuries caused by a seat belt that is improperly installed or not constructed to a certain standard. It will be three-point versus lap-only. That is why that technical requirement was put in, in 2018.

[Michael DeJong]

This goes back to the evidence base and draws from the national collision database, which shows that school buses account for such a small number of accidents in Canada. That being the case, the point that Kevin was making around the interplay between seat belts and the other safety features is an incredibly important aspect of the school bus task force, and the jurisdictions would need to be ready to mitigate those operational concerns, ensuring that the seat belts are always correctly used and correctly worn by all occupants all the time.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

How would we ensure that the seat belts are being enforced? Who would do that? Who would be tasked with that?

[Kevin Brosseau]

The enforcement piece, like everything else in the country, would be the responsibility of the province or territory where those school buses are located. That's where the enforcement piece happens. The compliance, though, would likely fall to the bus driver or a monitor on the bus. There would be varying areas of responsibility, I think, coming through the bus operator or through the province.