Provincial/Territorial Participation in the ECMT Agreement on Reciprocal Recognition of Parking Badges

Canadian-European Parking Agreement for Personswith Disabilities

Executive Summary

Facts on Canada

Canada is the world’s second-largest country (10 million km ²) with a population over 30 million. Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, each with its own capital city. Parking badge policies and programs for persons with disabilities are not run by the central federal government, but by provincial and territorial jurisdictions.

Canada’s participation in the ECMT Agreement on the reciprocal recognition of parking badges

Playing a coordinating role among all Canadian jurisdictions with regard to this particular resolution, Transport Canada is pleased to announce that all ten provinces and one territory agreed to participate in the agreement and to provide the ECMT Secretariat with the required information. While the Northwest Territories would not enter into the agreement because they do not have a territorial parking badge program, their capital (Yellowknife) and their main municipalities agreed to participate. At the moment, negotiations are still underway with Nunavut but, given its relatively low population density, parking is generally not a problem for people with disabilities living in or traveling to this territory.

Parking badge policies in Canada

Even though parking badge policies vary in Canada from one jurisdiction to another, there are some common grounds. To summarize:

• Parking spaces:
  • All Canadian jurisdictions provide designated parking spaces for motorists with disabilities according to the expressed needs of persons with disabilities living in the region.
  • The parking spaces are generally marked with the international wheelchair logo.
  • Cities and municipalities are usually responsible for enacting and enforcing bylaws pertaining to the use of designated parking spaces for persons with disabilities. It is recommended that travelers contact local authorities to have more details on the conditions related to the use of such designated parking spaces.

• Issuing parking badges:
  • In Canadian jurisdictions, parking badges are issued to both drivers and passengers who have disabilities which prohibit their ability to walk independently over a short distance. The badge is awarded to an individual rather than to a specific vehicle.
  • There are generally two types of parking badges:
    • short-term badges that are valid for up to a year depending on the duration of the temporary disability of the person;
    • long-term badges that are valid for periods ranging from one year to life (varies among jurisdictions). Except for lifelong badges, long-term badges have to be renewed regularly.
• Misuse of the badge can result in its withdrawal.

• Privileges associated with the parking badges:
  Persons with disabilities can park their vehicles in spaces designated for their use on condition that:
  • a valid parking badge is suspended from the rearview mirror or displayed visibly on the dashboard of the vehicle;
• the person with a disability has to leave or board the vehicle while it is parked in the designated parking space.

• Contrary to most European countries:
  • In Canada, persons with disabilities holding a valid parking badge cannot park their vehicles in pedestrian zones or zones where parking is prohibited or restricted to loading and unloading.
  • In most cities and municipalities, badge holders are usually not exempt from paying parking meter fees where such charges apply. It is recommended to verify with individual community for special parking privileges such as fee exemption.
  • Canada does not use any timeclocks, parking discs or any other devices in addition to the parking badge itself.

For more specific information

For more specific information on any Canadian jurisdictions, travelers are invited to contact the parking badge issuing office of the destination contemplated (included in the full report).

Transport Canada’s commitment

Transport Canada is committed to playing a coordinating role with the ECMT Secretariat and all the Canadian jurisdictions to implement the ECMT resolution no. 97/4 on the reciprocal recognition of parking badges.