Patterns for Change: 1966 - 1976

Canada was celebrating 100 years of Confederation as the Department of Transport began its fourth decade - and the department had a role to play in the festivities.

People across the country organized special events and centennial projects of all shapes and sizes - including a rash of home-built hot-air balloons that called for speedy additions to the Department of Transport's airworthiness regulations.

The department also contributed to the success of Expo 67, the smash hit exposition in Montreal that drew millions of visitors from around the world.

• The air services branch expanded the transborder facilities at Dorval Airport to accommodate the influx of visitors from the United States.
• Special weather forecasts for the fair site were issued daily by the meteorology services branch and distributed nationally and internationally.
• The marine services branch provided a special channel to the marina at La Ronde to keep pleasure craft away from the busy main channel of the St. Lawrence River.

The centennial year event that would prove to be of most significance to Transport Canada, however, was the passage of the National Transportation Act, 1967.

The legislation set out, for the first time, a policy statement and principles to address the needs and capabilities of the national transportation system. It included the concepts of cost recovery and intermodal competition and established a new regulatory agency - the Canadian Transport Commission, forerunner of the National Transportation Agency.

In the 1970's / Highlights