Canadian Legislative Updates

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Ontario Improves School Bus Safety

Marking the end of School Bus Safety Week, the province of Ontario is requiring additional safety measures for all new buses in the province.  Effective Nov. 1, 2010, a number of Canadian Standards Association features for new school buses will be adopted by the government, including:

• Shorter seats in the last row to improve access to the rear emergency exit door.
• New roof hatch standards to reduce the risk of a passenger being ejected during a rollover.
• Modified certain seats to accommodate a greater variety of car seats and to better protect the children sitting behind them.

Several other mandatory safety features have already been put into place for new buses, including crossing arms, improved side mirrors, and added exit windows.  These measures have helped make school buses 16 times safer than traveling by car.

Government of Canada Announces Support for Auto Innovation

Federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement, has announced new projects under the Automotive Partnership Canada Initiative to bolster Canada’s economy.  The initiatives will increase research and development (R&D) in the automotive sector across a number of fields, including developing ways to increase prevalent adoption of electric vehicles and advancing software in the automotive sector.

The Automotive Partnership Canada Initiative is part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to enhancing its research capacity.  It helps to ensure that Canada’s auto sector remains at the forefront of automotive innovation.

Recipients receiving support include:

• McMaster University, which will receive funding to work with General Motors of Canada, IBM Canada and Malina Software to develop next generation engineering capabilities to aid in the advancement of software in the automotive sector.
• The University of Waterloo, which will receive funding to work with General Motors Canada and Maplesoft to address the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
• The University of British Columbia, which will receive funding to work with Westport Innovations to further develop natural gas and diesel engine technologies.
• The University of Toronto, which will receive funding to work with Dana Canada Corporation to develop on-board storage and reuse of waste thermal energy.