Canadian Legislative Issues

The University of British Columbia’s plug-in electric vehicle project will benefit from an additional investment of $600,800 as the Hounourable John Duncan, Minister of State and Member of Parliament for Vancouver Island North, revealed on August 8, 2014.

This project is financed under Canada’s ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEll), in order to develop innovation regarding clean energy and technology throughout the country. This clean project focuses on sustainable electricity sources, storage for batteries, and consumer data such as their driving and charging preferences.

"Our government is positioning Canada as a global leader in the clean technology sector by supporting innovative projects aimed at producing and using energy in cleaner and more efficient ways. Projects such as the University of Victoria’s powering plug-in electric vehicles project demonstrate how our government is making significant progress in this area, while creating jobs and protecting the environment", said Minister Duncan.

Moreover, the government has committed itself to invest $268. 2 million over a period of five years from 2011 to 2016 to projects devoted to clean energy and technology.



Tourisme St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu has announced the installment of fourteen new charging stations for electric vehicles by the end of this year. This partnership was announced by Pierre Arcand, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Mélanie Dufresne, Chair of Tourisme St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, and Thierry Vendal, President and CEO of Hydro-Québec on August 12, 2014.

"More and more Quebecers are taking advantage of rebates on the purchase or lease of electric vehicles offered by the government, especially since this mode of transportation has significant environmental and economic advantages," said Pierre Arcand, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. "We salute this initiative by Tourisme Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu et Région and the Electric Circuit, which will benefit the community while contributing to the success of transportation electrification in Québec."

These additional charging stations will allow electric vehicle drivers to count on numerous 240-V charging stations as they travel the area. The electric circuit in St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu was first inaugurated last year and is already rapidly increasing in popularity as a new means of transportation.



The City of Montreal revealed its new taxi policy which was issued to City Council on August 18. This new policy aims to be technologically advanced, greener, and safer.

The policy recommends the following:

• That drivers accept all forms of payment
• Use cleaner vehicles such as hybrids
• Install security cameras into their vehicles
• Adapt services for clientele with special needs
• Adopt a standardized look for all taxis

In terms of financing, the city of Montreal has indicated that the industry would have to finance these recommendations on its own, which could be possible through the installation of advertising screens in the vehicles. If this policy is implemented, Montreal city council says the city would have a truly sophisticated, efficient, and professional means of public transportation.

Although this policy does not have an immediate impact on NAFA fleets, it depicts potential effects on fleet managers throughout Canada in the near future.