Terms and Conditions

Canadian Transportation Agency website terms and conditions

Privacy Notice

The Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency) is committed to providing websites that respect the privacy of its visitors. This privacy notice summarizes the privacy practices for the Agency’s online activities.

All personal information collected by the Agency is governed by the Privacy Act. This means that you will be informed of the purpose for which your personal information is being collected, how to exercise your right of access to that information, and how to exercise your right to correct that information.

Agency Public Record Advisory Notice

Pursuant to the open court principle and subsection 7(2) of the Canadian Transportation Agency Rules (Dispute Proceedings and Certain Rules Applicable to all Proceedings), SOR/2014-104 [Dispute Adjudication Rules], all information filed with the Agency as part of a dispute proceeding other than a matter that is the subject of mediation becomes part of the public record and may be made available for public viewing unless a request for confidentiality pursuant to section 31 of the Dispute Adjudication Rules has been made to, and accepted by, the Agency. With the exception of decisions containing confidential information, the Agency posts decisions it issues on its website.

Before submitting documents to the Agency, you should remove information that is unnecessary to your case and that you do not want included on the public record, including sensitive personal information such as: social insurance numbers, passport details, credit card information, loyalty program reward numbers, PIN or online access codes. If this information is not necessary for the Agency to decide your case, it can be removed by blacking out the information before it is filed, and it is not necessary to make a request for confidentiality.

On occasion, sensitive information, including personal information, will have to be filed with the Agency as it is relevant to the dispute proceeding. In those instances, a request for confidentiality can be filed with the Agency. Under this process, you will be required to file a public version of the document, from which the information for which you are claiming confidentiality has been blacked out, along with a complete version of the document and your justification for the request. This allows the Agency to keep confidential information that is relevant to the dispute proceeding where it finds that there is specific direct harm likely to result from its disclosure.

The name of any adult individual involved in a dispute adjudication, including a party, witness or other individual, may appear in an Agency decision and will be on the public record unless the Agency grants a request for confidentiality and orders anonymization. On granting such a request, the Agency will also remove the person’s name from the public record.

As a matter of policy, the Agency generally does not name children in decisions. If a child needs to be specifically identified in a decision, their initials will be used. However, children’s names will be on the public record unless the Agency grants a request for confidentiality and orders anonymization. In deciding the request, the Agency may consider that a minor children’s interest in anonymization in order to prevent improper use of their names outweighs the public interest in the open court principle.

The threshold for the Agency to order anonymization is high. The Agency will only order anonymization if specific direct harm would likely result from the disclosure, and anonymization is the appropriate measure to avoid or mitigate the harm while having the least impact on the open court principle.

Any party may file a request for confidentiality in relation to their own personal information, the personal information of the other party to the proceedings or that of any other person.

Personal information collection statement – general inquiries to the Agency

When you contact the Agency to make an inquiry, all personal information created, held or collected by the Agency is protected under the Privacy Act. This means that you will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information. You will be asked for your consent where appropriate.

The personal information you include in your inquiry may be used to respond to your inquiry. Your personal information is collected pursuant to the Canada Transportation Act. Such information may be used for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. This information is included in the Personal Information Bank PSU 914 (Public Communications) and will be retained for two years after responding to your inquiry, and then destroyed. Your information may be shared with staff in different parts of the Agency should your inquiry pertain to a specific activity of the Agency. In such cases, the information is included in the personal information bank of the activity.

Any personal information the Agency receives from your inquiry is only provided to those members of our staff who require it in order to respond to your question or issue. The information you provide will only be shared with another government institution if your inquiry relates to that institution. The Agency does not use the information to create individual profiles nor does it disclose the information to anyone other than to those in the federal government who need to respond to your inquiry. Any disclosure of your personal information is in accordance with the Privacy Act.

Emails and other electronic means of communication with the Agency are not secure unless a web page specifically indicates being secure. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not send sensitive personal information, such as your Social Insurance Number or your date of birth, through non-secure electronic means. As soon as your inquiry is submitted, the information is stored in the Agency Case Management System.

Personal information from emails or completed feedback forms is collected pursuant to the Canada Transportation Act. Such information may be used for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes and is included in Personal Information Bank PSU 914 (Public Communications). If after reading this statement, you prefer not to submit your inquiry online, you may use one of the following methods:

By Mail: Canadian Transportation Agency, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N9

In Person: Canadian Transportation Agency, 15 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec, J8X 4B3

By Teletypewriter: 1-800-669-5575

If you do not provide your contact information, the Agency will not be able to respond to your inquiry. 

Privacy Inquiry

You have the right to request access to your personal information and also to request corrections if you believe that your personal information is erroneous or incomplete

Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and privacy policies may be directed to the departmental Privacy Coordinator by email to OTC.AIPRP-ATIP.CTA@otc-cta.gc.ca, by calling 819-743-7259 or writing to: Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator, 15 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec, J8X 4B3.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by e-mail at info@priv.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.

Improving your experience on the Agency’s website

IP Addresses

The nature of the Internet is such that web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. The Agency considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data automatically collected when a visitor requests a web page, such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.

In cases where services are provided by organizations outside of the Agency, such as social media platforms or mobile applications, IP addresses may be recorded by the web server of the third-party service provider.

Digital Markers (including cookies)

A digital marker is a resource created by the visitors’ browser in order to remember certain pieces of information for the web server to reference during the same or subsequent visit to the website. Examples of digital markers are “cookies” or HTML5 web storage. Some examples of what digital markers do are as follows:

• they allow a website to recognize a previous visit each time the visitor accesses the site;
• they track what information is viewed on a site which helps website administrators ensure visitors find what they are looking for.

The Agency uses sessional digital markers on some portions of its website. During your online visit, your browser exchanges data with Agency’s web server. The digital markers used do not allow the Agency to identify individuals.

You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including cookies, if you so choose. However, it may affect your ability to interact efficiently with Agency’s website.

Web Analytics

Web analytics is the collection, analysis, measurement, and reporting of data about web traffic and visits for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage. Information in digital markers may be used for the purpose of web analytics to remember your online interactions with Agency’s website.

The Agency uses Google Analytics to improve its website. When your computer requests an Agency web page, our institution collects the following types of information for web analytics:

• the originating IP address;
• the date and time of the request;
• the type of browser used;
• the page(s) visited.

The Agency uses Google Analytics and the information collected is disclosed to Google, an external third party service provider. Your IP address is anonymized prior to being stored on the service provider’s servers in order to help safeguard your privacy. The information collected is depersonalized by disabling the last octet of the IP address.

Data collected for web analytics purposes goes outside of Canada to the United States and may be subject to the governing legislation of that country, for example the United States Patriot Act.

Information used for the purpose of web analytics is collected pursuant to the Canada Transportation Act. Such data may be used for communications and information technology statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting. For more information on how your privacy is safeguarded in relation to web analytics, see the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Standard on Privacy and Web Analytics.

Protecting the security of the Agency’s website

The Agency employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the IP address of the computer that has contacted our website, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.

This information is collected pursuant to section 161 of the Financial Administration Act. Such information may be used for network security related statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting and is included in Personal Information Bank PSU 939 Security Incidents. The information may be shared with appropriate law enforcement authorities if suspected criminal activities are detected.

Use of Social Media

The Agency’s policy with regards to use of social media can be found at the following link: Use of Social Media

Air carrier licence search

Every effort is made to ensure that information posted on air carrier licences is accurate and up to date. However, the Agency cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information or data supplied by the Air Carrier Licence Search application. To obtain up-to-date information or to correct errors, you can send an email at licence@otc-cta.gc.ca.

Enforcement actions taken

Every effort is also made to ensure that information posted on the “Enforcement Actions Taken by the CTA’s enforcement officers” web page is accurate and up to date. However, the Agency cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information. To obtain up-to-date information or to correct errors, you can send an email to conformite-compliance@otc-cta.gc.ca.

Client satisfaction surveys

Parties to complaints and regulatory determination cases may be asked to participate in a survey as part of the Agency’s ongoing efforts to improve its service delivery. Participation in surveys is voluntary. Responses will be kept confidential and may be reviewed by an independent third party, or Agency staff assigned to analyze survey results. Any information provided during the survey process will not be used for any other purpose.

Using files located on non-agency servers

To improve the functionality of our websites, certain files (such as open source libraries, images, and scripts) may be delivered automatically to your browser via a trusted third-party server or Content Delivery Network. The delivery of these files is intended to provide a seamless user experience by speeding response times and avoiding the need for each visitor to download these files. Where applicable, specific privacy statements covering these files are included in our Privacy Notice.

Providing content in both official languages

The Official Languages Act, the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations and Treasury Board policy requirements establish when the Agency uses both English and French to provide services to or communicate with members of the public. When there is no obligation to provide these in both official languages, content may be available in one official language only. Information that is provided to the Agency and made available to the public is in the language(s) provided.

Linking to non-Agency websites

Links to websites not under the control of the Agency are provided solely for the convenience of our website visitors. The Agency is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content. The government does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.

Visitors should also be aware that information offered by non-Agency sites to which this website links may not be subject to the Privacy Act, the Official Languages Act and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities. The information offered may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question. With respect to privacy, visitors should research the privacy policies of these non-Agency websites before providing personal information.

Ownership and usage of content provided on this site

Materials on this website were produced and/or compiled by the Agency for the purpose of providing Canadians with information about the activities of the Agency . You may use and reproduce the materials as follows:

Non-Commercial Reproduction

Unless otherwise specified you may reproduce the materials in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, and in any format, without charge or further permission, provided you do the following:

• Exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
• Indicate both the complete title of the materials reproduced, as well as the author (where available); and
• Indicate that the reproduction is a copy of the version available at www.otc-cta.gc.ca.

Commercial Reproduction

Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission of the Agency.

To obtain permission to reproduce Agency materials on this site for commercial purposes, send an email request to info@otc-cta.gc.ca.

Trademark notice

The official symbols of the Agency and of the Government of Canada, including the Canada Wordmark, the Arms of Canada, and the flag symbol may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without prior written authorization.

Our commitment to accessibility

The Agency follows the Government of Canada’s Standard on Web Accessibility. This standard reflects the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.

The Agency always strives for greater levels of accessibility than those required by the current standard. We also include accessibility functionalities, such as Text to Speech reader, American Sign Language and Langue des signes québécoise videos. We consult with the disability rights community to help ensure that web content is widely accessible.

If you experience difficulty using our web site, please consult our Web Accessibility statement that lists our accessible web features that will help you navigate the site. You can also request information in a different format, such as print, large print, braille, audio format, and an electronic format that is compatible with adaptive technology by contacting us at info@otc-cta.gc.ca.