Canadian Aviation Regulations: Miscellaneous Amendments

Summary#

These are final, mostly technical changes to the Canadian Aviation Regulations made by the Regulations Amending the Canadian Aviation Regulations (Miscellaneous Program, 2021-1). They were registered on June 17, 2021 and came into force when published in the Canada Gazette, Part II on July 7, 2021. The changes are housekeeping: they fix wording, correct French/English differences, remove obsolete rules, and add one control tower listing.

What it does#

• Repeals a few obsolete or "spent" rules so they no longer appear in the Canadian Aviation Regulations. Examples include subsections that no longer apply to any registrants.
• Fixes wording, grammar and references in both English and French versions so the two language texts match more closely.
• Replaces some words to use clearer language in English (for example, changing “notwithstanding” to “despite” in several places).
• Updates a number of specific references and names, for example replacing “Canadian Forces” with Canadian Armed Forces where relevant.
• Updates cross-references to the Canadian Aviation Security Regulations, 2012 (including a numbering change to section 543).
• Clarifies French wording on several items, such as:
  • requiring an airport emergency plan be reviewed and updated at least once a year after certain consultations;
  • correcting wording for pilot and remotely piloted aircraft certificates and competency checks;
  • changing a deadline reference to 30 working days where appropriate.
• Adds Montréal International (Mirabel) to the list of air traffic control towers (added as item 8 in Table 3 to section 801.11), reflecting that the Mirabel tower is operating again.
• Confirms these are administrative, non-controversial changes that do not create new costs or new regulatory burdens.

Who's affected#

• Airport operators and local emergency planners (because of clarified emergency-plan review language).
• Pilots, flight instructors and air traffic controllers (minor wording and reference changes affect licence and competency language).
• Operators of remotely piloted aircraft (some French wording and certificate clauses were clarified for advanced operations).
• Aircraft owners and registrants (removal of obsolete registration-related wording and updates to annual reporting text in French).
• The addition of Montréal International (Mirabel) mainly affects users and managers around Mirabel airport, although the change simply recognizes existing services.
• Most businesses and the general public are unlikely to notice any practical change. The government says small businesses are not affected.

Why it matters#

• Clearer and consistent wording in English and French reduces confusion about what rules actually require. That can help pilots, operators and inspectors interpret the rules the same way.
• Removing obsolete provisions reduces the chance someone reads an irrelevant rule and acts on it by mistake.
• Adding Mirabel to the control-tower list reflects reality on the ground and avoids a mismatch between operations and the rulebook.
• These are housekeeping updates, so they do not change safety standards or create new costs. They mainly make the regulations easier to read and use.