TSB History

The TSB was formed on March 29, 1990 with the enactment of the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act.

The first major official Canadian transportation accident investigation was of the 1914 sinking of the Empress of Ireland, in which 1012 people perished. Since then, transportation accidents were investigated by the regulators. Some major accidents, such as the 1986 passenger train derailment near Hinton, Alberta, were investigated by judicial inquiries.

The first recommendation for an independent, multi-modal transportation accident investigation agency was made in 1972 as part of a report on the state of Canadian accident investigation and safety promotion. Since then, numerous other government studies and accident inquiries made similar recommendations. As early as 1979, legislation was introduced to create such an agency, but it died on the order paper. While the multi-modal approach to accident investigation was debated up until the formation of the TSB, there was consensus over time that the organization should be independent, to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest.

In 1984, the Canadian Aviation Safety Board (CASB) was established, following a recommendation of the 1979 Commission of Inquiry on Aviation Safety. Responsible for investigating aviation accidents, it made recommendations to advance aviation safety and made its findings public through accident investigation reports. While the CASB reported to Parliament through the Minister of Transport, it functioned independently of the department, and the Minister was required to officially respond to the Board?s recommendations.

With the 1989 passing of the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act, the TSB was formed to bring the aviation, marine, railway and pipeline investigative resources under the same roof. It reports to Parliament through the President of the Queen?s Privy Council for Canada.

Today, the TSB exists as an independent investigation authority with the sole goal of advancing transportation safety. Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of its staff, the TSB has made significant contributions to accident investigation techniques and methodologies over the past twenty years.

Since its inception, the TSB has conducted thousands of investigations across the modes it investigates. Some major investigations include:

• The March 22, 2006 striking and subsequent sinking of the passenger ferry Queen of the North in British Columbia.
• The ruptures of three natural gas pipelines due to stress corrosion cracking in Ontario between January 1991 and July 1992.
• The derailment and fire of a freight train in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, on December 30, 1999.
• The September 2, 1998 in-flight fire and collision into water of Swissair Flight 111 near Peggy?s Cove, Nova Scotia.

Through its close contacts with regulators, manufacturers and other investigative authorities, findings from TSB investigations have led to numerous improvements to operational practices, equipment design and regulations throughout all sectors of the marine, pipeline, rail and aviation industries. These efforts have firmly established the TSB as a leader in transportation safety around the world.