The Canadian Automobile Association (French: Association canadienne des automobilistes), commonly known as CAA, is a non-profit federation, founded in 1913, of nine motor clubs across Canada, providing roadside assistance service, a range of auto touring and leisure travel services, insurance services, and member discounts.
The CAA considers itself to be an advocate for Canada’s motorists and travellers, and is affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) of the United States. Many English-language TourBooks and maps about Canada distributed by CAA clubs are published by AAA, and carry both CAA and AAA branding. CAA is an active political lobby for Canadian car-owners, pursuing the interests of drivers in public consultations over urban planning and public transit.
CAA Manitoba can trace its origins to the creation of the Winnipeg Auto Club in 1904, the first club of its kind in Canada. The organization later evolved into the Manitoba Motor League, becoming an integral part of motoring history in the province - from developing the first road map, to marking highways, to implementing road safety programs. The MML was renamed CAA Manitoba in 1993. Today CAA Manitoba represents more than 190,000 members and has expanded beyond emergency road service to include a full service travel agency, home and property insurance and travel products. CAA Manitoba is actively engaged in advocacy issues, most recently with its 'Move Over Manitoba' campaign to convince the provincial government to extend to tow truck operators the same protective measures that cover emergency roadside personnel.
CAA Saskatchewan, formerly the Saskatchewan Motor Club, has been in operation since 1917 and includes automotive sales and service facilities, a travel agency and an insurance agency. Besides providing a full range of travel services and packages, CAA Saskatchewan also owns and operates its own motorcoach company, WestWorld Tours, which offers fully escorted tours to a variety of North American destinations. CAA Saskatchewan's insurance agency offers a wide range of insurance products, from basic coverage to all-risk comprehensive policies, for home and property, auto, health & dental, travel and life insurance, with added benefits and savings for CAA Saskatchewan Members. The Show Your Card & Save program also provides Members savings at thousands of attractions, retailers and merchants throughout the world, with point-of-sale discounts and the opportunity to earn CAA Dollars which can be redeemed on CAA merchandise and services.
In Ontario, the CAA was formerly the 'Ontario Motor League'. It facilitates Ontario's Drive Clean program from the CAA locations that double as Ministry of Transport licence renewal and vehicle registration offices. The Ontario Motor League originally was not affiliated with the CAA or AAA.
CAA is not affiliated with the Dominion Automobile Association or consumer groups such as the Automobile Protection Agency.
Clubs and territories
- BCAA British Columbiaâ€"British Columbia and Yukon
- Alberta Motor Associationâ€"Alberta and parts of the Northwest Territories directly north of Alberta and Saskatchewan
- CAA Saskatchewanâ€"Saskatchewan
- CAA Manitobaâ€"Manitoba and Nunavut
- CAA North and East Ontarioâ€"Ontario: counties of Dundas, Glengarry. That portion of Leeds-Grenville formerly known as Grenville County, Lanark, Prescott, Renfrew, Russell, Stormont, the districts of Cochrane, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Sudbury, Timiskaming, Kenora (including area of Patricia), Rainy River, Thunder Bay, and the cities of Ottawa and Sudbury
- CAA South Central Ontarioâ€"Ontario: counties of Wellington, Perth, Oxford, Middlesex, Elgin, Norfolk, Hastings, Prince Edward, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Peterborough, Northumberland, Haldimand, Haliburton, Essex, Lambton, Grey, Bruce, Huron, Dufferin, Brant, Simcoe, and the portion of Leeds-Grenville formerly known as Leeds, the Regional Municipalities of Durham, Peel, Halton, Waterloo and York, the cities of Kawartha Lakes, Chatham-Kent, Hamilton and Toronto, and the Districts of Algoma and Muskoka
- CAA Niagaraâ€"Ontario: Regional Municipality of Niagara
- CAA-Quebec-- Quebec
- CAA Atlantic -- New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador
References
See also
- American Automobile Association
- The Automobile Association - The British motoring association
- Evo Car Share - A carsharing service created by BCAA
- Electric vehicles
- AirCare (emissions program)
External links
- CAA National
- CAA Atlantic
- CAA British Columbia
- CAA Saskatchewan
- CAA Manitoba
- CAA North & East Ontario
- CAA South Central Ontario
- CAA Niagara
- CAA Quebec
- Alberta Motor Association
- Electric vehicles available in Canada, by the Canadian Automobile Association.
