OTTAWA (Jan. 11, 2010)—Canadian tire industry executives and officials of Transport Canada are holding a series of talks toward strengthening safety regulations for snow tires.
The last meeting on snow tire standards was held Dec. 10, according to Transport Canada.
The items of discussion are whether the current standard for traction in packed snow should be upgraded and whether a performance-based standard for ice traction can be created, according to Glenn Maidment, president of the Rubber Association of Canada.
“Given everything that has gone on over several years, we should be able to work with Transport Canada to make sure snow tires are as safe as they can be, and that consumers know it,” he said.
At the last meeting, attendees agreed that Transport Canada would create terms of reference for a task force to expedite action on new snow tire standards, Maidment said. The industry expects the agency to come back with draft terms of reference any time now, he said.