Safety Notes

The following posts include information on current motor vehicle safety issues and the perspectives of individuals with related knowledge and expertise. We welcome your comments on any of the issues raised. Contact us at: info@djdsafety.com

Opinion - Letter to the Editor of the Ottawa Citizen On January 24, 2026, the following letter was published in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper subsequent to a report that various government departments, including Transport Canada, were pilot testing the use of artificial-intelligence (AI) systems to redact documents that were to be released in response to requests made under the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) legislation.*

Don't rely on AI to redact information

I support Ken Rubin's assessment that AI will be a tool of repression, not a tool for release of information, as reported in Ben Andrews' article of Jan 13.

At Transport Canada, one of the three departments where AI is "in development" as a tool for redaction of information, ATIP has become a significant means of stifling the release of information relating to the safety of Canadians, subverting the initial ATIP principle of transparency. Prior to 2006, the disclosure policy was to fully release the results from car crash tests designed to improve the safety of occupants in collisions. This proactive disclosure allowed for more effective and meaningful evaluations of the government's response to issues of public interest and the development of improved vehicle safety standards. Reliance on AI for redaction of material will do little to advance improved transparency and accountability, nor will it reduce the ever-mounting burden and backlogs within the ATI system.

Treasury Board Secretariat, which has authority over ATIP, should use its mandate to transform the federal government's modus operandi from an approach that fosters secrecy to one that promotes openness for the greater public interest and safety of Canadians.

Dainius Dalmotas, Gatineau, Que.

* For a detailed discussion of this topic, see:
Canadian and US Policies on Releasing Safety Data Opportunities Missed

Transparency

In June 2019, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN) presented a report to the House following its study of Bus Passenger Safety.

The first of nine recommendations calls for greater transparency in sharing of research results relating to vehicle safety testing:

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada take steps to ensure that all research and results of laboratory or vehicle safety testing conducted by Transport Canada is made publicly available on the department's website.

In making the recommendation, the Committee referenced a brief submitted by Dainius Dalmotas stating:

As the Committee heard, Transport Canada is actively engaged in research and vehicle safety testing. However, in his brief, Mr. Dainius Dalmotas, President and CEO of D. J. Dalmotas Consulting, Inc., criticized the department's lack of transparency. He suggested that Canada should adopt the US model of "full disclosure" in terms of public availability of research and safety testing results.