ARCHIVED - Audit of Service to the Public in Both Official Languages - Audit Program - Toronto International Airport - Number 38

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1. Introduction

This audit is part of the audit activities conducted by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) to ensure that the Official Languages Act (OLA) and TBS official languages policy are being enforced. The goal of this audit of federal institutions located at the airport and of the airport authority is to determine whether the public can communicate with and receive services from these institutions in the official language of its choice, in accordance with the Official Languages Act and the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations.

This section presents the background to the audit and the objectives, scope, approach used, results, conclusions and recommendations.

2. Background

Since 1992, Transport Canada has been leasing to local airport authorities the international airports it owned and operated in such locations as Calgary, Halifax, Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. These authorities are all not-for-profit corporations. Local airport authorities are responsible for the management, operation and maintenance of the airports they lease, and for capital projects relating to such components as the runways, air terminal buildings, industrial areas, parking lots, ground transportation, emergency response services, personnel management and the financial and administrative functions.

In March 1992, the Airport Transfer (Miscellaneous Matters) Act received Royal assent. Although the Toronto international airport is not a federal institution, it remains subject to parts of the Official Languages Act. Section 4(1) of the Airport Transfer (Miscellaneous Matters) Act states that:

Where the Minister has leased an airport to a designated airport authority, on and after the transfer date Parts IV, V, VI, VIII, IX and X of the Official Languages Act apply, with such modifications as the circumstances require, to the authority in relation to the airport as if (a) the authority were a federal institution; and (b) the airport were an office or facility of that institution, other than its head or central office.

3. Audit objectives

The audit objectives were established under Part IV of the Official Languages Act, which deals with the obligations of federal institutions, and third parties acting on their behalf, concerning service to the public. The audit objective was to determine the extent to which the airports in question (services provided by the airport authorities, airlines, concessionaires, and health and safety services), federal institutions subject to the Official Languages Act and located at the airports (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada) and Air Canada are fulfilling their service to the public obligations under the Official Languages Act, the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations and government policy.

4. Scope

The audit covered seven privatized airports: those in Calgary, Halifax, Moncton, Montreal (Dorval), Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. A separate report was prepared for each airport. The auditors studied the airport authorities in each of these cities, the federal institutions at the airports (as mentioned above) and Air Canada.

For each location visited, we carried out three types of audit:

• a telephone audit: a call outside business hours (where they are not continuous) to check whether there is a Call Answer system in both official languages, and (except for the airport authorities) a call during business hours to check whether active offer really exists and whether service can be obtained in both official language;
• an in-person audit at the site;
• an audit of the Internet sites.

The services related to public security, health and safety were also audited at the sites.

It should be noted that the audit did not cover Transport Canada. At the time of the audit, the Commissioner of Official Languages was carrying out a follow-up to assess the progress made in implementing the recommendations she made following her special study of Transport Canada.

Also, the audit did not cover the verbal announcements related to the flights since they are related to the obligations of the route and that will be audited in another study.

5. Approach

The following steps were completed during the audit:

• Meet with the Treasury Board Secretariat official languages representatives to discuss the audit parameters.
• Identify complaints filed with the Commissioner of Official Languages in the past two years.
• Develop an audit program involving a number of audit questionnaires (by telephone and on-site), for each airport and all institutions covered.
• Determine to what extent the Internet sites of the airports involved give the same information in both official languages, and if necessary determine the extent to which the public can communicate with these airports in both official languages.
• For each airport, examine a sample of contracts with third parties and airlines.
• Make telephone calls to check active offer in the airports and institutions covered.
• Interview those in charge of the airport authorities and federal institutions covered, and interview the representatives of the official language minority communities to obtain the viewpoint of the clients.
• Check active offer, notices and signage in the airports and federal institutions covered.
• Check notices, documentation and availability of service in both official languages on the premises of third parties and airlines.
• Collect all the relevant information, compile the data and analyse the results for the airports and federal institutions covered.
• Group the analyses of the federal institutions and airport authorities by regions, and prepare a separate report for each airport visited.
• Submit the seven draft reports to the TBS representatives to clarify items that are unclear and discuss modifications to each report.
• Send the draft reports to those in charge of the airports and institutions, to obtain their comments and incorporate them into the final version of each report as necessary.

6. Findings

6.1 Airport authority

6.1.1 Profile of organization

Since December 2, 1996, Toronto Airport has been managed by a national corporation without share capital, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA); we found that this corporation also uses a French version of its name, the Autorité aéroportuaire du Grand Toronto (which is used in signage and bilingual documents), and that it was incorporated in 1993. GTAA manages air terminals 1 and 2; terminal 3 is currently managed by Airport Group Canada Inc., whose lease is valid until May 2002.

Our audit combined the two organizations to produce a single picture of Lester B. Pearson International Airport; also, the transfer to the GTAA involved a transfer of full control of the airport, not just control of the two air terminals. This transfer in a sense cancelled the agreement to sell the airport's air terminals 1 and 2 to T1T2 Ltd. Partnership, a private-sector promoter whose priority would have been to generate revenue for the shareholders. The GTAA operates the airport on a non-profit basis; its revenue is used to improve the airport or reduce user costs.

At the time of our visit, the two authorities had a total of about 930 employees. Some 65 of them have contacts with the public. The building housing the GTAA administrative services is southeast of Lester B. Pearson International Airport and is not visited by the travelling public. It should be noted that the GTAA uses a volunteer group, the Traveller's Aid Society of Toronto, which provides travellers with information on the services available in the air terminals. These volunteers are not bilingual. GTAA considers that they are only providing Travellers Aid with a space in the terminals and that Travellers Aid is not contracted by GTAA for this service.

6.1.2 Language obligations

The GTAA is responsible for ensuring that the services under its jurisdiction at the air terminals are provided in English and in French, pursuant to the OLA and the Official Languages Regulations. It is mainly responsible for notices and signage inside and outside the air terminals.

One of its responsibilities is to inform the travelling public; unlike many airports, which entrust this task to private companies, the GTAA looks after customer service itself. Rather than have customer service counters, GTAA has decided to have agents walking throughout the air terminals looking for people who need help. These agents wear a uniform and identification badges that are easy for people needing information to recognize. There are about fifty of these roving customer service representatives. More than half speak both English and French; their level of bilingualism is considered high, and it is checked by a private company. We had the opportunity to spend several hours with some representatives, and we can say that these were perfectly bilingual. All prospective employees of this service must be bilingual before they are hired. There are also telephone numbers travellers can call to speak with customer service representatives or the authority. The roving representatives have mobile telephones so the authority can readily reach them and send them to help clients.

There are also about fifteen air terminal officers who may have contacts with the public, but in reality they are not part of the group of employees whose mandate is to serve the public; their role is to help the public in emergencies. About one third of these officers are bilingual. The GTAA also has an official languages co-ordinator; she ensures that the airport authority complies with the OLA. Furthermore, the media relations officer and the emergency planning superintendent can communicate in either official language with members of the print or electronic media.

The authority is also responsible for making certain that contract services as described in section 12(1) of the Official Languages Regulations are provided to travellers in both official languages. The GTAA considers that it enthusiastically supports the Official Languages Program, and that it is an important factor in its service delivery. Besides, the airport authority manages the airport on the basis of four principles, one of which is customer service; the official languages component is part of customer service. Once or twice a year the GTAA conducts a survey and gives travellers a form on which they can make comments; this form is bilingual. There are no specific mechanisms solely to monitor implementation of the OLA; the GTAA considers that supervising the operations, the comments received in the surveys, and any complaints it receives are enough to give a good idea of the quality of the services to the public.

The telephone number listed for the GTAA in the Toronto telephone directory is 416-247-7678. Outside business hours, this number is connected to a fully bilingual Call Answer system that offers a number of options: information on flight arrivals and departures, the airlines, the air terminals, parking, transportation, federal institutions, etc.; each of those options leads to a number of additional options. The information is highly detailed, and it is identical in both official languages. During business hours we did not receive an active offer, but the employee transferred our call, and we were able to obtain information in French within a few minutes.

We also called the information services telephone numbers of all three air terminals, using the following numbers: (416) 247-7678, (905) 676-3506 and (905) 612-5100. These numbers are published on the airport's Internet site. In all three cases, the system always operates in the same way: the calls are routed to a fully bilingual Call Answer system. However, if after choosing the French option you remain on the line to speak to someone, the message, something like "an agent will be with you shortly" is not bilingual. We did not receive an active offer in any of our calls, and obtaining services in French was a complicated process: after being put on hold and transferred several times, we were finally able to reach someone who spoke French.

The roving customer service agents do not have business cards. The GTAA has keyboards that can type accents; it receives letters in French and has the capability of replying to them.

All agreements with third parties (restaurants, foreign exchange offices, car rental agencies, duty-free shops) include a clause governing the two official languages, which states the -the tenant covenants that all printed and written material of an information nature displayed or made available to the public, including but not limiting to signs, notices, instructions, directions, sales slips, receipts, ticket, brochures, pamphlets and menus, shall be printed in both -The Tenant covenants and agrees that there shall be sufficient staff on duty at the Leased Premises at all times that the Leased Premises are required to be open to provide an oral response capability in both French and English languages within a reasonable time". The GTAA can help concessionaires with translation. The agreements with the medical clinic stipulate that it must have access to bilingual personnel to provide service in both official languages.

The clause used in the contract with the Peel Regional Police is not very specific: "Standard clause to comply with all applicable rules, regulations and by-laws of the federal, provincial and municipal governments". The GTAA has no agreements with the airlines, because the Transport Canada agreements are still in effect. GTAA is about to update these agreements, and it intends to include an official languages clause in them. The new agreement with the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires includes a language clause. The contract related to the hotel contains an official languages clause ("…signage, billboards, posters…shall be in both official languages of Canada, each official language being given equal prominence") but the parking lots contract does not contain language clauses. GTAA told us that the next contract will include such a clause since it is a service to the travelling public.

The Toronto Airport Internet site is almost completely bilingual; we found only slight differences, and because the French site is relatively recent, the translation may not be completed. For example, on the English home page it says: "Welcome to Pearson Airport, Gateway to the World – the GTAA welcomes your comments"; this statement does not appear in the French version. The contents under some headings are not identical in both official languages. For example, the Media Room heading contains much more information than the French heading "Nouvelles". There is a list of press releases in the English version, but not in the French version. GTAA told us that all press releases are translated and will ensure both appear on the site.

Under Airport Development there is an entire section based on an interactive map with a number of components; this section is not in the French version. This heading also includes a virtual tour of the airport, with sound recordings (describing the pictures) that are available only in English. Also, there is a heading on Cargo and another on Business Opportunities that are not available in French. The GTAA probably considers that those two headings are not addressed to the travelling public. There are slight imperfections in the air terminal maps. For example, there is no "é" or "É" on the terminal 1 map (lower level), only spaces where those letters should be. However, that situation applies only to this map; the others are correct.

Over the past year there were five complaints related to the two official languages: they mainly concerned signage and the lack of bilingual receipts in the parking lots. It should be noted that the GTAA publishes its annual report in both official languages.

6.1.3 Exterior notices and signage

Motorists arriving at the grounds of Toronto Airport find that there is a great deal of construction and that it is sometimes hard to move around: a number of access routes seem to be temporary. The signage is bilingual in almost all cases, even though some notices must be moved often because of the construction. We saw only one place where there was no sign in French telling motorists to squeeze right. There are also a few unilingual signs in some parking lots, such as: "Upper level", "By Permit Only" (parking reserved for disabled persons), "Courtesy Hotel & off-Airport Parking", "Shuttle pick-up", "Hold Handrail", "Notice to persons picking-up arriving passengers", etc. GTAA told us that signage is all under review. In general, there are very few errors in French. Overall, the exterior notices and signage at the airport are prominently displayed and bilingual. We also noted that on the access routes for arrivals there were verbal announcements from loud speakers indicating the taxis and buses travellers can use to go into town. These announcements are made in both official languages regularly throughout the day.

6.1.4 Interior notices and signage

Travellers deplaning from domestic or international flights are directed to the baggage areas by pictograms. The pictograms are provided with bilingual notices, and the signage directing travellers is bilingual as well. Occasionally there are translations that are less than ideal, such as "baggage claim" translated as "délivrance de bagages" instead of "réclamation de bagages", and some errors in French like "objects trouvés".

Some notices are in English only, but they are exceptions; considering the size of the airport, there are not many. Thus on the walkway to the hotel there is a sign stating, in English only, "Sheraton Gateway welcomes you". We must also mention that throughout the airport there are unilingual signs marked "Emergency Zone Checkpoint"; the instructions (smaller font) beside these signs are bilingual, but the attention of the travelling public will be drawn to the main sign, and since these instructions relate to the safety of the travelling public, it seems important to point out that this panel should be bilingual. There are a number of these signs, and their location is always identified by a code like A10, D2, D9, etc. GTAA considers that these signs are for use by staff members of the Terminal Building Evacuation Organization. Except for those signs, the evacuation plans and emergency measures are always given in both official languages.

In general, the signage in the corridors to direct the travelling public is mostly in both official languages, and the use of pictograms makes moving around easier. The directions for going from one terminal to another are also clearly indicated and bilingual. The air terminal maps or lists of facilities provided are bilingual.

In the waiting rooms and other airport areas, the screens announcing flight arrivals and departures are fully bilingual. In each air terminal there are continual verbal announcements about security, smoking, watching your baggage, etc. These announcements are always made in both official languages; they are automated recordings, programmed to be broadcast at regular intervals. This procedure provides for a form of control, since there are no omissions, as often occurs when the announcements are made by employees.

Throughout the three air terminals, the washrooms are indicated using pictograms and the signage is bilingual. -"automatic faucet", for example, and sometimes the translation has clearly been torn off, as is often the case with "Baby changing station". Both play areas we examined were equipped with bilingual panels.

6.1.5 Self-service machines

There are a number of automated teller machines in the air terminals. The Royal Bank and Bank of Montreal machines are fully bilingual. All transactions at those machines can be made in either English or French. Transaction receipts are issued in the official language chosen by the client. However, the automated teller machines operated under the name Frisco-Atms are not fully bilingual: some explanations are in English only, such as  "Warning" and "Remove receipt below". We were told that all units will be bilingual by March 12. There were also change machines, and the instructions for them were bilingual.

The information on using the public telephones (Bell Canada) is bilingual, as are the calling cards that can be bought from the calling card machines. We noted that there was the possibility of using Internet services (Bell Canada) in all three air terminals, and that the instructions were in both official languages. In the air terminals there are about forty electronic games, and as is the case throughout Canada, the instructions for using them are only in English. The potato chip and Coca-Cola dispensers have instructions in English only.

6.1.6 Contract services

The airport's foreign exchange offices are administered by two different organizations, Ice Currency Services, Travel Insurance and Thomas Cook Group (Canada) Ltd. We visited about ten Ice offices, and at all of them the notices and documentation were available in both official languages; we were able to obtain services in French at some of those offices. We also found that at each office the insurance contracts were also available in both official languages. The situation is different at Thomas Cook: we visited four offices, and the notices are partly bilingual; we found a number of signs in English only: "Next window please", "Store hours: Sunday, etc.", "Serving you better is the law", and a lighted sign stating: "Thomas Cook Exchange Welcome you". Moreover, the insurance contracts were available only in English, and we did not meet any employees who could serve us in French.

We visited seven duty-free shops, and in all cases the signage was unilingual English, the cash register receipts were not bilingual, and there were no services in French in these shops. Nothing has changed since the findings made in 1998 by the Treasury Board Secretariat, which had reported this situation to the GTAA.

We visited 49 restaurants or food counters, located in all three air terminals and on both sides of the security check. We found 36 restaurants where the menus were fully bilingual, 7 where they were partly bilingual, and 6 where they were unilingual English. Often the day's specials were given only in English. The receipts we examined were all unilingual English; no restaurant announces service in French. The only way for a Francophone who does not speak English to obtain service is to point to the menu item he wants to eat. At least three restaurants have smoking areas; we noted that the instructions for the smoking areas were in English only.

At Toronto Airport there are five car rental agencies in each terminal: Avis, Budget, Hertz, National Tilden and Thrifty. The situation as to notices and service varies from one terminal to another, but in general it is as follows:

• At Avis the notices, rental and insurance contracts and documentation are always bilingual; some employees, including the manager, are able to provide service in French.
• At Budget the notices are sometimes bilingual and sometimes unilingual; in one terminal an employee told us that he did not know whether there were bilingual rental and insurance contracts, and that if he had to serve unilingual Francophones he would ask for help from the Air Canada reservation counter.
• At Hertz also the situation varies: sometimes the notices are bilingual, and sometimes they are partly bilingual; the rental and insurance contracts are available in both languages, but one employee told us that he would panic if a unilingual Francophone came to pick up his car, and he would not know what to do. Part of the documentation was available in both official languages.
• At National Tilden the notices are sometimes bilingual and sometimes unilingual; the documentation and contracts were available in both official languages, but as with Hertz, an employee told us that she also would panic if she had to serve a Francophone.
• At Thrifty the notices are mainly unilingual English, and two of the attendants did not know whether there were insurance and rental contracts in French. The employees did not know whether there were administrative arrangements in effect to provide service to Francophones.

Some instructions relating to car rentals are found in the garages or parking lots where the drivers pick up and drop off the vehicles. We found that the signs used by Avis, Hertz and National Tilden were bilingual, but some signs such as "Key drops", "Vehicle Return" or "Deposit keys only" were in English only at Budget and Thrifty.

Toronto Airport has a hotel on the site: the Sheraton Gateway. The signage is not bilingual either inside or outside the hotel. However, the map of the hotel is bilingual. At the dining room reception, clients are asked to wait, and the notice is bilingual. The dining room menu is not bilingual, but the room service menu is bilingual. We were told that some waiters were bilingual. The comment cards are unilingual. In the hotel there is a telephone for calling the reception desk, the rooms or the voice mailboxes in the rooms; the instructions for using this telephone are in English only.

GTAA is now monitoring the contract situation very closely and got in touch with all the tenants were deficiencies were noted. GTAA has already asked tenants to provide an action plan with corrective measures and intends to follow-up this situation with very close attention.

Toronto Airport serves just under 30 million passengers a year, and just over 60 airlines operate there; not all were open when we visited, but we were able to visit the check-in and/or ticket counters of least twenty airlines. We have grouped these companies in three categories: Canadian airlines, U.S. airlines and airlines from other continents.

We visited the following Canadian companies:

• Air Transat: the notices and documentation are bilingual, except for the electronic display over the check-in counters; there is always at least one bilingual employee on duty.
• Canada 3000: the electronic display was unilingual English, but it was possible to obtain services and documentation in French.
• Canjet: the electronic display was unilingual English, but there was a bilingual employee who offered us services and documentation in French.
• Royal Air: all screens over the counters were in English only; there are five or six bilingual employees, and there are administrative arrangements if those persons are not there and there is a request for services in French.

Among the U.S. airlines (no documentation available in French) we visited:

• American Airlines, Continental and United Airlines: the electronic display was bilingual and some employees were bilingual; we were told that language was not a barrier with respect to customer service.
• US Airways: the notices were partly bilingual, and a third of the employees speak French.
• Delta: the notices were unilingual but we were told that some employees were bilingual; also, attendants who do not speak French use a sheet containing a number of key phrases in several languages; this sheet is kept under the counter where it is always readily available.
• America West Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Skyservice and TWA: the notices were in English only, and there were no services in French, except on occasion at Skyservice.

Among the airlines from the other continents (no documentation available in French, except for Air France), we visited:

• Air France: bilingual notices and documentation; services in French available at all times.
• Alitalia: the notices are bilingual, but we did not see any employees.
• Lufthansa: the notices in the air terminal and at the ticket counter were partly bilingual, but we did not see any employees.
• British Airways: notices unilingual English, but we were told that a third of the employees speak French.
• BWIA, CSA, KLM and Olympic Airways: notices unilingual English and no service in French except at Olympic Airways, where one person speaks French.

Please note that the information on Air Canada will be discussed in a separate section.

6.1.7 Health and security

Each air terminal in Toronto Airport has a health service provided by WMC Occupational Health Services. It serves travellers and members of the surrounding community throughout the day, since the clinic is open from 6:00 am to 1:00 am; at terminal 2 there is a physician on site five days a week. The clinic offers a whole range of services (medical examinations, emergencies, vaccination, etc.). There are no staff who speak French, but the lease does include a clause related to official languages. On our visits we were told that they would call on the airport's customer service if it were necessary to communicate with a client in French.

The Peel Regional Police have been in charge of security at Toronto Airport since April 1998. As mentioned earlier, there does not seem to be a very specific clause related to official languages in the contract between this organization and the airport authority. About one hundred officers are assigned to the airport; they work in shifts, and about thirty are on duty at the same time. There are a number of bilingual officers, but that factor is not taken into account in setting up the work teams. It is considered that the demand for services in French would not justify such measures. The Peel Regional Police considers that it can call on its bilingual officers if necessary, and it has the possibility of using a simultaneous interpretation service that is available at all times. It uses this type of interpretation service for a number of languages.

The Canadian Corps of Commissionaires mainly handles traffic near the boarding and disembarking areas. Thus the members may be required to provide information to the travelling public. At present there is no clause related to the two official languages in their service contract, but the GTAA intends to revise its approach and include one in the next contract. The commissionaires we spoke to were not bilingual.

6.1.8 Conclusions

In the air terminals of Toronto Airport, service to the public in both official languages is part of the client service philosophy. Because its employees who are already on duty at client services are bilingual, the authority has the language capacity to provide information services in both official languages.

Special attention is given to all areas of activity related to service to the public: the roving representatives, the air terminal officers and the media officers. There are some shortcomings in the services provided on the telephone: there is not always an active offer, and at some numbers for the use of the public, obtaining service in French requires some patience on the part of the client.

The interior and exterior signage is bilingual in almost all cases, and the notices concerning emergency and evacuation measures are bilingual, as are the air terminal plans. There are still some notices that are unilingual or contain errors in French, but the authority is in the process of revising the entire visual identification program. It is also correcting the unilingual instructions on the self-service equipment.

Although the agreements with third parties under contract include specific language clauses, these agreements are not always respected by some concessionaires, who have no postings, documentation or services in French. The authority is monitoring the situation, and it has already asked its tenants to provide it with an action plan and corrective measures. A reminder and special monitoring will be in order for the services provided at the hotel: shortcomings were identified earlier, when Treasury Board officers visited it two years ago.

The situation of the airlines - as regards services in both official languages - varies from excellent to mediocre, depending on the company. The authority has no contracts with the companies that are still bound to Transport Canada. When the Greater Toronto Airports Authority takes over control in the next contracts, they will have to contain precise clauses, and the authority will be able to carry out ongoing, documented monitoring.

The safety and security situation is a concern. The contracts with the Peel Regional Police and the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires will have to be revised to include very specific clauses regarding the obligation to have sufficient bilingual capacity to provide services in both official languages.

6.1.9 Recommendations

Following the audit, we recommend that the airport authority:

• continue its regular monitoring of postings inside and outside the air terminal, and the postings on the self-service equipment;
• continue the regular monitoring of the application of the language clauses in the lease contracts with third parties;
• ensure that additions to the Internet site are made simultaneously in both official languages;
• revise the service contracts with those in charge of health, safety and security to include specific language clauses covering postings and the provision of services in both official languages.

6.2 Air Canada

Toronto International Airport
Burolis #: 93035
November 24, 2000

Audit Results 

A) Active Offer

Active offer on the telephone outside business hours

The telephone number used to contact Air Canada in Toronto is a toll-free number, 1-888-247-2262. At this number there is a fully automated system offering a number of options to direct the travelling public to the desired service; it is possible to speak to a person to obtain further information, and the services are available in both official languages.

Active offer on the telephone during business hours

Dialing the above number during business hours automatically connects to a fully bilingual Call Answer system. Also, personalized services are available in both official languages when one speaks to an attendant. The calls are then routed automatically to a call centre in New Brunswick.

Active offer in person

We did not go to the Air Canada administrative offices reception counter, because our meeting with the company's representatives was held in a small meeting room near Rapidair in Terminal 2. Thus there was no audit of active offer at that location.

We did not always receive an active offer at the check-in counters, but we were able to obtain services in French, since about 20% of the staff there were bilingual. The four persons we met told us that there had been an improvement in active offer, and that management expected its employees to place even greater stress on it.

Visibility of a symbol or sign announcing that services can be obtained in both official languages

There were no official languages symbols at the Air Canada counters.

Postings in both official languages at all times

The postings are generally in both official languages. Most notices are available in both official languages, but sometimes the French notices are less visible. For example, a number of signs are in English on one side and in French on the other, but they are arranged so that only the English version is visible; it is necessary to look behind the sign to see that the French version is there. We also noted that in some cases the English version was used on both sides of the sign.

We pointed out to the management that some signs were unilingual English and repeated excessively, and that they could readily be replaced with bilingual signs; for example, in the departures area of Terminal 2, over the check-in counters, there is a whole series of lighted red signs bearing the following messages: 1: Special Assistance; 2: Air Canada Closed; 3-4-5: Baggage Drop-off; 6: with tickets; etc. Since this entire section is reserved for Air Canada, it might be useful not to keep repeating "Air Canada", and to use that space for other purposes.

We examined the express check-in kiosks that Air Canada has made available to the travelling public, and they are fully bilingual; travellers can use them, for example, to obtain their boarding cards, change seats, ask for an earlier flight or enter the number of bags to be checked.

Availability of publications in both official languages

All the documentation is available in both official languages.

Use of both official languages on the Internet site

Air Canada's Internet site is highly detailed and fully bilingual. However, it is quite difficult to move from one language to another because the generic headings given at the top of the page (Home, Aeroplan, About Air Canada, Traveller Services, Interactive Services, etc.) do not include a "Français" option for moving from one language to the other within the same heading, without going back to the first page: "Welcome aboard - English/ Bienvenue à bord - Français". There is no separate Internet site for Toronto Airport.

B) Service

Nature of the services provided by Air Canada at the airport visited

The services provided to the travelling public at Toronto Airport are those generally found at airports, including ticket offices, check-in counters, access to the boarding and disembarking areas, baggage checking and pick-up, etc. The services provided in the Maple Leaf Lounges (computer services, entertainment, relaxation, etc.) were available in both official languages; we noted that the documentation in French was rather limited, but it was available nevertheless. Notices were almost non-existent in these lounges, which are reserved for a specific clientele. Everything was bilingual except the instructions for using the Sony compact disk players.

Air Canada has made a service contract with Wackenhut of Canada Ltd., which handles the security check when the travelling public passes into the security area. The contract stipulates that the services must be provided in both official languages at all checkpoints.

Existence of bilingual capacity required to provide continuous service in both official languages

Some counters or wickets that can provide bilingual service are identified, but overall there are not many of them. These counters are located mainly in Terminal 2, and are related to the Rapidair service for flights to Montreal and Ottawa. The bilingual employees are not necessarily identified by a pin or other obvious sign that would help the travelling public identify bilingual officers. Management considers that staff mobility is too great to maintain a small number of counters identified as bilingual in each air terminal.

Since the integration of Canadian there are now 1,775 Air Canada employees in Toronto who are likely to be in contact with the public, and 359 are bilingual to levels three and four. There are four levels of bilingualism at Air Canada: level four is the highest level, corresponding overall to language exemption in the public service. Employees who do not have level four must take a test every two years to determine whether they have maintained their level of bilingualism. Management believes that there are enough bilingual staff to meet the demand for services in French. We were able to obtain services in French during our audit. It should also be mentioned that in each terminal there is a number of bilingual employees (approximately 10%) who look after baggage handling.

Presence of work tools required for provision of service in both official languages

In Toronto the Air Canada administration is able to follow up on all correspondence received in French. There are bilingual keyboards; the fax cover sheets and business cards we examined were bilingual.

Comparability of the service to the public in both official languages, and availability of administrative arrangements as necessary

The services provided to the public in both official languages are not entirely comparable nor equal in quality; while we noted that progress had been made in delivering bilingual services, there was still room for improvement in the area of active offer and the installation of permanent bilingual counters in all air terminals.

C) Managers' Responsibilities

Knowledge of requirements regarding service to the public in both official languages

The managers are well aware of their official languages responsibilities. Every six months they send their employees a memorandum reminding them of their obligations to serve the public in both official languages. The memorandum stresses active offer, and provides instructions to follow if someone asks for service in French and the employee is not able to act on the request; there is even a pager number at which they can be certain to find someone able to provide service in both official languages.

Air Canada told us that it considers bilingualism in setting up its work schedules. The workforce committees accept the fact that schedule changes are possible provided that the employees changing schedules have the same language skills.

Existence of controls to ensure service is always provided in both official languages

There are no control mechanisms to check whether service to the public is provided in both official languages. Every day management does spot checks related to the flight announcements, but that component is not part of this audit, and therefore we did not request any statistics on that subject.

Existence of mechanisms to assess client satisfaction

Air Canada provides travellers with comment cards. These cards are available in both official languages, but they do not include any questions related to official languages. Air Canada is about to develop a charter of client rights, which will clearly define the service standards it is committed to meet. It will be interesting to determine the place of service in both official languages in these service standards.

Use of the media

The managers we met told us that the advertisements published by Air Canada were bilingual, and that they were also placed in the minority community newspapers. However, they added that this is more a matter of public affairs, and that it is handled from Toronto, not by the airport.

Complaints concerning official languages

Last year there were at least seven complaints relating to official languages in the services provided by Air Canada at Toronto Airport. These complaints mainly concerned the lack of services in French at the Rapidair check-in counters, the lack of bilingual services at the ticket offices, and the fact that the attendants who direct travellers in the line-ups for the check-in counters spoke only in English.

6.2.1 Conclusions

Air Canada is fulfilling its responsibilities for service provided on the telephone very well. Although the notices are generally bilingual, they are arranged in such a way that the message in French is not always visible. This posting practice should be revised.

The counters or wickets that can provide service in both official languages are well identified, but they are few in number and are grouped in one air terminal, so that the services provided to the public in both official languages are not fully comparable in each air terminal.

6.2.2 Recommendations

Following the audit, we recommend that Air Canada:

• remind its employees of the need to arrange the notices so that they can be read in French as easily as in English;
• ensure that there are enough bilingual wickets in each air terminal, and ensure that there is enough bilingual capacity at them at all times;
• remind the employees to make active offers of service at the wickets (check-in, tickets, baggage, etc.);
• set up a mechanism to measure the level of satisfaction of clients in the air terminals with the delivery of services in both official languages.

6.3 Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA)

Toronto International Airport
Burolis number: 89011
November 28, 2000

Audit results

A) Active Offer

Active offer on the telephone outside business hours

For the services provided by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency at Toronto Airport, the telephone number listed in the telephone directory at the time of our visit was 612-7937 (905); this number has since been replaced with toll-free numbers: 1-800-959-2069 for services in French, and 1-800-661-9999 for services in English. This is a Call Answer system that operates 24 hours a day. The information is provided in English or in French, depending on the number dialed. In each case the message mentions the number to dial in order to hear the information in the other official language.

Active offer on the telephone during business hours

If these numbers are called during business hours, one can speak to an attendant who provides service in English or in French, depending on the number dialed.

Active offer in person

We did not receive an active offer at the reception counter on our visit, but we were able to obtain service in the language of our choice. Travellers arriving on international flights can identify at least one booth where there is a written or visual active offer. In each of the three Toronto Airport's terminals there is always at least one wicket identified (by a flashing red sign overhead) as providing bilingual service. The attendants at the wickets so identified generally make an active offer, but those who are at the other wickets do not. However, unilingual employees who are temporarily replacing the bilingual employees in the booths designated as bilingual still make active offers; they go for help if someone asks for services in French. The bilingual employees are asked to wear pins, but we did not see many wearing them during our visits. Services in French at the secondary line and at the cash are often provided by employees from the front lines who move to them as needed.

Visibility of the official languages symbol at all times

The official languages symbol is prominently displayed at a number of the places in all three air terminals where the customs inspectors work.

Postings in both official languages at all times

All notices related to Canada Customs are fully bilingual in the waiting rooms for travellers from both domestic and international flights. The signage is completely bilingual.

Availability of publications in both official languages

All the documentation is available in both official languages; it is provided on display racks in the waiting rooms reserved for travellers. At the time of our visit, most of the pamphlets and forms were available in both official languages.

Use of both official languages on the Internet site

The Agency's Internet site (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/) is fully bilingual and very user-friendly. It lists the full range of services provided by the Agency. It is easy to move from one language to the other by clicking on English or French in the main menu. That enables one to switch directly from the content in one language to the same content in the other, without having to go through all the search stages to find it. It is not necessary to go back to the site's home page; one can move directly to the corresponding page in the other language. There is no separate site for Toronto Airport.

B) Service

Nature of the services provided by the office visited

The office visited provides mainly customs services and programs to travellers and business people arriving in or returning to Canada. The customs inspectors, who are also designated immigration officers, are the first Canadians travellers meet when they arrive in Canada, and they want to present a good image, especially since Toronto Airport is the busiest airport in Canada. Most of the international flights come from the United States; there are also many flights from around the world.

The Agency has a service contract with Malton Neighbourhood Services; this is a non-government organization that provides such services as helping travellers fill out customs declaration cards and translation in about forty languages (German, Arabic, Cantonese, Chinese, etc.); as indicated in the service contract, these services can be provided in both English and French.

Existence of bilingual capacity required to provide continuous service in both official languages

The bilingual service is provided by 68 inspectors in bilingual positions, out of a total of 375 employees. The Agency uses a rotation system for the teams working in all three air terminals. In establishing the schedule for the work teams, it takes into account the distribution of men and women and the presence of a sufficient number of bilingual officers. There are always bilingual employees on each work team. However, only three or four supervisors are in bilingual positions; supervision of the provision of bilingual services on a continuing basis is therefore difficult to maintain, because there is not a bilingual supervisor on each work team.

Management makes certain that there are enough bilingual staff on duty when a flight from a carrier like Air France arrives, because it knows that the demand for services in French is greater at those times. The Agency can also call on a number of bilingual employees who work part-time, and it is making an effort to recruit bilingual students, to increase its linguistic capability during the summer. The managers we met said that the services had improved greatly in recent years. However, they pointed out that the staff turnover rate is quite high, and that bilingual employees have greater chances for advancement than the others; this leads to a problem of retaining staff. Also, the Agency does not want to deprive its bilingual employees of advancement, so it plans to set up a language training program for skills retention at the workplace.

Presence of work tools required for provision of service in both official languages

There is not much correspondence in French at Toronto Airport. The managers told us that there were no bilingual keyboards in their offices but that they could respond properly to requests for services. If necessary the Agency calls on bilingual resources from the regional office for its translations. The business cards and fax cover sheets are fully bilingual.

Comparability of the service to the public in both official languages, and availability of administrative arrangements as necessary

We consider that the Agency provides comparable services to the public in both official languages. Most of the bilingual services are provided by employees who have the same level of skill in both official languages, and there are always bilingual employees on duty. In an emergency the Agency can call on bilingual employees working in another air terminal.

C) Managers' Responsibilities

Knowledge of requirements regarding service to the public in both official languages

The managers are well aware of their official languages responsibilities. They ensure that there are enough bilingual employees on each work team, and if necessary they have their bilingual employees work overtime to meet the demand. They showed themselves to be very interested in improving the quality of their services.

Existence of controls to ensure service is always provided in both official languages

There is no formal mechanism in place to monitor whether the service is always provided in both official languages. The Agency considers that the number of complaints is a form of control, and it expects the Commissioner of Official Languages or the Treasury Board Secretariat to audit the provision of bilingual services on occasion.

Existence of mechanisms to assess client satisfaction

There are no mechanisms to assess client satisfaction. The Agency told us that it sometimes receives comments from the airport authority, which provides the travelling public with bilingual comment cards.

Meetings with the representatives of the official language minority community

There is no formal mechanism for contact with the official language minority associations, but the managers told us that they had contacted some organizations to ask them for help in recruiting Francophones. The Agency has also sent letters to a number of school boards explaining the permitted limits on the number of bottles of wine that students may bring home when they go on trips organized by the schools.

Use of the media

The Agency does not use the media, since that task is performed by headquarters or the regional office.

Complaints related to official languages

During 2000 there were two complaints related to official languages. The first concerned the fact that there was no bilingual officer at the counter identified as offering bilingual service, hence there was no service in French at that counter. The second complaint was that there was no counter identified as providing bilingual service in Terminal 2. Both complaints concerned Terminal 2 and related in some way to the counters identified as bilingual.

6.3.1 Conclusions

The Agency is fulfilling its language obligations for telephone service, postings and signage very well. There is no active offer at the reception counter, but there is an active offer at the wickets identified as bilingual. Those in charge of the Agency are well aware of their obligations, and in setting up the work shifts they make certain to maintain a bilingual capacity in each air terminal, particularly for arrivals of flights from French-speaking countries. This can be done because the bilingual capacity (18%) seems sufficient for the moment.

This language capacity should be constantly reviewed, because Toronto is a hub for Canadian air traffic, and the clientele is steadily growing. To guide it in this task, the Agency should systematically measure the satisfaction of its French-speaking clients and adjust its bilingual resources accordingly. It should also be mentioned that it has a service contract with a third party; this contract contains a language clause, but there does not seem to be a mechanism for monitoring application of this clause.

6.3.2 Recommendations

Following the audit, we recommend that the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency:

• remind the employees of the importance of making a verbal active offer when delivering services;
• annually review the language designation of the positions, to ensure that it has enough bilingual capacity at all times;
• annually audit respect for the language clause in the contract with a third party;
• measure the satisfaction of the clients with the possibility of obtaining services in the official language of their choice, in all three air terminals.

6.4 Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

Toronto International Airport
November 29, 2000

Audit results

A) Active Offer

Active offer on the telephone outside business hours

The Citizenship and Immigration office at Toronto Airport has a telephone number in the Toronto telephone directory: 973-4444 (416). When we called the number outside business hours, we found a fully automated Call Answer system available in both official languages.

Active offer on the telephone during business hours

When we called the above number during business hours, we spoke to an officer and obtained services in French.

Active offer in person

When we went to the reception counter there were no employees there, so we cannot comment on active offer. However, in our visits to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada counters, we found that there was no active offer when passengers who were asked to go to Immigration went to the counters. The employees find a bilingual employee if there is a request for services in French and they cannot handle it themselves.

Visibility of the official languages symbol at all times

We found that in all three air terminals there were some official languages symbols in the waiting rooms reserved for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Postings in both official languages at all times

The notices and signage are entirely bilingual. We noted some errors in the French on some signs. For example, one was marked "six moins" instead of "six mois".

Availability of publications in both official languages

All the publications used come from headquarters and are available in both official languages. These include all sorts of brochures on various subjects, such as information for visitors, students and workers thinking of working temporarily in Canada. We found that some publications were not available in French at the time of our audit.

Use of both official languages on the Internet site

The Citizenship and Immigration Internet site (http://www.cic.gc.ca/) is fully bilingual and very user-friendly. It lists the full range of services provided by CIC. There is no specific reference to the office at Toronto Airport.

B) Service

Nature of the services provided by the office visited

The office provides a great many services, including assistance for U.S. travellers or students with visa problems, and for many travellers arriving from all countries. It also provides services to Canadians requesting information on citizenship, dual citizenship, and answers questions about permanent residents. Most clients coming to this office have been referred to it by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.

CIC has a service contract with Malton Neighbourhood Services; this is a non-government organization, founded in 1975, which provides a wide range of services to new immigrants. A team of workers from the organization who speak over forty languages is stationed at the airport to greet and assist immigrants accepted by the government or sponsored by groups, when they arrive in Canada. There is a language clause in the contract made by CIC; it states the following: "The Service Provider shall actively offer services of equal quality to the general public in Canada's two official languages and to individuals and specific publics in the official language of their choice". We were told that there were seven bilingual employees out of the 40 working at Malton Neighbourhood Services.

Existence of bilingual capacity required to provide continuous service in both official languages

This office has about 130 positions involving contacts with the public; 11 of those positions are bilingual. The employees occupying the bilingual positions have achieved at least BBB level, and their bilingualism tests are still valid. Citizenship and Immigration tries to have at least one bilingual person on each of the teams working on rotation in all three air terminals, but it is technically impossible to achieve this, because of the long business hours in each air terminal. When there are no bilingual staff on duty and there is a request for services in French, CIC asks the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency to help it out, or telephones one of its officers in another air terminal. CIC is aware that it does not have enough bilingual personnel to provide continuous in-person service in both official languages. We were also told that it is very hard to fill bilingual positions, and that the bilingual employees are also the ones who tend to increase the turnover rate, because those employees are highly sought-after.

Presence of work tools required for provision of service in both official languages

According to the manager we met, the office does not receive much correspondence in French. The office does not have any bilingual keyboards, but it is equipped with computers on which the accents can be used (the office will buy bilingual keyboards in the next fiscal year). The office ensures the quality of translation by using professional translators. CIC does not ask its bilingual staff to translate documents. The business cards and fax cover sheets are fully bilingual.

Comparability of the service to the public in both official languages, and availability of administrative arrangements as necessary

The services provided are not fully comparable or equal in quality, because there are not always bilingual employees on duty to provide in-person service in both official languages.

C) Managers' Responsibilities

Knowledge of requirements regarding service to the public in both official languages

The managers we met were well aware of the office's language obligations. They pointed out that the demand for services in French was low, and that they tried to accommodate it as well as they could, given the resources available to them.

Existence of controls to ensure service is always provided in both official languages

There are no controls to ensure that the service is always provided in both official languages. The manager considers that the number of complaints provides a form of control.

Existence of mechanisms to assess client satisfaction

There are no mechanisms to assess client satisfaction. If necessary, CIC could receive comments from the airport authority, which provides travellers with comment cards. CIC will be participating in client surveys this year and will investigate the feasibility of assessing its linguistic capacity.

Meetings with the representatives of the official language minority community

There are no formal meetings with the official language minority community. CIC is in contact with a number of community groups related mainly to immigration; those who provide service to the travelling public on its behalf must provide that service in both official languages, as stipulated in the memorandums of agreement.

Use of the media

The office at the airport does not use the media. If there were something to advertise, it would be done by the regional office, and we were told that it would be done in both official languages.

Complaint relating to official languages

Last year there was one complaint related to the two official languages. It concerned the fact that documentation given to the complainant by Malton Neighbourhood Services was not in French, and that the conversation she had with the immigration officer took place in English.

6.4.1 Conclusions

CIC is fulfilling its telephone services obligations well. There are some errors in French in the bilingual postings, and not all documentation is provided in both official languages.

There is no active offer in person, and CIC is aware that there are not enough bilingual staff to provide continuous service in both official languages. It would be a good idea to consider reviewing the language designation of the positions, and if necessary to use imperative staffing, since a lack of bilingual capacity has already been identified. The contract with a third party includes a language clause, but there is no monitoring mechanism to ensure that this clause is respected.

6.4.2 Recommendations

Following the audit, we recommend that Citizenship and Immigration Canada:

• ensure that all documentation provided to the public is available in both official languages;
• annually review the language designation of the positions to ensure that there is adequate bilingual capacity at all times;
• annually audit respect for the language clause in the contract with a third party;
• measure client satisfaction with the possibility of obtaining service in the preferred official language, in all three air terminals;
• study the possibility of using imperative staffing in accordance with government policy.

6.5 Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

Toronto International Airport
Burolis #: 30472
October 20, 2000

Audit results 

A) Active Offer

Active offer on the telephone outside business hours

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency office at Toronto Airport is listed in the Toronto telephone directory in both official languages. The number is 676-2545 (905); outside business hours there is no answer. Thus there is no Call Answer system at that number.

Active offer on the telephone during business hours

During business hours there is no active offer; services in French are available, but the call must be transferred outside the office, since there are no bilingual employees at this number. The calls are generally transferred to the Guelph office.

Active offer in person

There is no active offer at the reception counter. We did not see any inspectors performing their duties at the time of our audit, because no international flights were arriving at the time. However, we were told that there was no active offer.

Visibility of the official languages symbol at all times

We did not see any official languages symbol in the Agency's offices but there is a sign mentioning that the service is available in both official languages.

Postings in both official languages at all times

The notice announcing the location of the site is in both official languages. There are very few notices and signage related to this office, except for the administrative monetary penalties related to violations.

Availability of the publications in both official languages

All publications used come from headquarters and are available in both official languages. However, at the time of our visit there was almost nothing available in French, except the pamphlet Il faut s'informer et déclarer [Be Aware You Must Declare], which was available in a bilingual version. The local administration does not have any publications.

Use of both official languages on the Internet site

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Internet site (http://www.inspection.gc.ca/) is fully bilingual and very user-friendly. It lists the full range of services provided. There is no specific Internet site for Toronto Airport.

B) Service

Nature of the services provided by the office visited

The inspectors monitor and inspect animals and plants entering the country to prevent the introduction of diseases and parasites that can threaten health, wildlife, pets and other things. Sometimes they must place animals or plants being imported in quarantine to ensure that they are free of disease and parasites. At Toronto Airport the inspectors have a dog available to help them perform some of their duties.

Existence of bilingual capacity required to provide continuous service in both official languages

There are 21 employees working in the three air terminals. At the moment there is no bilingual position in this organization. The manager told us that three new positions were to be added shortly, and all those new positions would be bilingual. Thus at present there is no bilingual capability.

Presence of work tools required for provision of service in both official languages

The manager did not remember having received any correspondence in French; if that occurred, he would have everything translated so that it could be followed up. There are no bilingual keyboards, but the business cards are bilingual.

Comparability of the service to the public in both official languages, and availability of administrative arrangements if necessary

The services provided in both official languages are in no way comparable or equal in quality, because there are no bilingual employees. The Agency relies on the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency to provide its services in French.

C) Managers' Responsibilities

Knowledge of requirements regarding service to the public in both official languages

The inspector we met was well aware of the office's language obligations, and knew that he was not in a position to have them respected.

Existence of controls to ensure service is always provided in both official languages

There are no controls to ensure that the service is always provided in both official languages.

Existence of mechanisms to assess client satisfaction

There are no mechanisms to assess client satisfaction.

Meetings with the representatives of the official language minority community

There are no formal meetings with the official language minority community.

Use of the media

The airport office does not use the media.

Complaint concerning official languages

Last year there were no complaints concerning official languages.

6.5.1 Conclusions

Apart from signage, the Agency is not really fulfilling its official languages obligations well. There is no active offer on the telephone or in person, and services in French are always provided through administrative arrangements, if the client requests them. Even the documentation is not all available in both official languages. The language capacity is more or less non-existent, although there seems to be a possibility of having three bilingual officers in the fairly near future. The management is now taking steps to try and improve the availability of all services provided in both official languages.

6.5.2 Recommendations

Following the audit, we recommend that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency:

• consult the Agency person in charge of official languages nationally in order to review all language obligations of the airport office (symbol, documentation, postings, active offer, etc.);
• ensure that all available documentation is on hand in both official languages;
• ensure that the bilingual capacity is sufficient by the end of the 2000-2001 fiscal year;
• take action to have the receipts issued to travellers bear a telephone number where an active offer and services in both official languages can be provided.

7. Summary of recommendations

Following the audit, we recommend that the airport authority:

• continue its regular monitoring of postings inside and outside the air terminal, and the postings on the self-service equipment;
• continue the regular monitoring of the application of the language clauses in the lease contracts with third parties;
• ensure that additions to the Internet site are made simultaneously in both official languages;
• revise the service contracts with those in charge of health, safety and security to include specific language clauses covering postings and the provision of services in both official languages.

Following the audit, we recommend that Air Canada:

• remind its employees of the need to arrange the notices so that they can be read in French as easily as in English;
• ensure that there are enough bilingual wickets in each air terminal, and ensure that there is enough bilingual capacity at them at all times;
• remind the employees to make active offers of service at the wickets (check-in, tickets, baggage, etc.);
• set up a mechanism to measure the level of satisfaction of clients in the air terminals with the delivery of services in both official languages.

Following the audit, we recommend that the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency:

• remind the employees of the importance of making a verbal active offer when delivering services;
• annually review the language designation of the positions, to ensure that it has enough bilingual capacity at all times;
• annually audit respect for the language clause in the contract with a third party;
• measure the satisfaction of the clients with the possibility of obtaining services in the official language of their choice, in all three air terminals.

Following the audit, we recommend that Citizenship and Immigration Canada:

• ensure that all documentation provided to the public is available in both official languages;
• annually review the language designation of the positions to ensure that there is adequate bilingual capacity at all times;
• annually audit respect for the language clause in the contract with a third party;
• measure client satisfaction with the possibility of obtaining service in the preferred official language, in all three air terminals;
• study the possibility of using imperative staffing in accordance with government policy.

Following the audit, we recommend that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency:

• consult the Agency person in charge of official languages nationally in order to review all language obligations of the airport office (symbol, documentation, postings, active offer, etc.);
• ensure that all available documentation is on hand in both official languages;
• ensure that the bilingual capacity is sufficient by the end of the 2000-2001 fiscal year;
• take action to have the receipts issued to travellers bear a telephone number where an active offer and services in both official languages can be provided.

8. Recommendations to the Treasury Board Secretariat

This audit of service to the public in both official languages has shown us that there are difficulties understanding and interpreting certain sections of the Official Languages Act and its Regulations. To rectify the situation, it is recommended that the Treasury Board Secretariat:

1. Prepare, and send to the airport authorities, guidelines on their language obligations, including:

• a clear definition of the terms travelling public (voyageurs) (section 23 of the Act), emergency services, first aid services, clinic and health care unit (paragraph 8(a) of the Regulations); and restaurant (section 12 of the Regulations);

• encouragement to third parties under contract to provide their services in both official languages, as those services are defined in section 12 of the Regulations (restaurants, cafeterias, car rental and travel insurance agencies, ground transportation dispatch services, foreign exchange offices, self-service equipment, duty free shops, hotels and other services provided by airlines);

• encouragement to include, in the contracts with third parties providing services under contract, language clauses that are detailed enough to be operational;

• reference to the effect that administrative arrangements are temporary measures, including those related to public health, safety and security services (paragraph 24 (1) a) and section 25 of the Act);

• the use of both official languages on signs;

• specific details on the language obligations related to section 25 of the Act, mainly concerning the use of volunteers who provide greeting services on behalf of the airport authority;

2. Encourage, as appropriate, the airport authorities to set up monitoring mechanisms related to the implementation of the language clauses;

3. Implement these recommendations by December 31, 2001;

4. Follow up on their implementation by the airport authorities by March 31, 2002.

Appendix

Association consulted in the audit

• Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario
  2 Carlton Street, Suite 1711, Toronto, Ontario
  
  

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