Moving industry know-how
Moving in Canada
How moving is regulated in Canada — provincial conditions of carriage, the National Safety Code number, valuation in kilograms, claim time limits and where customers complain — and how MoveBoard follows them.
- 2 min read
- Checked against MoveBoard
- For owners & admins, sales
On this page
Canada has no federal household-goods consumer code like the US's 49 CFR Part 375. Moves are governed mostly by the provinces.
Who regulates
- A carrier that crosses provincial lines is licensed under the federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act, but the provinces administer it.
- Each province sets the conditions of carriage for household goods. Ontario's are in O. Reg. 643/05, Schedule 3 ("Uniform Conditions of Carriage — Household Goods"); Alberta and British Columbia have similar uniform conditions.
- Moves are intraprovincial (inside one province) or interprovincial (between provinces).
Your carrier number
Instead of a USDOT and MC number, a Canadian carrier has a National Safety Code (NSC) number from its home province — Ontario calls it the CVOR, Quebec the NIR.
What the contract must contain (Ontario example)
The contract of carriage must name the shipper and receiver, origin and destination, the date, the carrier's and destination agent's names and phone numbers, the inventory and the goods' condition, a space for the declared value, the charges, the delivery date or period, any special services, that the uniform conditions apply, and that signing for the goods doesn't stop a later claim.
Valuation
- Released value — the shipper may choose, on the face of the contract, liability of $1.32 per kg per article ($0.60/lb).
- Otherwise liability is based on the declared value — under Ontario's conditions, at least $4.41 per kg of the shipment's weight.
- Many movers offer Replacement Value Protection on a declared value of at least $10 per lb, the Canadian Association of Movers' minimum.
Claims
Under the uniform conditions, the customer gives written notice of a claim within 60 days after delivery (nine months after shipment if it was never delivered), with the final statement within nine months; the carrier acknowledges within 30 days.
Estimates
In Ontario the Consumer Protection Act says a supplier can't charge more than 10% over an estimate. Elsewhere, the carrier's own terms apply. Under the uniform conditions, extra charges more than 10% over the estimate for additional services are paid within 15 business days after delivery.
Complaints
Customers go first to the mover, then to the Canadian Association of Movers (which records complaints and mediates for members) and their provincial or territorial consumer affairs office. The federal Office of Consumer Affairs publishes moving advice for consumers.
In MoveBoard
A Canadian company (its address says Canada) works in kilometres with Canadian postal codes, and its long-distance documents use these Canadian terms in place of the US federal ones — see Long distance in Canada. Type your NSC number in Local license on Settings › Company & branches › Company info.
Related guides
- Long distanceLong distance in CanadaRunning long-distance moves from a Canadian branch, or into and out of Canada — kilometres, postal codes, provinces on the regions map, and fuel.
- Estimates & pricingKilometres, cubic feet and poundsChoose miles or kilometres, cubic feet or pounds, and how many pounds a cubic foot weighs — and what changes when you switch.
- SettingsCompany infoYour company's name, contact, addresses, time zone, licenses, units and the move types you take — what each field does and where it shows.
- Moving industry know-howReleased value vs full value protectionThe two levels of mover liability on an interstate move — 60 cents per pound per article, or full value protection with a declared value and deductible — and how MoveBoard offers them.
- Moving industry know-howLocal, intrastate and interstate movesThe three kinds of move in the moving business, who regulates each, and how MoveBoard tells them apart.
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