A MESSAGE FROM CAA
Our Canadian Roots
Jay Woo
President & CEO
CAA Club Group of Companies
BORN AND RAISED IN OUR NATION'S CAPITAL, I remember every Canada Day on Parliament Hill that I ever attended with my parents. Proud as ever to be Canadian, the recent sovereignty-threatening events from south of the border have motivated me to dedicate this article to spotlight the deep Canadian roots and heritage of CAA.
Founded at the turn of the last century in 1903 when automobiles were starting to replace horse-drawn buggies, the mission of the Toronto Automobile Club (our original name back then) was to advocate for the budding population of motorists. In 1903, the Ontario government had set a speed limit of 8 mph (imperial at the time) and one of the first goals of the Toronto Automobile Club was to demonstrate to Ontario MPPs that it was safe to increase the speed limit from 8 mph to 10 mph. In 1907, the Toronto, Hamilton and Kingston Automobile Clubs officially came together to form the Ontario Motor League (OML) with a total of 226 Members. In 1913, OML erected Ontario’s first wooden road signs, and by 1937, more than 200,000 road signs were erected on Ontario’s highways to help motorists navigate the early roadways.
CAA’s first president, Dr. Perry Doolittle, drove across the Trans-Canada Highway to build support for the newly constructed highway. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF CAA ARCHIVES
During the First World War in 1914, OML provided ambulances for the Canadian Armed Forces, and Members also pitched into the war effort by bringing their vehicles to the train stations to meet returning soldiers and drive them to their homes. A few years after the war in 1922, OML changed its name to what we now know as the Canadian Automobile Association or CAA. It was during that year when CAA started working with the Canadian Government to build the Trans-Canada Highway to connect Canada from coast-to-coast. Emergency roadside services were subsequently established in 1923 to rescue stranded Members, and it was also around that time when CAA established a mutual agreement with the American Automobile Association (AAA) to rescue American motorists who were visiting Canada from the United States.
Today, CAA is over 7.5 million Canadian Members strong. Our mission continues to be one of safety and advocacy while also finding new and creative ways to help our Members through everyday life. We have grown significantly since our humble beginnings in 1903, and no matter how we evolve in the years to come, one thing is certain — and that is our unwavering dedication to helping and protecting the millions of Canadians who have placed their trust in us. On behalf of every caring CAA Associate, thank you for your incredible support of CAA. With every good blessing,
Jay Woo
President & CEO
CAA Club Group of Companies
Members of the Toronto Automobile Club demonstrate to Ontario MPPs that it was safe to increase the speed limit from 8 mph to 10 mph. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF CAA ARCHIVES
