CAA-Quebec

CAA-Quebec

Automobile et touring club du Québec
Formation	1984 (1984)
Merger of	Automobile Club of Canada (1904); Quebec Automobile Club (1912)
Type	Not-for-profit organization
Headquarters	444, rue Bouvier Quebec City, Quebec G2J 1E3
Region served	Quebec
Services	Roadside assistance, travel services, insurance
President and CEO	Marie-Soleil Tremblay
Subsidiaries	CAA-Quebec Travel; CAA-Quebec Auto and Residential Insurance; CAA-Quebec Foundation
Affiliations	CAA, AAA
Website	caaquebec.com

The Automobile et touring club du Québec, operating as CAA-Quebec (French: CAA-Québec), is the affiliate club of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) which serves members in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is a non-profit organization headquartered in Quebec City.

History

CAA-Quebec’s roots are closely tied to the automotive boom in Quebec. In 1904, the Automobile Club of Canada was founded in Montréal by businessman Andrew J. Dawes. The Club’s first official meeting took place on July 28, 1904, at the Windsor Hotel in Montréal. Back then, the organization aimed to give a voice to the first motorists and promote improvements to road infrastructure at a time when the automobile was still a novelty.

Some years later, on August 9, 1912, the Quebec Automobile Club was founded in Québec by Frank Carrel, a publisher, businessman, and key figure in the capital’s economic and social life. Ever since its founding, the Club has distinguished itself through its role as an advocate with public authorities, particularly regarding improvements to roads, signage, and driving conditions.

Since the early decades of the 20th century, both automobile clubs in Quebec have been actively involved in promoting road safety and championing motorists’ interests. In the 1920s, they established the first roadside assistance services for their members, an initiative that would become a cornerstone of their purpose and reputation.

Over time, the Clubs expanded their scope of activities. They engaged in debates surrounding the development of Quebec’s highway network and endorsed major projects, such as the construction of the Metropolitan Boulevard in Montréal in the late 1950s. At the same time, they began offering personalized travel planning and route mapping services, made possible through their affiliation with the American Automobile Association (AAA), which began in 1940 for the Québec Club and in 1953 for the Montréal Club.

In 1984, the Automobile Club of Canada and the Quebec Automobile Club merged into a single provincial organization: the Automobile and Touring Club of Quebec. This merger marked a significant milestone in the organization’s history, which went on to brand itself as CAA-Quebec, asserting its place in the CAA network while remaining true to its Quebec identity and roots.

In the following decades, CAA-Quebec further expanded its services into the areas of travel, housing, insurance, and mobility. In 2004, the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary, highlighting an entire century of commitment to serving its members and the people of Quebec.

In 2008, the establishment of the CAA-Quebec Foundation further strengthened the organization’s social and preventive role, particularly in the areas of road safety, education, and research aimed at improving the safety of road users.

Today, CAA-Quebec brings together more than 1.3 million members across the province of Quebec. The organization offers an extensive range of services in mobility, travel, insurance, and home services.

Mission and social role

CAA-Quebec is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide a range of assistance and advisory services to help its members with their mobility, travel plans, safeguarding their property, and coping with the unexpected. As a member-based organization, CAA-Quebec has made assistance its core focus since its founding in the early 20th century. The organization states that it also relies on a network of affiliated businesses and partners to deliver its services.

Beyond the services it provides, CAA-Quebec defends the interests of motorists and travellers. The organization participates in public debates on road safety, mobility, consumer affairs and the protection of road users, taking a nonpartisan approach with a focus on the collective interest.

Through the CAA-Quebec Foundation, which was established to support initiatives focused on road safety, education, and prevention among youth, the organization also contributes to improving road safety records and raising public awareness of issues related to vehicle use and sustainable mobility.

Presence and organization

CAA-Quebec’s head office is located in Québec City. This location houses administrative functions, corporate services, and certain operational units related to the management of the organization’s province-wide activities. In addition to its head office, CAA-Quebec maintains a primary place of business in the Greater Montréal area, where various member services and administrative activities are concentrated.

CAA-Quebec maintains an extensive regional presence across the province to serve its membership base. This presence takes the form of a network of service locations distributed across several regions of Quebec, including Montréal, Québec, Laval, Brossard, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay, Gatineau, and Lévis. Depending on the location, these establishments offer services related to travel, mobility, insurance, vehicle registration, and member support.

Beyond its offices and physical centres, CAA-Quebec relies on a network of partners and approved businesses, including auto repair services, vehicle inspection centres, and residential suppliers, that contribute to the accessibility of its services across the entire province of Quebec. This territory-based structure is designed to ensure province-wide coverage and proximity to members, both in major urban centres and across various outlying regions.

Roadside assistance

All service calls are received at the Montreal Contact Centre where call takers enter the information regarding the breakdown into a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software. Calls are then sent either to the Montreal dispatch centre (it covers the island of Montreal, Laval, the north shore and the south shore) or to the Quebec City dispatch centre (it covers everywhere Montreal dispatch does not). Services are either done by a CAA-Quebec float truck or by an affiliated station.

External links

• Official website