Q: I will be visiting your beautiful country in Sep 2018 and intend to do a lot of driving. We have an Australian disability parking permit for my son with autism. I wonder if I can bring it and use it in Canada?
A: Canada is a member of the International Transport Forum and participates in reciprocal recognition of disability parking permits. There is a caveat in the document that warns of differences between what might be allowed in your home jurisdiction and what is allowed in the jurisdiction that you are visiting.
Canada may be more complex as the laws are set by the province, modified by the municipality and permits are issued by private agencies on behalf of government. Research is the only way to know what privileges will exist in the municipalities you visit.
Some British Columbia specific information is published by the FIA, including a printable notice directing enforcement personnel to a confirmation of reciprocity on Transport Canada's web site. This notice is not required, as our provincial legislation deems equivalent permits from other jurisdictions to be sufficient on their own. The notice may be helpful for avoiding problems with parking enforcement personnel who are not familiar with this.
So, the short answer is yes, you may use your disability parking permit here in B.C. when you visit Canada.
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