Canada bans lithium metal cargo on airliners

Canada is to ban transporting lithium metal batteries as cargo on passenger flights.
Earlier this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted a ban on the shipment of lithium metal batteries as cargo aboard passenger aircraft after growing concern that if ignited, they can cause any nearby batteries to overheat and catch fire.
While most passenger airlines in Canada have already voluntarily banned lithium metal batteries as cargo, the ban comes into effect on January 1, 2015, to comply with the ICAO ban. It will apply to all shipments of lithium metal batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft within Canada.
It does not apply to batteries already contained in or packed with equipment, but only to those packaged and shipped separately. The ban will not affect travellers’ personal devices such as laptops and smartphones, which use lithium ion batteries.
The United States has already banned the transportation of lithium metal batteries as cargo on passenger flights.

Source : http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/2014/12/federal-government-bans-shipments-of-lithium-metal-batteries-on-passenger-flights/