His was a good summary. It did not address the pilot qualifications and currencies needed to use SVFR, which exist in part because SVFR is often used for scud running ... which is extremely dangerous.
There's a difference between Canada and the U.S.: we have no special pilot qualifications or currencies for SVFR -- a 70-hour, newly-minted PPL can request it. The CARs do not allow SVFR departures at night (landings only), but that's about it.
The reason for SVFR as a third set of flight rules is that it basically
permits very near to clouds visual navigation under conditions which preclude see and avoid separation from other traffic. Unusual situation.
Whereas IFR traffic could share airspace with VFR, because the ordinary VFR
keeps far enough away from clouds to allow aircraft to avoid each other,
no IFR is possible in a block of airspace that is being used for SVFR.
Of course, you cannot have two SVFR operations in the same airspace block.
Note that this problem occurs at class G airports as well -- VFR traffic can be flying just below the clouds legally while IFR traffic breaks through just on top. The controllers don't worry in that case, because it's class G and they won't get a deal for it.
Because SVFR shuts down IFR, it has to be granted by whoever owns the right to grant IFR clearances through all airspace being approved for SVFR use.
To my knowledge, that is not the case in Canada, at least not when there is radar coverage that the controllers can use to maintain separation. VFR, SVFR, and IFR departures and arrivals mix freely at my home airport (CYOW).
I have never needed to request an SVFR ... yet ...
I was offered one on an approach into CYOW. I was on the ILS 07 during my IFR training, and I planned to break off at minima once I was out of cloud, cancel IFR, and land VFR on 22. Initially, terminal told me that the field had gone below MVFR, but then things lifted a bit and tower offered me SVFR (I think that we had about 800 and 2). Under the circumstances, I declined and did the 15-minute taxi instead.
I did have to request a pop-up IFR clearance once. In my opinion, that's far preferable to SVFR unless there's an icing issue.
All the best,
David
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