Opening remarks
Opening remarks from the BCAC Conference Chair James Hall, Executive Director Dave Frank and BCAC Chair Cathy Press.
On behalf of Secretray of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr, his Chief of Staff Nicole Rustad emphasized the growing and critical role that aviation and aerospace has as Canada ramps up defence procurement.
Above: BCAC Executive Director Dave Frank addresses the delegates, informing them of advances made by the BCAC toward reconcilation with Indigenous peoples of British Columbia.
(Source: Steve Drinkwater, editor, Canadian Aviator Magazine, Photo/Peter Olsen)
 
Speaker 1: EYES ON THE HORIZON
AVIATION AND AEROSPACE TRENDS AND ISSUES
Moderator: Cathy Press, Chair, BCAC, and CEO, Chinook Helicopters
Speaker: Dr. Suzanne Kearns, Founding Director, Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) and Associate Professor, Aviation, Faculty of Science & Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo (suzanne.kearns@uwaterloo.ca).
Dr. Kearns spoke about the creation of the Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Aeronautics five years ago, its range of activities and the progress made towards industry sustainability. She also spoke about the Pipistrel Electro battery-electric aircraft they have at their partner school, the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre, and how the organizations works towards sustainable flight. Dr. Kearns works closely with ICAO on aviation sustainably.
Panel 1: TACKLING THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE
AIRPORT DECARBONIZATION
Moderator: Don Goulard, BCAC Climate Committee Chair (don.goulard@ycd.ca)
Speaker: The YVR Case Study – Approaching 2030, Scope 1, 2, 3 and SAF. David McPhie, YVR (david_mcphie@YVR.ca)
David spoke about how YVR is progressing towards its goal of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030. He described four decarbonization pathways together with status updates:
- Terminal/buildings
- Greener vehicle fleet (electric and hydrogen fuel cells)
- Renewable fuels (e.g., blended diesel fuels)
- Closing the gap – decarbonizing remaining fuels
Speaker: Easy Wins for Small/Medium Airports and Working with Utility Companies, Heidi Grantner, General Manager, Synergy (heidi@synergyenterprises.ca)
Synergy is a sustainability consultancy with a large portfolio of airport clients. They analyze carbon footprints and develop strategies to reduce them. Typically, they start with low cost, low-hanging fruit (e.g., window shades, LED lighting) to begin the sustainability journey before moving on to more complex and expensive issues.
Speaker: High-Level Net Zero by 2030, Don Goulard
Don spoke of how he is able to consult larger airports (like Vancouver-YVR) to share best practises with smaller airports such as his (Nanaimo-YCD), and to share that advice with smaller airports around the province working toward sustainability goals. Using an innovative smartphone tool (Menti), Don was able to get instant feedback from the delegates to survey questions he displayed in his PowerPoint presentation.
 Engaging speakers and panelists ensured the delegates full attention and led to several questions from the floor.
Panel 2: TACKLING THE SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE
PART B HAPPENING NOW
Moderator: Don Goulard, BCAC Climate Committee Chair
Speaker: Commercial Passenger Advanced Air Mobility, Danny Sitnam, President and CEO, Helijet (dsitnam@helijet.com)
Speaker: General Aviation – The Second Wave After Drones. George Farrington, Director, Advocacy & External Affairs, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA)
Don moderated this Panel as a "fireside chat". The speakers discussed advances in electric aircraft, both manned and unmanned.
Danny spoke of how traditional helicopters are becoming less sustainable, and that Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is the future for many applications. He is moving his company Helijet in that direction, having placed a firm order for four BETA Technologies electric ALIA CTOL (Conventional Take Off and Landing) model CX300s, an example of which made an appearance at Helijet’s YVR facility last fall.
George showed a photo of an in-flight Robinson R44 helicopter with a zero-emission hydrogen/electric fuel cell powerplant, developed by Quebec’s Unither Bioélectronique, as an example of other technologies that may lead to sustainable flight.
Panel 3: Canada’s Opportunity: Defense-Civilian Synergies
Moderator and Speaker: The Immediate Trends. Harvie Buitelaar, Vice-President, Infrastructure, Hatch Engineering
Speaker: Building Defense Relationships. JP Hammond, President, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium Canada (EMC)
Speaker: Practical Approach to Approaching Ottawa. James Paul, JD, Senior Associate, David Pratt & Associates (james.paul@dpa.ltd)
JP spoke about how EMC is working to encourage and promote Canadian participation in defence procurement, both domestically and internationally. He believes there is room for the percentage of the national aerospace economic activity from B.C.-based companies to double from the current eight percent.
Harvie spoke about how his employer, Hatch Engineering, is focussed on contributing to the building and rebuilding of Canada’s defence-related and multi-use infrastructure projects that are appearing on the horizon. They are particularly focussed on opportunities in British Columbia.
James reinforced much of JP’s messaging on the opportunities for Canadian companies to participate in the coming boom in defence-related spending. He encouraged interested firms to register on MERX and CanadaBuys and suggested taking the initiative to obtain security clearances in preparation.
Speaker 3: Transport Canada Regional Update
Moderator: Tom Rattray, BCAC Board Director & YVR Operations (tom_rattray@yvr.ca)
Speaker: Jamie Johnson, Executive Regional Director, Civil Aviation (jamie.johnson@tc.gc.ca)
Tom introduced Jamie, who then provided an overview of the current industry from a regulatory persepective, including challenges presented by new aircraft technologies, such as RPAS/drones, VTOLs, electric airplaines, etc.
Speaker 4: The Human Factor
Current HR Legal Issues
Moderator: A. Steve M, Founding Principal, AVRO Law
Speaker: Preston Parsons, Partner, Overholt Law
Steve introduced Preston, who discussed HR-related legal risks, including:
- AI. Preston pointed out that many more employees, especially younger ones, are using AI in the workplace without their employer’s knowledge, potentially compromising the employers intelectual property as AI uses its data to "learn".
- Definition of independent contractor vs employees: It’s more of a matter of fact raher than a self-declaration.
- Benefits of written employment contracts, including clear definitions and responsibilities.
- Myriad other HR-related risks that many employees, contractor and employers may not think of before they become expensive mistakes.
- Preston ended his presentation by urging employers to call for legal advice at the first sign of potential conflict.
Panel 4: Vertical Aviation’s Outlook
Challenges and Opportunities
Moderator: Trevor Mitchell, CEO, Helicopter Association Canada (HAC) (trevor@h-a-c.ca)
Speaker: The Evolving Traditional Rotary Industry. Cole Fouillard, CEO, VEXSL (cole.fouillard@vexsl.com)
Speaker: Preparing for Advanced Air Mobility. Patrick Sihota, Langley Airport Manager (psihota@tol.ca)
Cole’s company specializes in disaster responses using RPAS/drones, and offers consulting services to companies so that they can prepare for possible disasters. The new approach contrasts with past interventions that relied on helicopters.
Patrick described how Langley airport is looking at Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) as a potential urban/regional passenger service in the future. He aims to evolve Langley (YNJ) into an eVTOL hub for the Pacific Northwest without restricting its existing role as a GA airport (with its relatively short runways). YNJ engaged consulting firm Intervistas to advise on the viability of addressing the market gap between cheap SkyTrain ground-based light rail services and expensive airborne helicopter services with eVTOLs Patrick’s conclusion is that YNJ’s future will be a combined GA/eVTOL facility.
Trevor brought up the potential risks of various aircraft types sharing the same local airspace, for example during civic events or urban emergencies.
Fireside Chat 1: Towards A Positive Future
A Federal And Provincial Perspective
Chatter: Cathy Press, Chair, BCAC, and CEO, Chinook Helicopters
Chattee: Lisa Setlakwe, Assistant Deputy Minister for Safety and Security, Transport Canada
Cathy brought up the recent ICAO Safety Audit where Canada did not fare well. Lisa responded that the Ministry has taken the audit seriously, has worked hard to address deficiencies, and is looking forward to the next ICAO Audit Team visit in 2027. The next audit will also review Security issues.
Lisa said that the Ministry is prioritizing AAM and wants to be able to influence the setting of ICAO standards. Lisa also said that she believes ICAO as an organization has improved markedly over the past few years.
SIGNATURE DINNER:
KF AERO CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE
Sponsor: Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
The keynote address was given by Barry Lapointe, founder and CEO of KF Aerospace.
Barry spoke of his career, starting with obtaining his AME licence after training at BCIT, then working as a mechanic for a couple of West Coast outfits. He then went to the Okanagan where he built his new aircraft mainetence business from the back of a pickup truck, travelling to clients around the Okanagan Valley. He eventually formed Kelowna Flightcraft, which later became KF Aerospace. Today, it is one of North America's largest MROs (Maintenence, Repair and Overhaul facility).
The BCAC presented Barry with an award in recognition of his long career and the unwavering support he has given to the BCAC.
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