Register now for the June 5-7 Conference: Hotel $169 Until May 5th.

The conference fee, including Welcoming Reception and Signature Dinner, is just $399 for Members!

The BC Aviation Council with its partner, the Prince George Airport Authority, is proud to host the June 5-7 Conference: Driving Recovery. This year's conference highlights the critical importance of the aviation and aerospace industries to the province's economy and workforce, with a particular focus on what we need to do collectively to perpetuate the drive to recovery and prosperity.

Join us for robust discussions on the importance of aviation and aerospace, influencing government policy, the need to reduce regulatory and taxation costs, and the labour demand and supply crisis – all chronic conditions requiring bold solutions. Learn More

Questions? Please contact us at info@bcaviationcouncil.org

Pacific Coastal Airlines Announces Three Aviation Scholarships for Indigenous Youth and Pilot-AME Training

Pacific Coastal Airlines is proud to announce the establishment of three scholarships to support Indigenous youth and pilot-AME training students. The scholarships will be funded by the proceeds from the annual Pacific Coastal Airlines Memorial Charity Golf Tournament and will be awarded in partnership with the British Columbia Aviation Council (BCAC). These scholarships aim to support Indigenous and BC students to achieve their aviation career aspirations and help promote job opportunities in the aviation and aerospace sector.

The $10,000 Pacific Coastal Airlines, Daryl Smith Memorial Indigenous Youth Aviation Scholarship, and the $10,000 Pacific Coastal Airlines, Paul Biglin Memorial, Indigenous Youth Aviation Scholarship are open to any Indigenous students across Canada who are attending school in BC. The scholarships are awarded to students who are actively pursuing training as a pilot, aircraft maintenance engineer (AME), flight attendant, flight operations, airport operations, or airline management and demonstrate a commitment to pursuing a career in aviation. The selection is based on agreed criteria between BCAC and Pacific Coastal Airlines. READ MORE

(Source: Pacific Coastal Airlines press release, Photo: PCA Facebook)

Golfing for a Cause: Pacific Coastal Airlines' 29th Memorial Charity Golf Tournament

PCA is excited to, once again, be hosting our Charity Golf Tournament. Our annual golf tournament is a labour of love for employees of Pacific Coastal, and the event has grown considerably over time. Last tournament, we were able to raise a record-breaking amount of $90,000.00 and, since its inception in 1992, we have raised and distributed over $550,000.00 to organizations that work hard every day to make our world a better place. This tournament helps support our new progressive scholarship program. We hope to see you there.

Registration for our Annual Memorial Charity Golf Tournament is open! We're ready to welcome all valued sponsors, donors, and golfers to join us for a day filled with fun and meaningful activities! Visit https://trellis.org/pacificcoastalairlines29thcharitygolf and register today.

(Source: Pacific Coastal Airlines press release, Photo: PCA Facebook)

YLW Announces New Scholarship Fund

In celebration of our 75th anniversary and in recognition of ongoing support the Okanagan community has shown YLW, we are establishing a scholarship fund to support aviation and aerospace students conducting their studies in the Okanagan region.   

Applicants must be from the Okanagan region and enrolled in an aviation or aerospace program, in the Okanagan region, at a B.C. provincially recognized university, college, training institution or a Transport Canada certified flight school.

Over $31,000 was raised in 2022 to start the endowment and we are not done yet!

This scholarship is awarded annually starting in 2023.   

(Source: YLW Press Release, Photo: Kelowna Now)

In January 2023, Vancouver Airport Authority initiated an enhanced operational After-Action Review and conducted public engagement following the travel disruption experienced in December 2022 at YVR.

Our After-Action Review sought extensive input from various stakeholders, including airlines, partners, suppliers, and employees and was conducted with the valuable assistance of noted aviation and engineering consulting firm, Arup, along with teams from Airports Council International (ACI), KPMG and other experts and advisors both internal and external to YVR. We also conducted a public engagement program undertaken by public engagement consultants, Kirk & Co. to hear directly from passengers and the public.

From this work, we identified the contributing factors and root causes of the disruption at YVR and developed a clear action plan to address them.

By implementing our action plan, we will deliver a better and more predictable service to passengers through any future adverse weather events and any other unplanned disruption to travel.

Our five actions:

1. Enhance Winter and Irregular Operations – installation of new real-time weather monitoring equipment, new gate protocols to ensure arriving aircraft can deplane passengers within 30 minutes of taxiing off the runway, additional winter weather equipment and de-icing fluid storage capacity to meet the new realities of sustained, extreme weather events.
2. Enhance Cross-Team Collaboration - Additional information sharing across different airport partners as well as establishing a permanent team from across the Airport Authority to enhance decision-making and improve passenger focus.
3. Accelerate Investments in Technology and Data – Better prioritization of aircraft on the airfield as well as an improved ability to track delayed baggage through real-time technology and data including a new digital apron monitoring tool.
4. Enhance In-Terminal Passenger Supports - More staff will be trained to directly support travelers using better, up-to-date information throughout the terminal 24-7. Improved digital communications directly to passengers in the terminal about resources available, including accessibility services.
5. Enhance Communications to Passengers and Public – YVR will commit to sharing more information more often. We will also make better use of our website and leverage stakeholders, partners, and other organizations to get people the updates they need in a more reliable and consistent way. Regular public reporting on YVR’s on-time performance, baggage performance, security screening times.

Take a closer look at the contributing factors of December's disruption and our clear action plan (attached).

(Source: YVR press release, Photo: david antoniuk/Instagram via Daily Hive)

The government of Alberta is providing $5 million in funding over two years to Edmonton-based Elevate Aviation to provide training in aviation-related fields to young Albertans. Elevate, founded and led by Edmonton air traffic controller Kendra Kincade, has developed aviation training programs for young women across Canada for years, such as a nine-week Women’s Employment Skills Training program (WEST).

The funding will not be for flight training, but rather related career paths including aircraft maintenance, ground operations and drone operations. Although the focus will be on recruiting women to the program, it will be open to all applicants.

“This funding is going to have a great impact on the future of the aviation and aerospace industry,” said Elevate’s Kincade. “Not only will it improve our ability to provide innovative training opportunities for today’s aviation workers, it will also support the future of the industry by promoting the aviation sector as an appealing and rewarding career choice for all genders and diverse groups.”

The provincial government pointed to the announcement by de Havilland Canada of their planned campus east of Calgary, and the growth of both Edmonton-based Flair Airlines and Calgary-based WestJet as examples of the growing need for aviation industry employees in Alberta.

“Alberta is well-positioned to be Canada’s next aviation hub,” said Alberta Jobs minister Brian Jean in a press release issued on April 12. “Elevate was an obvious partner to help Albertans to grow in their careers and to support the growth, diversity and vitality of the aviation industry in our province.”

Elevate Aviation was founded in 2015 as a not-for-profit organization. Their mission statement reads, “Elevate Aviation provides a platform for women and underrepresented groups to thrive and succeed through careers in aviation.”

(Source: Canadian Aviator Magazine, Photo: Nancy Critchley Photography)

Flying into YXS for the June 5-7 Conference?

Take advantage of our new Travel Partner Park 'N Fly's promotional code. Get superiour parking rates and access to additional services at major airports across Canada. Click here to learn more! (Park 'N Fly also has a convenient app.) Visit the "Travel Partners" tab on the June 5-7 Conference Registration Page for more ways to save. This program is NOT just for the conference - it applies year round for any travel by our 6000 Supporters.

Elevate Aviation Annual Cross Country Tour

Organized by Elevate Aviation, an Edmonton-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting aviation careers to young women, today’s event in Richmond was one of 22 that the organization is holding across Canada this year. Speakers included women from various sectors of the aviation industry, such as pilots, air traffic controllers and maintenance engineers, who talked about what inspired them to choose aviation as a career, and the paths they took to get where they are today.
 
Hosted by BCIT at their Richmond Aerospace Technology Campus, Cheryl Cahill, Associate Dean (Interim) of the aviation program at BCIT and a Director of the BC Aviation Council, welcomed attendees and provided a guided tour of the campus’s facilities, allowing the participating young women to wander around the spacious hangar to inspect the many different aircraft types that BCIT uses for maintenance training, from small helicopters through to airliners. The women were able to climb aboard the aircraft for a close-up look at the inside.
 
After lunch, the participants were bussed over to YVR’s south side for tours of Helijet’s and Harbour Air’s YVR bases.

(Guest Contributor: Steve Drinkwater, Canadian Aviator Publishing)

Boundary Bay's Military History

Attachments

• YVR Report and Action Plan 2023