PANEL 5: REDUCING THE COST OF REGULATION, TAXATION, RENTS AND FEES

Glenn Priestley of the Northern Air Transportation Association presented virtually from Ottawa. He pointed out that traditional lobbying had become very expensive and is migrating online where stakeholder consultations are to be submitted. It is becoming difficult to arrange in-person meetings. Priestley pointed out that Montreal-based ICAO is establishing standards that are detrimental to the Canadian environment, particular as it effects northern aviation operations.

Chris Phelan of the Canadian Airports Council presented the status of Canadian airport post-COVID passenger recovery. Ultra Low Cost Carriers (ULCC) are growing dramatically allowing secondary airports such as Abbotsford and Waterloo to greatly increase passenger counts. However, Phelan pointed out that most airports are not in good financial shape due to the pandemic. Phelan called for the airport land rents that the major airports pay to Ottawa be reinvested in the airports. During Covid, Canada's airports took on over $3 billlion in additional debt.

The CEO of Helicopter Association of Canada, Trevor Mitchell, spoke about how his industry is effectively regulated by exemptions to existing regulations. Changes to CARs can take three to seven years, yet there are exceptions still on the books after more than 20 years, rather than modifying the underlying regulation thereby nullifying the exemption. Currently there are over 3,400 exemptions in effect, many that are applicable to specific operators, leading to unfair advantage. Many exemptions are also regional in nature. Mitchell urges industry to pressure Transport Canada to update the CARs.

Dr. David Gillen of UBC’s Centre for Transportation Studies addressed the high cost of aviation-related taxes, fees and regulations, and how they negatively affect the industry. He provided insightful observations dating back to Section 5 of the 1967 National Transportation Act and how since that time it is as if Transport Canada had never read it. Dr. Gillen also stated that all fees imposed on the industry should be invested back into the industry and Canada, as the only country in the world that has a user pay aviation policy, needs to consider the damage that it does to our society and economy.

(Photo credit: Steve Drinkwater)

PANEL 6: LABOUR DEMAND VERSUS LABOUR SUPPLY

Scott Cadwell of GS5 spoke about an industry-wide labour shortage and encourages to start targeting ninth-grade youth for potential recruits. Pacific Coastal Airlines’ Elaine Chang spoke eloquently about the challenges of recruiting personnel when competing with bigger, more well-known carriers. Sabrina Angus of the Prince George Airport Authority spoke of similar recruitment challenges faced by an airport authority. She emphasized that personnel retention must be prioritized as well.

Chinook Helicopters’ Cathy Press addressed the lack of significant student aid, citing approximately $5,000 in B.C. student loans available for an $80 to $100 thousand commercial pilot training program, compared to Alberta programs of up to $70 thousand with $10 thousand forgivable under certain conditions. As for foreign pilots wanting to work in Canada, processing time can be up to two years due to bureaucratic delays compared to a couple of months 20 years ago.

BCIT Aerospace Campus Associate Dean Cheryl Cahill presented from an educational institute perspective. They have numerous aviation-related education streams, including three different programs for aircraft maintenance and both rotary and fixed-wing pilot training programs (in cooperation with Pacific Flying Club and Chinook Helicopters). BCIT is known for its collaboration with area businesses in developing practical training programs.

(Photo credit: Steve Drinkwater)

Lunch and Learn

Tourism Association of BC CEO Walt Judas told delegates that his membership places Transportation and Infrastructure as among the top 10 issues of concern. He expects British Columbia’s tourism sector to recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023. Judas also reaffirmed his support for the efforts of the BC Aviation Council and the aviation industry as a whole.

(Photo credit: Steve Drinkwater)

AVIATION AND AEROSPACE UPDATE FROM OUR ALBERTA NEIGHBOURS

Bram Tilroe of the Alberta Aviation Council began his talk with some history of the Council’s interactions with the Alberta provincial government, which were challenging as the provincial politicians deemed aviation matters as strictly federal. However, there is now an advisory committee advising the provincial government and things are looking up.

Tilroe described the creation and evolution of Edmonton-based Elevate Aviation, a not-for-profit that receives generous provincial funding to promote aviation careers to people of all ages and genders, with a focus on women, girls and other underrepresented groups.

De Havilland Field, a huge new aviation manufacturing campus to be constructed by Longview Capital east of Calgary, was mentioned by Tilroe as a big new development in Alberta’s aviation sector and an initiative that was made with no government incentives.

(Photo credit: Steve Drinkwater)

PANEL 7: AIR TRANSPORTATION – CONTRIBUTING TO BRITISH COLUMBIANS’ WELL-BEING

Nav Canada’s Thomas Urbanovitch, whose focus was on British Columbia’s wildfire issues, started the discussion with an overview of the information Nav Canada provides to pilots, including NOTAMs and colour-coded, graphical renditions of active fires and smoke locations. Urbanovitch noted that there has been much success in the use of drones for fire mapping. As an example of why wildfire suppression is vital to wellbeing, he highlighted the recent fire near the Nanaimo airport that threatened a nearby petroleum facility.

Carrie Colville of Central Mountain Air and NT Air described the activities of the two sister companies, the first providing scheduled regional air services and the second providing three Beechcraft King Airs configured as air ambulances.

Ben Ryan of Yukon airline Air North joined the panel via video link. He told the audience of how many residents in B.C.’s northern regions choose Whitehorse to start their air travel as it is closer to them. Ryan treated delegates to a video that illustrated the growth of Air North, which paralleled the economic development of Yukon.

Conference Recap

Kelowna Airport's James Hall capably served as the Master of Ceremonies throughout the conference, ensuring the smooth transition between panels and presentations. Hall recapped the highlights of the 2023 Spring Conference.

(Photo credit: Steve Drinkwater)

Whew!

The BC Aviation Council's Executive Director Dave Frank takes a well deserved rest after weeks of constant planning and troubleshooting in order to once again pull off what appeared to delegates to be a flawless conference. Dave is very skilled at hiding hiccups as they crop up.

(Photo credit: Steve Drinkwater)