Consultations on air passenger ‘bill of rights’ show sticking points on tarmac delays, compensation for cancelled and delayed flights
The federal government has published its summary report of its summer cross-country listening tour on air passenger protections, highlighting firm disagreements the airline industry, consumer advocates, and the public have over what the upcoming rules should look like. The consultations, which included public meetings hosted in eight Canadian cities, show consumer advocates and the public […]
Canadian aviation policy in need of a re-boot in this world of disruption
MONTREAL—The term “disruption” has been bandied about as a characteristic of change in many facets of today’s business models. Disruption can take the form of new technology, new competitors, new customer demographics, any stakeholder that develops and delivers a change that increases value to customers. Disruption can be constructive or destructive. Disruption has produced advancements […]
Airlines an exception to Canada’s traditional advantage in transportation
From the days the voyageurs traversed the continent by canoe, by necessity Canada’s immense territory has forced us to develop a superior transportation network. In the 19th century the Cunard Line operating out of Halifax was a leader in transatlantic ocean voyages. Two of the five leading railroad conglomerates in North America today are based in Canada, […]
Transport Minister Garneau looks to Indigenous and female students to address looming pilot shortage, says CATSA review still underway
Canada’s federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau says the federal government is looking to underrepresented groups, including Indigenous peoples and women, as sources for addressing Canada’s growing pilot shortage. In an email interview with The Hill Times last week, the former astronaut and veteran Liberal MP who has represented Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que. since 2008, said the federal […]
Remote communities ‘first ones’ to ‘suffer’ in pilot shortage
If Canada’s current pilot shortage is not addressed, smaller communities across the country will lose their flight routes and remote communities may lose access to essential services. “We will see the collapse of remote and regional services, which alternately the government will have to subsidize, as they did back in the day with Air Canada […]
Canada’s aviation policy should reflect the unique challenges of the North
As a Senator representing a territory with 25 fly-in only communities, I and many Nunavummiut take great interest in changes to aviation regulations and policies. The carbon tax, for instance, set to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2019, poses a major threat to further increasing the cost of living for Nunavut residents who are […]
Boreal ‘refuges’ key to songbird survival as climate changes
Billions of birds are right now flying south from Canada’s Boreal forest to wintering grounds from the U.S. to South America. While this incredible flow of life washes across our continent, news continues to spread of how climate change imperils birds and indeed all life on Earth. It can make the most stout-hearted feel hopeless. […]
More than 150 international parliamentarians to meet in Ottawa to defend sexual, reproductive health, rights
Sexual and reproductive health and rights aren’t controversial, they’re essential and life saving. Rights and health services related to gender, sexuality, and reproduction support each person’s ability to make decisions about their own bodies (like if and when to have children), help build a culture of consent that protects personal safety and support the end of gender-based […]
Sustainable aviation fuels could soon be a commercial reality in Canada
The world’s airlines have been experiencing a historic run in recent years. Thanks to surging demand and the big drop in oil prices in 2014 global industry profits reached a record high of US$38-billion in 2017. Canadian airlines have been part of this trend, with industry profitability rising to a record $1.7-billion last year. Since […]
Wheels up: on our way to new protections for air passengers
Canadians will soon have new protections when they fly. In May 2016, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) launched the Regulatory Modernization Initiative (RMI), a complete review of all the regulations it administers to ensure that they keep pace with emerging business models, customer expectations, and best practices in the regulatory field. In May 2018, Bill […]
