Eleven regional airports in British Columbia receiving up to $11.7 million to maintain regional connectivity and jobs

Targeted Government of Canada support will be provided by Western Economic Diversification Canada

VANCOUVER, BC, July 30, 2021 /CNW/ – Regional air transportation is crucial to ensure merchandise circulates, supply chains are maintained, and regional economic growth continues. The pandemic has had major impacts on regional air transportation ecosystems, affecting economies, communities, and local businesses.

BC’s regional airports get an economic boost (CNW Group/Western Economic Diversification Canada)

The Government of Canada’s Regional Air Transportation Initiative (RATI), launched in March 2021, fosters access to air transportation and supports regional ecosystems. In particular, it enables regional air carriers and airports to remain operational in these difficult times and to continue to contribute to regional economic growth, while adapting to new post-COVID-19 realities and requirements.

B.C. airports to benefit from funding

With this in mind, Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (B.C.), on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada, announced $11,721,721 in RATI funding for 11 regional airports in B.C.

This funding will enable these airports to overcome challenges that were brought on by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regional air transportation is key to the economic development of communities and businesses across Canada. Since it helps draw Canadians to rural and remote communities to work and raise their families, while also providing reliable connectivity with urban centres, it plays a crucial role in a just, inclusive recovery for all, throughout the country.

Quotes

“It is important to protect our regional air transportation for the thousands of workers employed by this sector and for the many businesses and communities that depend on it. Air connectivity makes our regions accessible to Canadians who want to settle there and is key in moving our businesses’ products to their destination markets. That’s why, as part of our plan for a strong economic recovery, our government supports this connectivity, indispensable to healthy, inclusive growth.”

–       The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada

“Regional airports and infrastructure are critical components of the B.C. economy, both for trade and for the travel that many Canadians are starting to look forward to as we emerge from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding will go a long way towards getting these assets back on their feet and ready to deliver on the needs of British Columbians as we look towards a brighter future.”

–       Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (B.C.)

“Victoria International Airport is a vital economic generator for the Greater Victoria Region. The pandemic has been financially devastating to the airport industry and aviation sector as a whole. This funding announcement is welcome news which will assist YYJ to reinstate lost air service, attract new air service, build passenger demand, and continue to operate a safe and efficient airport with world class safety and health standards. Air connectivity is a key to economic prosperity and we look forward to help building back the visitor economy.”  

–       Geoff Dickson, President and CEO, Victoria Airport Authority

“We are grateful for this funding. It is essential to help continue our operations and ensure that we continue to be the gateway to Northern British Columbia. The Prince George Airport is a hub for not only passenger services but also medevac, RCMP, aerial search and rescue, and wildfire fighting services for Northern and remote communities.”

–       Gordon Duke, President and CEO, Prince George Airport Authority

Projects being funded:

Legal Name	City	Funding
Prince Rupert Airport Authority	Prince Rupert	$503,427
Comox Valley Airport Commission	Comox	$1,094,406
Victoria Airport Authority	Sidney	$2,998,672
Central Coast Regional District	Bella Coola	$328,322
Prince George Airport Authority Inc.	Prince George	$1,297,965
Kamloops Airport Authority Society	Kamloops	$1,256,378
North Peace Airport Society	Fort St. John	$1,212,750
The Corporation of the Town of Golden	Golden	$120,000
Terrace-Kitimat Airport Society	Terrace	$1,183,053
Nanaimo Airport Commission	Cassidy	$1,380,916
Nanaimo Port Authority	Nanaimo	$345,832
Total:	$11,721,721

Quick facts

• The RATI, administered by the regional development agencies (RDAs), has a national budget of $206 million.
• The Initiative supports regional air ecosystems—which include regional air carriers and airports, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises and non-profit organizations—in developing and implementing enhanced services for improved regional connectivity.
• The RATI complements measures implemented by Transport Canada.

Associated links

• Regional Air Transportation Initiative
• Western Economic Diversification Canada
• Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan

CC-177 Globemaster III aircraft flying in British Columbia

From Terrace Standard – link to source story

Canadian Air Forces CC-177 Globemaster may be seen in skies above Prince Rupert on training exercises be carried out across B.C., the RCAF advised, on July 6. The training missions will between July 7th to 10th. (Photo: supplied by Royal Canadian Air Force)

Prince Rupert is a potential stop for Canadian Air Forces training exercise

By K-J MILLAR | Jul. 7, 2021

Canadian Airforces CC-177 Globemaster III aircraft may be a unique sight in the skies above Prince Rupert between July 7 and 10, the Royal Canadian Airforce announced.

Members of the 429 Transport Squadron, based out of 8 Wing Trenton, will be conducting cross-country flying training in the province of British Columbia, the public advisory stated.

Prince Rupert is one of the potential training locations, Captain Sheila Tham of the Royal Canadian Airforce told The Northern View, on July 6.

“Cross-country flying is a type of long-distance training to perform low approaches, landing, and take-offs at airports and is essential for maintaining the skills of aircrew so they are ready to safely execute Canadian Armed Forces missions around the world, often under challenging conditions.”

The landings and approaches conducted in cross-country flying sometimes occur at smaller airports that are unaccustomed to receiving Globemaster IIIs.

“It is important that these proficiencies are maintained in Canada so our aircrew are prepared to execute these manoeuvres in potentially life-threatening situations. All efforts will be made to minimize disruption to the community.”

Tham said due to many influencing factors she can’t guarantee the aircraft will be seen in the skies above the city or land in the vicinity.

“The training involves practicing approaches and/or landing at a variety of airports across B.C.,” Tham said. “I don’t want to make any promises as flying schedules are often unpredictable and may change based on weather, traffic, and other situations that are beyond our control.”

The massive aircraft of more than 174 ft (53.04m) in length and with a wingspan of 169.75 ft (51.74m) is a strategic air-lifter used to transport cargo, troops, and oversized combat equipment. Advanced avionics makes it rapid and reliable. One CC-177 Globemaster can haul three CH 146 Griffin helicopters with refuelling tanks or up to 102 paratroopers, stated the Royal Canadian Airforce on its webpage.

With a flight range of 10,279 km at Mach .74 or 568 miles per hour, the plane has the ability to land in remote airfields making it premier for military, humanitarian and peacekeeping missions, the Airforce states.

Some RCAF aircraft are larger than many passenger airplanes and may appear to be flying lower than they actually are. RCAF aircrew adheres to strict rules and regulations at all times to ensure safety. While conducting training at airports all aircrew members will remain in the aircraft.

Air Canada Supports Economic Recovery as the Country’s Leading Carrier, Serving 50 Cities Across Canada to Enable Canadians to Conveniently Connect

• Most extensive domestic schedule supports Canada’s tourism and hospitality sector
• Includes three new routes, re-established routes plus Air Canada Signature Class and Premium Economy Class cabins on select transcontinental routes
• New refund policy gives additional peace of mind

MONTREAL, June 15, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ – Air Canada’s domestic peak summer schedule beginning at the end of June has been developed to advance the country’s economic recovery and support Canada’s tourism and hospitality businesses during the important summer period.  Three new domestic Canada routes, service to 50 Canadian airports, the re-establishment of select regional routes, and wide-body aircraft featuring Air Canada Signature Class and Premium Economy Class on select transcontinental routes are included. Seats with attractive pricing in all cabins are available for purchase now at aircanada.com, via the Air Canada App, Air Canada’s Contact Centres and travel agencies.

“With Canada’s ongoing vaccine roll-out acceleration together with various provincial governments’ reopening plans that include travel, this summer is looking brighter. As customers are ready to travel, Air Canada is taking a leadership position to support our partners in Canada’s tourism and hospitality sector with service to 50 destinations from coast to coast, the re-start of regional services and new, non-stop flights,” said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada.

“We are especially proud that our new state-of-the-art, Canadian-manufactured Airbus A220 aircraft will be operating across Canada. With our industry-leading CleanCare+ bio-safety protocols, promotional fares including for our premium cabins, compelling Aeroplan opportunities, and our new refund policy offering additional peace of mind, customers can book Air Canada with confidence.  We look forward to welcoming you onboard when you’re ready to fly,” concluded Mr. Galardo.

Air Canada’s new refund policy provides customers an option for a refund to the original form of payment in instances where Air Canada cancels their flight or reschedules the departure time by more than three hours, irrespective of the reason. Air Canada customers will also have the option of accepting an Air Canada Travel Voucher or Aeroplan points with a 65% bonus.  Normal fare rules will apply when customers make voluntary changes to non-affected flights.

New route details:

Route	Frequency	Aircraft	Effective
Montreal-Deer Lake	Daily	CRJ900	Jul 1, 2021
Montreal-Kelowna	3x Weekly July4x Weekly Aug	Airbus A220	June 26, 2021
Montreal-Saskatoon-Regina	Daily	CRJ900	Aug 1, 2021

Resumption of services:

Airport Station	Route		Effective	Frequency
Gander	Gander – Halifax		Jun 29	3x Weekly
Gander – Toronto		Jul 2	5x Weekly
St. John’s	St. John’s – Toronto		Jun 19	Daily
Goose Bay	Goose Bay – St. John’s		Jun 29	3x Weekly
Deer Lake	Deer Lake – Halifax		Aug 1	5x Weekly
Halifax	Halifax – Calgary		Aug 1	5x Weekly
Sydney	Sydney – Toronto		Jun 26	3x Weekly
Sydney – Montreal		Aug 1	Daily
Charlottetown	Charlottetown – Toronto		Jun 18	4x Weekly
Saint John	Saint John – Montreal		Jun 30	3x Weekly
Saint John – Toronto		Jul 2	4x Weekly
Fredericton	Fredericton – Montreal		Jun 29	Daily
Fredericton – Toronto		Jul 1	5x Weekly
Bathurst	Bathurst – Montreal		Jun 27	3x Weekly
Quebec City	Quebec City – Toronto		Jun 19	1x Daily
Ottawa	Ottawa – Calgary		Jul 2	Daily
Ottawa – Edmonton		Aug 1	2x Weekly
North Bay	North Bay – Toronto		Jun 28	3x Weekly
Fort McMurray	Fort McMurray – Toronto		July 1	2x Weekly
Winnipeg	Winnipeg – Calgary		Jun 20	6x weekly
Winnipeg – Montreal		Aug 1	Daily
Regina	Regina – Calgary		Jul 1	5x Weekly
Saskatoon	Saskatoon – Calgary		Jul 2	5x Weekly
Kamloops	Kamloops – Vancouver		Jun 29	4x Weekly
Kamloops – Calgary		Jun 28	4x Weekly
Comox	Comox – Vancouver		Jun 30	3x Weekly
Nanaimo	Nanaimo – Toronto		Jul 4	1x Weekly
Nanaimo – Calgary		Jul 2	5x weekly
Prince Rupert	Prince Rupert – Vancouver		Jun 25	3x Weekly
Penticton	Penticton – Vancouver		Jun 29	4x Weekly
Sandspit	Sandspit – Vancouver		Jun 23	3x Weekly
Victoria	Montreal – Victoria		Jun 19	3x Weekly
Toronto – Victoria		Jun 19	4x Weekly
Calgary – Victoria		Jun 21	4x Weekly
Castlegar	Castlegar – Vancouver		Jun 28	3x Weekly
Kelowna	Kelowna Toronto		Jun 18	4x Weekly
Yellowknife	Yellowknife – Calgary		Jun 30	3x Weekly

Air Canada is also providing connectivity to five additional regional communities through interline agreements with third party regional carriers: Wabush, Baie Comeau, Gaspe, Mont Joli, and Val d’Or.

Air Canada’s commercial schedule may be adjusted as required based on the COVID-19 trajectory and government restrictions.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline, and in 2020 was among the top 20 largest airlines in the world. It is Canada’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. In 2020, Air Canada was named Global Traveler’s Best Airline in North America for the second straight year. In January 2021, Air Canada received APEX’s Diamond Status Certification for the Air Canada CleanCare+ biosafety program for managing COVID-19, the only airline in Canada to attain the highest APEX ranking. Air Canada has also committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050.

Details of Financial Support to Air Canada

From: Department of Finance Canada | 12 April 2021

Backgrounder

The government’s financial support to Air Canada is being provided under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF). The Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (CEEFC) has committed to provide $4 billion in repayable loans and an equity investment in Air Canada of $500 million in newly-issued Class B Voting Shares at a 15 per cent discount to their recent trading price. CEEFC will also receive warrants on Air Canada stock in an amount equal to 10 per cent of the loan commitments (CEEFC’s news release contains detailed information regarding the warrants).

As a condition of its agreement with CEEFC, Air Canada has made a number of commitments as outlined below.

Refunds for Canadians

The agreement with Air Canada ensures that customers who had their flights cancelled, or took action to cancel a flight because of the pandemic, are not financially disadvantaged. Under the terms of the financing agreement, Air Canada has committed to offer refunds to any passenger who wants a refund for certain pandemic-related cancelations by the carrier that CEEFC will finance. Air Canada has committed to providing customers with their refunds as soon as possible – beginning April 30, 2021 at the latest. CEEFC will provide additional loan financing of up to $1.4 billion for Air Canada to provide these refunds. Travel agents may assist in the processing of refunds for tickets the travel agents sold but will not be required to refund their commission to Air Canada.

Protecting Jobs

As a condition of the agreement with CEEFC, Air Canada has committed to maintain jobs at current levels, to respect collective bargaining agreements, and protect workers’ pensions. Air Canada currently has 14,859 active Canadian employees.

As required more generally under LEEFF, Air Canada has also agreed to restrictions on dividends, buying back shares, and executive compensation. The company will also provide climate-related financial disclosures, including how its future operations will support environmental sustainability and national climate goals.

Restarting Vital Domestic Air Services

The terms of the financial support will ensure that Canadians and communities retain air connections to the rest of Canada, through the restart of service at airports temporarily suspended by Air Canada. For seven airports where Air Canada had permanently canceled service, the airline will seek interline agreements with other carriers with a view to ensure those Canadians continue to have convenient access to their preferred airports and the flights they need.

Service will resume by no later than June 1, 2021, at the following suspended airports based on public health advice:

• Bathurst
• Comox
• Fredericton
• Gander
• Goose Bay
• Kamloops
• North Bay
• Penticton
• Prince Rupert
• Saint John
• Sandspit
• Sydney
• Yellowknife

Supporting Jobs in Canada’s Aerospace Industry

The aerospace industry supported 235,000 Canadian jobs and contributed over $28 billion in gross domestic product to the Canadian economy in 2019.

This financing agreement will allow Air Canada to continue to be a vital customer of the Canadian aerospace industry by completing its planned purchase of aircraft as set out in its business plan, which includes aircraft built in Canada, such as the Airbus A220. Aerospace is one of the most innovative and export-driven industries in Canada. The negative impact of the pandemic on the bottom line of airlines has put the relationship between airlines and the aerospace industry at risk, threatening job security in the sector. Ensuring that Air Canada maintains its status as a key customer of Canada’s aerospace industry is important to ensuring the long term success of the sector and the thousands of jobs it supports.