Transport Committee on June 17th, 2014

[Chris Farmer]

Maybe I can help you out here.

Prior to SMS when we had a regulatory inspection, they were inspecting to a standard. Keep in mind that at airports our infrastructure is static: concrete, asphalt, steel, and glass. An inspector would come in and ensure that the paint lines were correct, the runway lights were working, things of that nature, just to oversimplify it, even though I assured them that we didn't change the runway or anything else like that in the last little while.

What we had predating SMS was to a set standard, a very prescriptive, standardized sort of checklist inspection. Fast-forward it to where we are today and we're actually looking at the tangible safety results and things that can be measured.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

With what frequency is the safety of airport operations both inspected and/or assessed?

[Chris Farmer]

Prior to SMS we would count on an annual inspection or we—

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Hoang Mai]

I'm sorry.

Just for the record, could you mention your name so we know who's talking?

[Chris Farmer]

Yes, my apologies.

It's Chris Farmer. I'm the director of operations at the Greater Moncton International Airport.

Prior to SMS we could count on an annual inspection. Now we are looking at inspection of the SMS program itself, where what was traditionally done by an airport inspector, we are doing under our own audit program.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

I don't know if that answered the question of frequency.

[Chris Farmer]

Prior to SMS frequency was a once-a-year annual inspection.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

What is it now? How often are you inspecting? How often are you being assessed?

[Chris Farmer]

Right now we're being assessed on our SMS program. Please keep in mind that we are just at the end of the phase-in program for implementation, where we had an inspection after each phase, or a program validation after each phase. There were four phases to the program.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

How often do you have to send risk assessments or other documentation to Transport Canada as part of SMS?

[Chris Farmer]

We don't send our risk assessment or other documentation to Transport Canada; that's internal.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

No, they come and look at you, right?

[Chris Farmer]

That's right. They come in and we present it to Transport Canada.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

How often are they coming in to see you?

[Chris Farmer]

Again, in our case, we have just completed our SMS program and we just had our last inspection in January.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

They are checking with each phase though.

[Chris Farmer]

That is correct.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

What types of operational changes at airports would trigger a non-scheduled risk assessment of your SMS?

[Chris Farmer]

I can answer that one, because I think it's pretty well standard at any airport. It would be any change to the operation of the airport, any change in the infrastructure, any sort of new carrier coming in with new equipment, anything that would change the normal stasis of the system.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Nourse, ATAC was here and they talked about an SMS tool kit and guide they have developed, aimed largely at the smaller operators, if you will. Are any of your members familiar with that? Do any of them use that? Do they consider that potentially as a model for a more scalable SMS for their operations?

[Stephen Nourse]

I'm afraid I am not aware of any of our members that have actually utilized the ATAC toolkit.

I am aware of some of our members that have used the CCAA, Canadian Council for Aviation & Aerospace SMS tools to assist them in their implementation.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Hoang Mai]

You have 10 seconds.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

I'll leave it at that, then.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Hoang Mai]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Braid, you have seven minutes.

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to our witnesses for being here this morning.

Mr. Nourse, I'll start with you with a few questions.

I'm just curious. Where is your organization based?