Thank you very much.
I'd like to thank the committee for giving NATA the opportunity to participate in this important study on northern infrastructure and strategies.
This briefing will be focusing on four specific aviation infrastructure issues for consideration by the committee. We're going to be looking at aviation weather information, airport infrastructure, runway approach aids, and aviation labour and skills needs. All four of these issues are critical to providing essential services to communities with little or no access to other means of transportation. All four issues are important to the economic development of northern and remote Canada.
Perhaps a bit of a background, I think, would be useful.
The Northern Air Transport Association's membership is representative of all aspects of northern and remote air operations, including scheduled passenger service, on-demand charter, helicopters, and specialized operations, including internationally renowned medevac and firefighting services.
NATA was formed over 40 years ago to support the economic development of northern and remote Canada with safe, sustainable air transportation services.
The management of operational system safety is a complex and daily issue for northern air operators and stakeholders.
Attached to the written brief provided to the committee is a map of Canada that I thought was useful to understand the challenges air operators face daily.
Northern operators must find solutions to operational problems that simply do no exist in southern Canada. Examples include long-range flight planning, limited weather information, and airports with minimum runway standards.
However, we also boast that a unique aspect of northern and remote aviation operations are the commercial partnerships with many first nation and Inuit groups. Pride of ownership and recognition of the diverse cultures creates a special bond between the air carrier and the customers that does not exist elsewhere.
The goal of this presentation today is to highlight four specific aviation infrastructure issues for consideration by the committee. There is a specific focus on technological advancements that present the opportunity to improve operational efficiencies and mitigate environmental impact, as well as offer solutions to address the challenge of developing a northern-based workforce.
The first one I'd like to brief you on is aviation weather reporting.
Accurate weather reporting for both destination and alternate airports is vital to operational system safety. NATA supports the goals of the federal government's Transportation 2030, a strategic plan for the future of transportation in Canada. Investment in new technology will improve system safety. Improved infrastructure will increase service reliability to northern and remote communities. Advancements in automated weather observing systems can enhance weather reporting capabilities, and in some cases may modify the role of the human observer. However, there is a need to keep engaged a local workforce capability as a desirable goal of a human resource development plan and system safety consideration.
The second item I'd like to bring to your attention is airport and runway infrastructure.
There are numerous recent reports that have identified the need for lengthening and strengthening northern and remote runways, including the July 2017 report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the May 2017 Office of the Auditor General's report on civil aviation.
The standard for runway lengths at northern airports was set in the 1970s at 3,500 feet. With the subsequent change in equipment and regulatory and safety standards, that length is no longer appropriate. The lack of adequate runway length limits aircraft size, and therefore load-carrying capabilities, which adds to the overall cost of living and increases the stress on the environment.
Northern airport locations have near-ideal conditions for a night illusion called the “black hole effect”. The only way to mitigate this illusion is with high-quality runway lighting. Most remote airports do not have REILs, runway end identifier lights, nor do they have high-intensity lighting. The minimum standard for runway lighting must include ARCAL-controlled REILs, PAPIs, and high-intensity lights. PAPIs are approach lights that give you visual indications that you're above the ground properly.
Runway navigational approach aids are the third thing I'd like to bring to your attention very quickly. Identified, again, in almost every recent report on northern aviation infrastructure is the need for more satellite-based instrument approaches and improved runway lighting systems to enhance operational reliability. There's no bad person to the story. Nav Canada, the navigations provider, is doing an excellent job. Transport Canada is trying its best. I just really wanted to bring the importance of these to the committee. Operators providing essential services are forced to use technology and navigational procedures that are outdated, which increases operational risk.
I have a story that I want to pass on to you. Remember, northern and remote Canada isn't just north of 60°; it's north of about 50°. Many parts of Canada are very remote, and this story comes from Sioux Lookout, just to let you know, from a very experienced operator: “There are a number of remote communities that have marginal instrument approaches that need to be improved on. The current approaches at these airports have a significantly higher risk associated with them. These approaches rely on NDBs, non-directional beacons, that do not provide nearly as much or as accurate information as a modern global positioning system, or GPS.
“In many cases, these approaches also require flight crews to complete a “circling approach”. While technically meeting all required regulatory standards, they are universally considered high-risk approaches. These approaches also have higher visibility and ceiling requirements, meaning that in poor weather, there's less chance of a flight being able to land; hence, marginal approaches are not only a safety concern for the crew and the aircraft, but they also increase the times a remote community is cut off from emergency and essential services due to weather considerations. The minimum approach standard at all remote airports needs to include a GPS/LPV.” “LPV” means localizer performance with vertical guidance.
Finally, and I think the most importantly, those three issues are well known and are brought up in other studies, but it's an increase in the northern and non-traditional workforce in aviation that I'm really interested in right now. That's because, on October 2 and 3, the Minister of Transport gave the opening address to an aviation labour shortages forum. His remarks highlighted the importance of developing a competent aviation workforce to ensure the system's safety.
The minister also addressed the challenge of attracting the next generation of aviation workers, especially non-traditional people such as females, indigenous people and other under-represented visible minorities. While the forum focused primarily on flight crew shortages and solutions, for the northern and remote aviation stakeholder there is a shortage of personnel for all aviation-related occupations, and some we don't even have names for yet because of the changes in the technology.
There are various barriers that need to be considered to develop a program that will be successful in attracting, training and retaining northern youth for aviation-related occupations. Training methods need to be sensitive, because, as discussed at the aviation shortage forum, it's problematic for students to have to leave their home and community to go to a school far away for a long period of time. There is an opportunity for more industry-sponsored, federally funded, on-the-job mentoring and training, customized for specific cultural needs and company-specific skill development requirements in the north. This is the type of program that provides awareness and increases individual confidence, and it should be supported with federal funding with greater direct community engagement.
I did research on this committee, as I always do, and some of the past speakers were so inspirational. I like this one from an earlier witness:
When there is investment in the people who live there, it's a fantastic opportunity for the growth and development of our communities. Money gets invested in...communities. The people who live there are...able to give back to the communities. They provide better for their families. They're able to give more to the community. They have a better, more enriched life. They have higher self-esteem. It's...much healthier for the people in their own communities.
There is a need for a northern and remote aviation labour skills committee of regional stakeholders, including service providers, regulators and territorial representatives, to conduct aviation needs assessments to develop a specific labour skills strategy for northern and remote areas of Canada.
NATA’s 43rd northern and remote aviation conference is taking place April 28 to May 1 in Yellowknife. This important discussion on northern and remote aviation infrastructure will be continuing with an airport development workshop that's now planned, as well as a focus on the recruitment of a northern and more diverse aviation workforce. We hope this committee will come and join us at our conference.
Thank you very much for your time today.