Nav Canada Has Got Woes...

And this holiday season, they are passing those woes on to their clients and more important..., to their employees. After making a couple really bad economical decisions this year, Nav Canada has decided to automate many of their resources, in airports such as the one on the Magdalen Islands. This being done, many of their employees will be transferred out or worse, they will lose their jobs and pay cheques. Some of their employees are already putting in request for transfer off islands.

Magdalen Islands mayor Joel Arseneau deplores that the consultations are coming about this holiday season. It is a strategy that, in his opinion, is aimed to reduce all opposition that is seen as rational. As well, there are the complaints to consider, of the employees to consider of the private enterprise which controls the air traffic circulation, when the flight information service at the House Harbour airport goes automated.

In a consultation document, Nav Canada highlighted that they register less than 5000 movements per year. This counters the objective of having 20000 movements per year which will justify an airport run manually.

The mayor feels justifiably upset with the status quo. He feels just in considering the security of Magdalen Islanders. Mayor Arseneau intends to mobilize the socio-economic representatives of the islands and question the two levels of government to prevent Nav Canada from automating their flight information services on the Islands. The mayor estimates more that 250,000 dollars is placed into the islands economy.

It was in the wind, a couple of weeks back, that there was a representative of Nav Canada going around to all the small airports to talk with the employees of the changes that were coming to private company. It made the employees nervous just expecting the meeting. The representative came and went quietly and now the mess blows up in the faces of the politicians..., Go Figure!

The Magdalen Islands isn't large enough to justify an air traffic controller, instead they use four or five flight service technicians, on rotation at the airport here on the islands.