A Piece of Good News To Brighten 2009

The word has come down from the top, that Navigation Canada will not be closing it’s manually run station here on the islands or at Mont-Joli, Quebec.  This is better then great news for islanders, not only because it keeps the airport traffic watch manual, and therefore with better security for air traffic, but it keeps our air traffic technicians employed and here at home.  Nav Can indicated that this decision is reflected by the consultations that were taken this past autumn with its employees and the concerned population.

The speaker of the society, Nadège Adam explained that Nav Canada regularly evaluates its services. The last evaluation took place in 2003.  It is now time that the company be brought up-to-date.  The enterprise had reviewed the installations of 46 places across the country.

They had decided to keep 18 information stations, those of which were the Mont-Joli and the Magdalen Islands.  It is apparently evident that these information stations of regional flight are essential for the security, indicated Nav Canada, “We had judged that the level of service was perfectly appropriate at this time”, added Mrs Adam.

Just before Christmas 2008, the employees of Navigation Canada had received word that a top Nav Can official would be coming to the islands to discuss terms of their contracts.  The thought then was that Nav Can would be automating all airports with under 20,000 incoming flights per year. Since the Magdalen Islands had less than 5,000 incoming flights, it was taken for certain that this would be one of the first to be automated. 

I'll bet a lot of people are breathing well tonight.

Pictures of satellite photos of the airport in House Harbour, Magdalen Islands.