Stakeholders working on plea to prime minister
SYDNEY — As the end of commercial air service to
Cape Breton fast approaches Cape Breton stakeholders are preparing an emotional video appeal to save the service that will be sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“They will be voicing their concerns over the loss of air service to the local airport,” said Carla Arsenault, president and CEO of the Cape Breton Partnership. “That will be supported by an online petition which we hope that the public will get behind and show their support for the airport.”
Arsenault said a number of stakeholders will be highlighted in the video to ensure the voices of all Cape Breton people are heard.
“We are really looking for the public to show their support for the J.A. Douglas Sydney Airport,” Arsenault said. “We are really hoping to have these initiatives rolled out in a few days. We are very close.”
Arsenault said the importance of maintaining air service to Cape Breton and supporting the region's air travel is crucial to the economy, crucial to international students, and crucial to rotational workers.
“So many people rely on air travel into our community, we're going to do everything we can to support it.”
LOSS OF SERVICE
On Dec. 8 Air Canada announced flights to Toronto and Halifax at the Sydney Airport will be cut effective Jan. 11, 2021, indefinitely, leaving the airport without any air service.
Westjet had previously announced in October it will be indefinitely suspending operations in Atlantic Canada.
On Dec. 11, a Zoom meeting regarding the news was held that included Arsenault, Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Amanda McDougall, Earlene Macmullin, deputy mayor, Mike Mackinnon, CEO of the J.A. Douglas Mccurdy Sydney Airport and Kathleen Yurchesyn, CEO of the Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The meeting also included MP Mike Kelloway, Cape
Breton Canso and MP Jaime Battiste, Sydney-victoria.
It led to the formation of an advocacy group to support efforts to keep service at the Sydney airport.
“It has very much been a collective effort and I think this is a testament to the importance of our airport in our community,” Arsenault said. “Everyone believes our airport is crucial to our community, crucial to our economy. “We all want to work together to ensure that we can do our best to support that effort. The important thing is the need for Cape Breton to get behind those efforts.”
In a story in the Cape Breton Post, Mayor Mcdougall spoke on the advocacy plan that was being formed and that they'll be rallying the public to jump on board.
“This is the time for our island to support one another and with a collective effort,” she said.
SYDNEY AIRPORT CEO
“It is meant for our community to have a way to relay directly to the prime minister, their own personal stories regarding what the impact of losing our air service means to them, their families and/ or their businesses/organization,” said Mackinnon on why he is not in the video.
Mackinnon expects to see the community rally behind the video and sign the petition that is being coordinated by the chamber and local MP'S.
“Hopefully, the strength of that support will push government to quicker action and hopefully we will see air services back in the not-toodistant future.”
However, Mackinnon said everything is going to take time and we should not assume that the airlines will flick a switch and air services will comeback as fast as they were lost.
“The recovery will be long and painfully slow,” he said. “We are at a tipping point, decisions made now will significantly impact just how long and slow the recovery will be.”
Mackinnon said many people are assuming that the vaccine will now save the day, but we still have lots of ‘tunnel' to get through before we come out into the light at the end.
“The Public Health Agency of Canada just today made a statement that it expects that it will be Sept. 2021 before everyone in Canada who wants a vaccine will get one,” he said. “So, what happens in the meantime, how do we get air service back and build confidence in air travel?
Mackinnon said two things are going to need to happen to get air service back and keep it, including for airline partners to be financially healthy.
“Without federal aid for our airlines, small communities like ours will struggle to bring back air service and then maintain it,” he said. “Airports are nothing without airline.”
Although there is a glimmer of hope now that the vaccines have started to arrive, he said there is still is a long bumpy road ahead and plans are needed to start to rebuild confidence in air travel.
Mackinnon feels combining the growing distribution of vaccines with widespread rapid testing at airports could be a way to start to build the confidence needed for an eventual return to more normal travel, not only for daily living, but to do business, attract tourists and students, etc., safely.