ATAC has been very active over the past year urging Transport Minister Garneau to pause in his intentions to impose drastic changes in Flight and Duty Time regulations. We are faced with the incredulous fact that Transport Canada is charging ahead with the most important regulatory changes of the past decade while maintaining a deaf ear to industry, indigenous, and regional concerns as to the detrimental impact of these changes.

This past week, however, has been particularly important in getting the government to appreciate our serious concerns on these proposed set of regulations.

As a result of stakeholder lobbying, delegates at last weekend’s Liberal National Convention in Halifax called on Minister Garneau to pause and work with stakeholders in order to minimize the socio-economic negative impacts of these changes.

ATAC, in cooperation with HAC, held a press conference on Wednesday at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa. A delegation of five carriers representing different industry sectors met with members of the press with the clear message of asking the Minister and his department to go from a transmitting mode to a receiving mode. We insisted on the fact that industry’s legitimate concerns, voiced repeatedly over the past eight years, have never been incorporated in the proposed changes. The press release is attached.

On Thursday, ATAC and HAC met with a senior staff member of the President of the Treasury Board to voice our concerns over the lack of transparency and disregard for the regulatory process and total absence of legitimate stakeholder consultations.

There isn’t a Flight and Duty Time crisis in Canada. Why then is the Minister steamrolling these changes with total disregard to their impact on Canadians, particularly those living in regional, remote and indigenous communities.

ATAC will continue to represent your interests in this most important file. Many other meetings are planned in the next few weeks. Please join us at the ATAC Spring Event to lend your voice to this effort.

Transport Canada Aviation Security has rescinded Security Notice R/R - 009 which effectively banned "Bear Bangers" onboard aircraft in Canada. Bear bangers make a loud gunshot style noise to scare away bears when fired into the air. Bear bangers are often used by hunters to protect themselves from bear encounters and are often used in the north.

ATAC is a certificate holder of "equivalency certificate SA 6651" which is issued by the Transport of Dangerous Goods Directorate (TDG) "authorizing the air operator members of ATAC to handle, offer for transport or transport, by aircraft, dangerous goods, in the case of UN0312, cartridges, signal, class 1.4G, Packing Group ll, (animal deterrent such as Bear Bangers) subject to certain conditions of carriage".

With the help of ATAC the Transport Canada departments of Aviation Security and TDG have communicated leading to new language being released allowing the transport of "Explosives-Bear Bangers" in harmony with the TDG SA6651 (Ren7) Equivalency Certificate" which is currently in effect until 2019-11-30.

Security Notice R/R - 009 on the carriage on "Explosive - Bear Banger" transported by air carriers

A leading figure in aviation insurance since 1970 representing the interests of all aviation stakeholders in Canada, Bill was the recipient of the ATAC Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of his involvement in the development of the Canadian Government’s Third-Party War Risk Liability Indemnity.  Bill was a cherished member of the ATAC Family.  He passed away on December 14.  He will be sorely missed.

The following information has been provided to us regarding Bill' service: 

The service is being held on : Saturday January 13/18 at 2:30pm

Location of the service is:
McInnis and Holloway
5008 Elbow Drive S.W.
Calgary

There are two obituaries (one in the Calgary Herald) and one from the area in which Bill grew up.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/calgaryherald/obituary.aspx?pid=187561915
http://feeandsonsfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/416/William-James/obituary.html