Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Ottawa underestimated pent-up travel demand: MP

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Aug, 2022 03:59 PM
  • Ottawa underestimated pent-up travel demand: MP

CALGARY — A member of Parliament says Ottawa may have underestimated Canadians' desire to travel when planning for a return to normal following the end of most pandemic restrictions.

Airlines and airports have been grappling with a surge in customers this summer, compounded by staffing shortages affecting both carriers and federal agencies.

As a result, travellers have experienced widespread flight cancellations, baggage delays and lengthy lineups, particularly at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

Last month, due to a glitch, the ArriveCan app instructed about 10,200 travellers to quarantine for 10 days when they didn't have to.

Annie Koutrakis, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of transport, told reporters in Calgary on Tuesday that planning for a return to normal fell a bit short.

"We did anticipate. Yes, the planning did start. What we underestimated unfortunately was the desire to which everyone wanted to travel and everyone wanted to travel at the same time," Koutrakis said.

"The data shows us that we were not anticipating everybody to start travelling to the degree that they did. It's not like we were waiting and not planning behind the scenes to be ready for it. It's just more could have been done."

Koutrakis said this is the first time the government has gone through a pandemic like COVID-19 and there are lessons to be learned.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was grilled about the delays at a House of Commons committee last week.

Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman asked him if the federal government bears any responsibility and Alghabra replied: "I blame it on COVID." He pointed to labour shortages as the primary contributor to the delays.

Koutrakis said data indicates that abandoning the ArriveCan app would increase delays and bottlenecks and removing the mask mandate would not reduce wait times.

Koutrakis announced nearly $2 million to help the Calgary International Airport improve current and future flight scheduling and connection times between flights, as well as establish dedicated corridors to enable physical distancing.

There were no representatives from any of the airlines at the announcement. But Bob Sartor, the president and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, said the carriers are suffering through the same problems in hiring enough staff.

"The reality is, they are facing to a greater extent issues that we face at YYC and that is the need for additional staffing. They did what we did as an airport and they reduced significantly their staffing during the pandemic," Sartor said.

Sartor said recertifying pilots and getting staff security clearances can take months to complete.

"Sometimes it can be two or three months .… There are some things that have to happen, and one of the things is we need to get pilots certified. We need to get more staff like the air carriers do," Sartor said.

"If we ever have one of these Black Swan events — and I pray we do not — we need a consolidated aviation sector restart plan."

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver police investigate unprovoked machete attack – one of several violent incidents over Father's Day weekend

Vancouver police investigate unprovoked machete attack – one of several violent incidents over Father's Day weekend
A 23-year-old man from Surrey was leaving a concert at Rogers Arena around 11:30 p.m. Sunday when one of the men was confronted by a group of strangers and was stabbed in the abdomen. The victim was taken to hospital and is expected to survive. The suspects fled and have not been located.

Vancouver police investigate unprovoked machete attack – one of several violent incidents over Father's Day weekend

The long goodbye to some single-use plastics

The long goodbye to some single-use plastics
Federal data show in 2019, 15.5 billion plastic grocery bags, 4.5 billion pieces of plastic cutlery, three billion stir sticks, 5.8 billion straws, 183 million six-pack rings and 805 million takeout containers were sold in Canada.    

The long goodbye to some single-use plastics

Rescue robot research at University of Calgary

Rescue robot research at University of Calgary
Ramirez-Serrano has been working on the robot for the last seven years. He hopes it will become a tool to help first responders with disasters such as the collapse of a building.

Rescue robot research at University of Calgary

Canada investing $4.9B in North American defence

Canada investing $4.9B in North American defence
Anand says the funding is the first of an estimated $40 billion that will be spent over the next 20 years to upgrade the joint U.S.-Canadian early warning system known as Norad and purchase other military assets to protect the continent.

Canada investing $4.9B in North American defence

Pedestrian seriously injured in hit and run collision, road closures in effect

Pedestrian seriously injured in hit and run collision, road closures in effect
The pedestrian was associated to a parked vehicle and was standing outside their vehicle at the time they were struck. The pedestrian was transported to hospital with serious injuries.

Pedestrian seriously injured in hit and run collision, road closures in effect

Vancouver pedestrian dies in hit and run

Vancouver pedestrian dies in hit and run
A statement from police says the victim and a friend were crossing West Fourth Avenue in the Kitsilano neighbourhood at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The man, whom police have not identified, was hit by a newer model grey sedan that they say appeared to be speeding.

Vancouver pedestrian dies in hit and run