AVCANADA

Justification for Change:

The increase in the volume and complexity of air traffic in Canada over a number of years has necessitated the sub division of large and complex air traffic control facilities into smaller work units by the air navigation services provider. By so doing, air traffic controllers in Area Control Centres (ACC) are no longer required to maintain the knowledge and skills requirements for the entire ACC, at that location. The work within these large facilities has been apportioned by geographic area, surveillance capability, type of equipment in use, airspace strata, traffic flows, skills and knowledge requirements or any combination of these or other factors. The current Regulations and Standards do not facilitate the endorsement of air traffic controller licences with ratings, other than by location and type of rating (airport, terminal, area, oceanic). The proposed amendment to Subpart 402 and Standard 422 will provide a simple yet effective framework for the continued issuance of the existing rating types to air traffic control licenses. The intent of this modification is to ensure that the privileges of an air traffic controller licence and rating are exercised only within a control area or speciality where the individual has been fully trained and certified.

With the physical transfer of the Ottawa Terminal Control Unit (TCU) to Montréal ACC, there are no more stand alone TCUs in Canada. They have all been amalgamated into different ACCs. Since these terminal control functions are now fully integrated into the ACCs, a proposed change will remove the “Terminal Control Rating” from Subpart 402 and Standard 422, and ACC controllers, with the exception of “Oceanic Control” will now require an “Area Control Rating”. This will allow the service provider more leeway in cross training in the ACCs. The verification of training records will allow Transport Canada to confirm that air traffic controllers are qualified to exercise the privileges of their licences in their respective specialties.