SafeSkies.ca (Roundtable Follow-up)

[Widow]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 11, 2009
CANADA

Air Safety Problems Exposed Online

During Question Period on April 23, the Honorable Rob Merrifield, Secretary of State for Transport, rejected the claims of the NDP Transport Critic, Dennis Bevington, that Canada is not meeting international standards for aviation safety. Perhaps Mr. Merrifield has been duped by bureaucrats in the same manner as the Canadian travelling public.

In addition to evidence provided during extensive Committee hearings held in 2007 over a controversial Bill to amend the Aeronautics Act, further proof was recently aired in a landmark Round Table discussion on Air Safety held at Parliament Hill and hosted by Mr. Bevington.

The organizers have now created a new website, http://www.safeskies.ca, which allows media and members of the public to experience the Round Table: to see and hear the revelations made by pilots, industry insiders, whistleblowers and accident victims.

“Canadians need to know that despite lessons learned from aviation accidents and related problems in the rail industry, Transport Canada has abandoned them and left their lives in the hands of those responsible for profit margins – a dangerous strategy which is likely to have tragic consequences.”, claims the SafeSkies website.

“International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says you absolutely have to retain your traditional oversight and the fact of the matter is, Transport Canada is simply not doing that and has no intention of doing it” states Greg Holbrook, National Chair of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association (CFPA), during his presentation.

Apparently the Canadian Public is travelling under a false sense of security. The major airlines have already been empowered to regulate themselves, and are operating without scrutiny from Transport Canada. A similar situation in the US resulted in national disaster, thousands of cancelled flights and huge public outcry. Business aircraft have been governing themselves since 2003 – though enabling regulations were not actually passed until 2005. Transport Canada’s own audit in 2007 revealed this has created a system plagued with troubling holes. Air Taxi and Commuter aircraft in Canada have not yet been enabled by regulations to govern themselves, yet Transport Canada is no longer overseeing this major sector of aviation either.

Other Round Table presentations highlighted the systemic problems within Transport Canada, and the known failures which have caused multiple deaths and destroyed lives.

An alliance of individuals and industry representatives is now being formed with its prime focus to seek resolution to these issues, hold Transport Canada accountable to the public, and restore Canadian’s faith in air safety. For information about future developments on these topics, check back with http://www.safeskies.ca and subscribe to the newsletter.


Prepared by
Kirsten Stevens and Kirsten Brazier

Advocates for Air Safety

[xsbank]

I have been on your site and I have signed up for the newsletter - it should be apparent to all how committed your group is. Very informative and easy to get the information required.

It will be interesting to see if the new guy in charge of TC has anything useful to say or will he be just another career bureaucrat with no worries except when he will get his pension.

Once again, thank you for all your efforts on my behalf!

[Widow]

Thanks xsbank.

And ... you're welcome.

[Sidebar]

Here's TC's version of "safer skies": http://www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/flight2010/beyond.htm

In the period immediately following 2010, the aviation industry will have implemented robust safety management systems (SMS) in which the public and regulator have confidence. As companies evolve from compliance to safety risk management thinking, regulators will transform from regulatory compliance auditors into system evaluators, as the underlying philosophy shifts the onus for proving or disproving adequate safety performance from the regulator to the organization. Well-designed and executed risk management systems and risk-based oversight programs will have laid the groundwork for this to happen, while achieving safer skies.

Can't say that this member of the "public" has a lot of confidence in this vision actually "achieving safer skies."

Put their feet to the fire Widow.

[Widow]

If I may be so bold as to encourage anyone whose concerns match those expressed on the website to write letters to the editor of their favourite papers ....

[Widow]

Does anyone who has visited the site have any suggestions/commentary for improvement?

We are waiting and wondering about what will happen next with the Bill in order to co-ordinate our next efforts .... their time is running short with the planned NPAs.

[Widow]

FYI

We sent out our first newsletter today. Here it is for those who are interested.

[The Old Fogducker]

Way to go Kirsten. I'll take a serious look around the site and the newsletter tomorrow.

I strongly support your work and applaud how much you've learned about the industry in the last few years.

Well done!

Regards from
The Old Fogducker

[Widow]

Thanks, you Old Fogducker!

[Rubberbiscuit]

I read the news letter and must admit is was presented in a very proessional manner. I have said it before and I will say it again, I commend what you are all doing and the path you are on, even tough I am not 100% in agreement with all of the issues. But that is the way it is and should be. What is a good/great statement or argument worth if it is not challenged or argued?

[jeta1]

well done

[Widow]

What is the irony? I have, in effect, been chosen by many industry "experts" and "insiders" to represent their views. I didn't call the station and ask to be interviewed. And the newsletter segment you quoted came from "news from safeskies" not "industry news".

So where's the irony? Is it personal?

[cookiesnomnom]

That host was a bonehead! Some of us are lucky to fly for a company that will put a SMS system in place and stick with it. However most will (at some point) work somewhere that needs to get their act together. Its quite sad that pilots are forced to work under conditions like that when they are starting out. On the up side to anyone that might be in that spot right now, it will get better for you! Stick with it guys but don't let your boss ever walk on you!

[bk53182]

The radio interview sounded like a spokesperson for the CFPA.
The radio host I thought was polite and patient with some of the statements made.
While I disagree with the spokesperson's premise that Transport Canada is less stringent than the FAA, having both sides of this conversation is important as this is about a change in oversight. I deal a lot with operators and employees. I appreciate how hard many operators and workers try to meet and exceed the regulatory requirements.
I recognize the challenge of SMS will be for operators to set and meet company specific performance objectives that are above the minimum standard required by TC regulations.

[snaproll20]

I like the Mission Statement, Kirsten.

I do hope everyone will push now, contact their MPs, submit letters to newspapers etc etc.
Everyone should remember that this is THEIR industry. It does NOT belong to non-practical career political hacks who have no committment to their sworn duties.

[Widow]

Newsletter #2

[Widow]

Oh, and Newsletter 3 for those who are interested and haven't hade a chance to subscribe yet

http://safeskies.ca/newsletter_1-3

[Widow]

Newsletter #4

http://safeskies.ca/newsletter_1-4

[Widow]

SafeSkies Newsletter Vol 1, No 5 - October 1

SafeSkies Newsletter Vol 1, No 6 - October 15

[Widow]

SafeSkies Newsletter Vol 1, No 7 - November 1st

[Widow]

SafeSkies Newsletter Vo. 1, No 8 - November 15th

In part:

On November 4th, the UCTE announced that it had submitted recommendations for changes to SMS to the Minister of Transport. Included in the announcement was the attachment "Implementation of the Transport Canada Safety Management System: What's not right and why change is necessary". As noted in the last newsletter, this document was also submitted to the FAA in response to their SMS proposals, and a comparison of Transport Canada's SMS implementation with that of the UK, the US, Australia and the ICAO directions is included. Please see http://safeskies.ca/news/UCTE-SMS for more information and a link to the document.

We are given to understand that some witnesses have been called to be heard by the Standing Committee on Transport with respect to Mr. Bevington's Motion for a review of air safety oversight. The unconfirmed date for these hearings to take place is November 30th.

Confidential sources have also advised there is further indication of the veracity of UCTE's announcement, "Transport Canada ready to listen" (See: http://safeskies.ca/news/UCTE_TC_Listen). The word is that there was a meeting of the National Executive last week, and among other decisions, the implementation of SMS into the 703/704 sector will be pushed back to January 2011, at the earliest.

Please also watch the House of Commons this week for another expected development.

[Widow]

SafeSkies Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 9

[Widow]

SafeSkies Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 1 (Feb. 1, 2010)

SafeSkies Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 2 (Mar. 19, 2010)