Speech (committee meeting)

{
    "time": "2021-01-28 15:50:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Derrick Stanford (President, Atlantic Canada Airports Association)",
        "fr": "M. Derrick Stanford (pr\u00e9sident, Association des a\u00e9roports du Canada atlantique)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"6484373\" data-originallang=\"en\"> With COVID cases on the rise in the rest of Canada, new variants, and vaccines just beginning to roll out, the recovery line for the restart of travel is getting further and further out of reach, while our financial losses grow. Atlantic Canada's airports lost over six million passengers in 2020, and $140 million in revenue. Even after all of the cost-cutting, there was a net loss of over $80 million.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6484374\" data-originallang=\"en\">The unemployment rate in the Atlantic aviation sector is now over 50%. These were well-paying and secure jobs. The year 2021 is not looking much better. We are down from over 140 routes to just 29, with only nine of those connecting us to the rest of Canada. Our airports have asked for rent relief until this sector recovers. In a good year, Canada's airports have paid $415 million to the federal government in rent. Now, our airports need government support as revenue has completely dried up.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6484375\" data-originallang=\"en\">What was announced was a good first step, but it does not go far enough to help Canada's medium-sized and large airports recover. Airports like Halifax Stanfield and St. John's will only receive rent relief for one more year. To put this into perspective, in the case of St. John's, with projected revenues down substantially again in 2021, the airport is forecasting a savings of approximately $450,000 from federal rent relief. By comparison, its borrowing to get through the pandemic is currently anticipated to peak at $30 million. Much more needs to be done.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6484376\" data-originallang=\"en\">Our airports have also asked for operational support. We look forward to the details and the rollout of the $206 million in the RATI program. This will be required to help stabilize the losses for our regional airports in Atlantic Canada so that we can get\u2014</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"6484373\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Compte tenu de l\u2019augmentation du nombre de cas de COVID dans le reste du Canada, des nouveaux variants et de la vaccination qui commence \u00e0 peine, l'horizon de la reprise des voyages s'\u00e9loigne de plus en plus, tandis que nos pertes financi\u00e8res augmentent. Les a\u00e9roports du Canada atlantique ont perdu plus de six millions de passagers en 2020 et 140 millions de dollars de recettes. M\u00eame apr\u00e8s toutes les r\u00e9ductions de co\u00fbts, la perte nette s'\u00e9l\u00e8ve \u00e0 plus de 80 millions de dollars.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6484374\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le taux de ch\u00f4mage dans le secteur a\u00e9rien de la r\u00e9gion de l\u2019Atlantique d\u00e9passe maintenant les 50 %. Il s\u2019agissait d\u2019emplois bien r\u00e9mun\u00e9r\u00e9s et stables. L\u2019ann\u00e9e 2021 ne s'annonce gu\u00e8re mieux. Nous sommes pass\u00e9s de plus de 140 vols \u00e0 seulement 29, dont seulement 9 nous relient au reste du Canada. Nos a\u00e9roports ont demand\u00e9 une r\u00e9duction de loyer jusqu\u2019\u00e0 la reprise. Au cours d\u2019une bonne ann\u00e9e, les a\u00e9roports du Canada versent 415 millions de dollars de loyer au gouvernement f\u00e9d\u00e9ral. Aujourd'hui, nos a\u00e9roports ont besoin de l\u2019aide du gouvernement, car il n'y a plus de recettes.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6484375\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ce qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 annonc\u00e9 \u00e9tait une bonne premi\u00e8re mesure, mais cela ne suffit pas \u00e0 aider les a\u00e9roports canadiens de grande et moyenne envergure \u00e0 se r\u00e9tablir. Des a\u00e9roports comme ceux de Halifax, de Stanfield et de St. John\u2019s ne b\u00e9n\u00e9ficieront d\u2019une r\u00e9duction de loyer que pour un an encore. Pour mieux comprendre, dans le cas de St. John\u2019s, o\u00f9 les recettes pr\u00e9vues devraient encore une fois diminuer consid\u00e9rablement en 2021, l\u2019a\u00e9roport pr\u00e9voit des \u00e9conomies d\u2019environ 450 000 $ gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l\u2019all\u00e9gement du loyer f\u00e9d\u00e9ral. En comparaison, ses emprunts actuels pour traverser la pand\u00e9mie atteignent les 30 millions de dollars. Il faut faire beaucoup plus.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6484376\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nos a\u00e9roports ont \u00e9galement demand\u00e9 un soutien op\u00e9rationnel. Nous attendons avec impatience les d\u00e9tails du programme et l'investissement des 206 millions de dollars de l'ITAR. Ce programme contribuera \u00e0 la stabilisation des pertes des a\u00e9roports r\u00e9gionaux du Canada atlantique pour que nous puissions...</p>"
    },
    "url": "/committees/transport/43-2/13/derrick-stanford-1/",
    "politician_url": null,
    "politician_membership_url": null,
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "11101212",
    "document_url": "/committees/transport/43-2/13/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fcommittees%2Ftransport%2F43-2%2F13%2F"
    }
}