Francis Tessier-Burns · CBC News · Posted: Apr 28, 2023 2:00 AM MDT | Last Updated: April 28

The plans of hopeful paddlers whose trips were scheduled to depart from Norman Wells, N.W.T., this summer may be in jeopardy after Canadian North has cut some of its flights to the community. 

Dan Wong, owner of Yellowknife-based Jackpine Paddle, says he's had guided canoe trips booked for months for 40 guests. 

"They're stressed out and right now we're sitting with itineraries that just aren't viable, and so that does worry me," said Wong.

"These are trips of a lifetime and for some folks they've actually saved up for years and they've been planning for months." 

For now, Wong says nobody has cancelled their trips. 

Wong booked eight staff to lead the expeditions over the summer, starting on June 29. He says he learned about the reduced flight schedule Tuesday evening when emails of itinerary changes started pouring into his inbox. 

"I checked on that online and then I saw the schedule changes and I was like, 'Oh, this isn't going to be good,'" he said.

He also thought about his previous work experience in a medical travel office. 

"I can tell you that's a busy place to work. There's a lot of people there and they have growing medical needs and people need to get in and out of their communities," he said.

It's not clear how many flights have been cut. Canadian North did not respond to requests for comment and clarification by deadline.

The cut to the schedule to Norman Wells was a surprise to Mayor Frank Pope. 

"I'm more **bleep** off than anything else that nobody called us and gave us a heads up," he said.

Pope said the town would be issuing an update on the situation on Friday. 

In addition to the guided trips in Norman Wells, Wong was working with the Ayalik Fund to have Nunavummiut youth participate in a 12-day canoe trip on Great Slave Lake. 

He's heard from organizers — mostly volunteers — that the reduction or cancellations to some Nunavut routes have caused significant disruptions to travel plans. 

"I can fix any problem if I have enough time," Wong said. "But with something this complicated, to hear about it basically at the last minute, it just makes things really difficult." 

The schedule change comes days after the federal government approved updated terms for the 2019 merger of Canadian North and First Air, though it's not clear whether that's the reason for the change. 

Some of the new terms allow for scheduled flights to be reduced to once a week in communities served by Canadian North, and for 25 per cent price increases per year. 

Communities already facing reduction

Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., has been dealing with a single flight to the community since the pandemic. 

"Our hands are tied," says Mayor Joshua Oliktoak.

He says the single flight has delayed everything from mail to medical travel. Elders and families have been especially affected as they wait for Old Age Security or Canada Child Benefit cheques. 

"There's people … that rely on these cheques to put food on the table to pay their bills," said Janine Harvey, the executive director of the Tahiuqtiit Women's Society in Ulukhaktok. 

"When people are waiting for mail to get into the community, that puts a hold on people's lives and their livelihood." 

Despite the reduction, Harvey says current prices are prohibitive to many community members being able to travel. 

"It's not fair to our people," she adds. 

Some community members, said Oliktoak, have had to change appointments with medical specialists due to fewer flights. 

Even when they do manage to make their appointment, it takes longer for them to get home. 

"It's been draining on our people," he said. 

He said the community was told the regular schedule would return after the pandemic, but despite a meeting in December with Canadian North representatives, that hasn't happened. 

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Published Apr 28, 2023  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  1 minute read

• First Dreams Take Flight trip departing Halifax since 2019
• Second flight of 2023 taking off from across Canada
• Every year, Air Canada and Dreams Take Flight take children facing different challenges on the trip-of-a-lifetime.

MONTREAL, April 26, 2023 /CNW/ - This morning, the first Air Canada and Dreams Take Flight from Atlantic Canada since 2019 took off from Halifax International Airport with 144 children to Orlando to experience the trip-of-a-lifetime. Thanks to the numerous Air Canada employee volunteers, support of the Air Canada Foundation and the work by the Dreams Take Flight organization, eight flights operate annually, providing over 1000 children each year with an unforgettable day at a theme park in Florida or California.

 

The flight from Halifax left in the early hours of the morning and transported 144 kids to Orlando, accompanied by a crew of current and retired Air Canada employee volunteers focused on creating the most magical experience possible. By generously donating their time, pilots, flight attendants, maintenance engineers, and numerous other employees on the ground and behind the scenes offer children facing mental, physical, or social adversity the chance to take a break from their everyday to make memories and see new possibilities.

 

"Dreams Take Flight Halifax takes children from all of the Atlantic provinces, which is something that makes our chapter very unique", said Allison Sinnott, President of Dreams Take Flight Halifax. "It's difficult to describe what this trip means for them and what it's like to witness their joy as they make unforgettable memories with new friends. None of this would be possible without our national and local sponsors, so we cannot thank them enough."

"Partnering with Dreams Take Flight has been a wonderful way for Air Canada, our employees, and the Air Canada Foundation to come together and make the dreams of children facing adversity come true," said Valerie Durand, Spokesperson for the Air Canada Foundation. "A heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers and supporters who worked so hard to bring together this group of deserving children from across the Atlantic provinces to make magical memories that will last a lifetime."

Six more flights from across Canada will depart from Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa throughout 2023.

Dreams Take Flight is a non-profit primarily made up of current and retired Air Canada employees who volunteer to make these flights a reality. Over the past 30 years, Air Canada, as exclusive carrier and now through the Air Canada Foundation, has flown more than forty thousand children on Dreams Take Flight trips.

Visit dreamstakeflight.ca to donate or volunteer.

Dreams Take Flight is a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing the trip of a lifetime to children who may be physically, mentally or socially challenged. With the aid of Air Canada, the Air Canada Foundation and other national and local organizations and businesses, money is raised to fund the program in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax. Funds not required for its primary purpose can be gifted by Dreams Take Flight to other registered charities that benefit physically, mentally or socially challenged children and are within the policies adopted by Dreams Take Flight Canada. The first Dreams Take Flight station was founded in Toronto in 1989. Since then, the organization has taken over 40,000 special children to Florida and California.

The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, was launched in 2012. It offers both financial and in-kind support to Canadian-registered charities. Core programs include the Hospital Transportation Program, which redistributes Aeroplan points to 15 pediatric hospitals across Canada, enabling sick children to access the medical care they need away from home. The Air Canada Foundation, in collaboration with the airline, also engages directly in fundraising activities, such as the Every Bit Counts program, which encourages customers to donate loose change of all denominations on board flights or through collection containers available in Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges. The Foundation also offers continued support to major health-related causes that benefit Canadians and is an active participant in international humanitarian relief activity as the need arises. For more information about the Air Canada Foundation, please read the 2020-21 impact report or the Air Canada's 2021 Corporate Sustainability report available at www.aircanada.com/citizensoftheworld.

Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada provides scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in Canada, the United States and Internationally on six continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada's Aeroplan program is Canada's premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada's passenger and freighter aircraft.  Air Canada has committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. Air Canada shares are publicly traded on the TSX in Canada and the OCTQX in the US.

 Moon shot: Japan firm to attempt historic lunar landing
By Sara HUSSEIN
Tokyo (AFP) April 25, 2023  
A Japanese space start-up will attempt Tuesday to become the first private company to put a lander on the Moon.

If all goes to plan, ispace's Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander will start its descent towards the lunar surface at around 1540 GMT.

It will slow its orbit some 100 kilometres above the Moon, then adjust its speed and altitude to make a "soft landing" around an hour later.

Success is far from guaranteed. In April 2019, Israeli organisation SpaceIL watched their lander crash into the Moon's surface.

ispace has announced three alternative landing sites and could shift the lunar descent date to April 26, May 1 or May 3, depending on conditions.

"What we have accomplished so far is already a great achievement, and we are already applying lessons learned from this flight to our future missions," ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada said earlier this month.

"The stage is set. I am looking forward to witnessing this historic day, marking the beginning of a new era of commercial lunar missions."

The lander, standing just over two metres tall and weighing 340 kilogrammes, has been in lunar orbit since last month.

It was launched from Earth in December on one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets after several delays.

So far only the United States, Russia and China have managed to put a robot on the lunar surface, all through government-sponsored programmes.

However, Japan and the United States announced last year that they would cooperate on a plan to put a Japanese astronaut on the Moon by the end of the decade.

The lander is carrying several lunar rovers, including a miniature Japanese model of just eight centimetres that was jointly developed by Japan's space agency with toy manufacturer Takara Tomy.

The mission is also being closely watched by the United Arab Emirates, whose Rashid rover is aboard the lander as part of the nation's expanding space programme.

The Gulf country is a newcomer to the space race but sent a probe into Mars' orbit in 2021. If its rover successfully lands, it will be the Arab world's first Moon mission.

Hakuto means "white rabbit" in Japanese and references Japanese folklore that a white rabbit lives on the Moon.

The project was one of five finalists in Google's Lunar X Prize competition to land a rover on the Moon before a 2018 deadline, which passed without a winner.

With just 200 employees, ispace has said it "aims to extend the sphere of human life into space and create a sustainable world by providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the Moon."

Hakamada has touted the mission as laying "the groundwork for unleashing the Moon's potential and transforming it into a robust and vibrant economic system."

The firm believes the Moon will support a population of 1,000 people by 2040, with 10,000 more visiting each year.

It plans a second mission, tentatively scheduled for next year, involving both a lunar landing and the deployment of its own rover.

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 X-59 gets its tail in Quesst for super quiet super fast planes
by Staff Writers
Palmdale CA (SPX) Apr 12, 2023
NASA's X-59 has undergone final installation of its lower empennage, better known as the tail assembly. This series of images was taken at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California.

This installation allows the team to continue final wiring and system checkouts on the aircraft as it prepares for integrated ground testing, which will include engine runs and taxi tests.

Once complete, the X-59 aircraft is designed to demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic while reducing the loud sonic boom to a quiet sonic thump. This aircraft is the centerpiece of NASA's Quesst mission.

NASA's X-59 program is making significant progress towards developing a supersonic aircraft that can fly without generating a loud sonic boom. The program aims to develop the next generation of supersonic aircraft, which could revolutionize the way we travel by reducing the noise pollution that has traditionally accompanied supersonic flight. The X-59 aircraft is currently being constructed at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.

The X-59 program has been in development for several years, with NASA partnering with a number of private companies, including Lockheed Martin, to develop the aircraft. The project has been funded by NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, with the goal of developing a supersonic aircraft that can be used for commercial travel, as well as military and scientific missions.

The X-59 is designed to fly at supersonic speeds, but with a much quieter sonic boom. This is achieved through a number of advanced technologies, including a uniquely shaped airframe and a powerful engine that is specifically designed to reduce noise. The aircraft is also equipped with advanced sensors that allow it to fly at supersonic speeds while avoiding obstacles and other aircraft.

One of the most important goals of the X-59 program is to gather data on human responses to the sound generated during supersonic flight. This data will be used to inform U.S. and international regulators, who will determine the rules and regulations surrounding supersonic flight. The Quesst mission will fly the X-59 over several U.S. communities, gathering data on human response to the sound generated during supersonic flight. This data will be analyzed and used to inform regulations surrounding supersonic flight, with the goal of opening up supersonic travel to the public.

The X-59 program is an important step towards developing the next generation of supersonic aircraft, and NASA's partnership with private companies such as Lockheed Martin is a testament to the importance of public-private partnerships in driving innovation in aerospace. The program has already achieved significant milestones, and with the installation of its lower empennage, or tail section, the X-59 is one step closer to completing its first flight.

Overall, the X-59 program is a critical component of NASA's efforts to advance the field of aeronautics, and its success could pave the way for a new era of supersonic flight. By reducing the noise pollution associated with supersonic flight, the X-59 has the potential to revolutionize the way we travel, while also opening up new opportunities for scientific research and military operations. As the program continues to move forward, it will be exciting to see what new milestones are achieved and what impact the X-59 will have on the future of aviation.

The airline urged customers to check on their flight status “and explore self-service options” for travel as the airline worked on restoring its operation.

WestJet pilots vote in favour of strike mandate, could walk before May long weekend