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The rumour is quite different. Feds being scapegoated. Investor pulled the plug.

Now we need to know which is the real story, the one on the beloved CBC or the Rumour? :Grin-Nod:

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Now we need to know which is the real story, the one on the beloved CBC or the Rumour? :Grin-Nod:

Simple. If this is a bureaucratic snafu, it will work itself out in a few weeks. If NewLeaf never flies, you'll know it was the rumour. I'll bet on the rumour. Good source

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Dagger, I found this on another site and it does seem, if legitimate, to support your info that it was not a bureaucratic snafu.

Thank you for contacting the Canadian Transportation Agency.


NewLeaf is an air travel company that will partner with Flair Airlines, which will operate the aircraft. I can confirm that Flair Airlines holds a licence and a Canadian Aviation Document, and meets all insurance requirements.

As business models in the airline industry are rapidly evolving, the Agency is currently reviewing whether companies who bulk purchase all seats on planes and then resell those seats to the public, but do not operate any aircraft, such as NewLeaf, should be required to hold a licence.

The Agency is consulting with Canadians on this issue. Information on the Agency's consultation and how to participate can be found at: {C}https://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/consultat ... -a-licence{C}. Interested persons may submit written comments no later than January 22, 2016.

While this review is under way, the Agency will not require companies such as NewLeaf, which bulk purchase all seats on planes and then resell those seats to the public, to apply for a licence.

Once the consultation is over, the Agency will review and carefully consider the submissions before determining whether such companies should be required to hold licences.

The Agency will continue to carefully monitor this issue. Should NewLeaf's business model evolve into that of an air carrier, the Agency will require NewLeaf to hold the appropriate licence.

In addition, by law, all carriers operating air services to, from or within Canada are required to have a tariff and to make their tariffs available to the public at their business offices. The rights and obligations of air passengers and airlines are set out in these tariffs — the airline's contract with passengers.


As NewLeaf has partnered with a licensed air carrier, Flair Airlines will operate the air services. Flair Airlines is the licensed carrier in this situation and, as such, it is Flair Airlines’ tariff that applies to this air service.


As per the Air Transportation Regulations, Flair Airlines is required to have the appropriate tariff in place and to make it available to the public at its business offices upon request. In addition, Flair Airlines’ tariff must include terms and conditions related to a number of matters, including the carriage of persons with disabilities, acceptance of children, compensation for denied boarding, failure to operate the service or failure to operate on schedule, limitations of liability for passengers and baggage.



I hope this proves useful.



Office des transports du Canada / Gouvernement du Canada
info@otc-cta.gc.ca/ Tél. 1-888-222-2592 / ATS: 1-800-669-5575
Site Web: https://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/fra
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Discount airlines fight red tape to get off the ground in Canada

Canada's foreign ownership requirements are 'archaic' and only protect established airlines, Enerjet CEO says

Sat Jan 23, 2016 - CBC News
By Sheena Goodyear

Canada's airline industry has a history of chewing up discount airlines and spitting them out, which begs the question: What's getting between Canadian air travellers and their cheap seats?

A number of discount airlines have come and gone in Canada, and at least three — Jetlines, Jet Naked and NewLeaf Travel — have been trying to get off the ground for several years.

NewLeaf Travel appeared to have won the race to the skies last week when it started selling tickets for February flights. But the fledgling company cancelled its winter takeoff plans last Tuesday amid a review of its licensing requirements, grounding NewLeaf indefintely.

The budget airline model — in which companies offer cheap introductory fares and charge extra for things like checked luggage and early boarding — has proven lucrative in other countries. Successful companies include Ireland-based Ryanair, U.S.-based Spirit Airlines, Iceland-based WOW Air and Malaysia-based AirAsia.

So why is it so hard for Canadian companies to follow suit?

It's all about cash on hand

"A large part of it has to do with financing," Barry Prentice, a transportation economist from the University of Manitoba's Asper School of Business, told CBC News.

"You do have to have a fair amount of capital lined up before you start an airline because, amongst other things, you have to prove to the government that you actually can live up to your obligations or repay people for tickets booked in advance. And that's not a small amount of money."

In order to secure a carrier licence from the Canadian Transportation Agency, a company must show it has enough funding to operate for 90 days without turning a profit.

"It's just a matter of securing funding," said Tim Morgan, CEO of Calgary-based charter airline Enerjet, which plans to launch its own budget airline under the brand Jet Naked.

He hopes to have Jet Naked up and running by the spring, but makes no promises.

Jetlines is also aiming to take off later this year. CEO Jim Scott said slumping oil prices have hampered its efforts to secure funds.

"Initially we went out in 2014, we had good responses. As soon as the oil prices went down, we found the major institutions were in a contraction of investing and that lasted throughout 2015," he said, adding he's more optimistic now that investors are starting to adjust to "the new norm."

"Where the problem lies is it's money out of the U.S.A."

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Meet Gabor Lukacs, the child math prodigy turned professional airline troublemaker

Mon Jan 25, 2016 - Financial Post
Claire Brownell

It’s past noon, and all air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs has eaten is a piece of chocolate.

Working from his Halifax home, he’s been too busy answering emails and handling cases to take a break. Plus, he needed to squeeze in a call with a colleague in Germany about mathematics — his actual profession by training.

He has calls with media scheduled for the afternoon about his latest win, with ultra-low cost carrier New Leaf Travel Co. temporarily halting sales while Canada’s airline regulator reviews its licence requirements. Over the last decade, he’s launched 27 cases against the Canadian Transportation Agency, winning 24 of them. Often, he doesn’t end up eating until 7 or 8 p.m.

“Unfortunately, sometimes I feel I spend too much time on this,” says Lukacs, 33. “I’m a mathematician and I want to do more mathematics … I’m getting more emails than I can sometimes handle.”

At 16, Lukacs’ life was on a very different trajectory. A child math prodigy, he moved to Canada from Israel to start his PhD at York University.

He took up a postdoctoral fellowship at Dalhousie University in 2005, where he developed an affection for Halifax and its famous friendliness. The following year, he headed to the University of Manitoba for a faculty position in math.

Lukacs could have sat back and enjoyed a long, secure career as an academic. If that became dull, he could have started a business or tried his hand at investing, focusing his brain power on making himself rich. Instead, he started kicking hornets’ nests.

In 2007, United Airlines cancelled his flight to Ohio, where he was scheduled to attend an academic conference, and denied his request to transfer to a flight on another airline. Lukacs took them to court.

'He considers his most significant legal victory of 2015 to be a CTA ruling that Air Canada must release uncensored passenger complaints to the public if asked.'

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This venture seems similar to "New Leaf", I wonder if there will be similar protest action?

New Air Travel Option Will Link Ottawa, Iqaluit and Halifax

OTTAWA, Jan. 28, 2016 /CNW/ - People from Nunavut can soon expect a new air service option serving Iqaluit with direct flights to Ottawa and Halifax. FlySarvaq's first flight is scheduled to depart on May 6, 2016. The service will also bring a Northern travel option to the Maritimes and Ontario.

The announcement was made at the 2016 Northern Lights Trade Show to a group of over 200 from Nunavut, Nova Scotia and Ottawa. The new scheduled service will open up economic development opportunities between Nunavut and Nova Scotia as well as improve existing business relationships between Ottawa and the North.

FlySarvaq is bringing to the market an air service that will focus on reliable and efficient service at a fair price. In addition, FlySarvaq's vision will create employment and opportunity in Iqaluit. FlySarvaq understands that every dollar counts when planning travel and ask for support from Nunavummiut when making their summer holiday, business, medical and other travel plans.

"It is our hope that this service will create significant possibilities for Nunavummiut looking to travel south, as well as open up more opportunities for people to visit Nunavut," said Adamee Itorcheak, President of Sarvaq, partner in FlySarvaq. "Imagine being able to arrive from Nunavut and connect with upward of 30 flights going across the country or even internationally, or to travel to or from Arctic Bay to Ottawa in one day?"

All FlySarvaq flights will be operated by Nolinor Aviation and will offer three classes of fares available for booking, all with different terms and conditions. Introductory fares are available for booking and all flights will be flown by Nolinor's experienced pilots on one of their Boeing 737s.

"This opportunity strengthens the bridge between our two regions, and we are excited to share the news with businesses across our province," says Laurel Broten, Nova Scotia Business Inc., President and Chief Executive Officer. "This direct link allows Nova Scotia companies to ship goods and deliver services to customers in Nunavut faster and more efficiently."

'"We are delighted to welcome FlySarvaq to Halifax Stanfield," says Ian Arthur, Halifax International Airport Authority Chief Commercial Officer. "This new air service will enhance travel options for both business and leisure travellers, saving them time and money. The route will also stimulate growth between the two regions by improving the movement of cargo to and from Iqaluit and encourage Atlantic Canadians to explore this part of Canada's north."

Flights will be available for booking online by March 1 on FlySarvaq's multi-lingual website www.flysarvaq.com or through the call centre at 1-844-9SARVAQ during business hours. Airport locations will open soon, in anticipation of the first flight. All flights will be operated by Nolinor Aviation.

Follow FlySarvaq's progress and announcements:

Web: www.FlySarvaq.com
Twitter: @FlySarvaq
Facebook: FlySarvaq

SOURCE Fly Sarvaq rt.gif?NewsItemId=C1335&Transmission_Id=

For further information: media@flysarvaq.com, 867.222.1575

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Following is some information on the carrier who will provide their uplift.

Flying under the radar
March 03, 2014
Written by Brian Dunn
There are a number of Canadian airlines that fly under the radar because of their size or because they don’t get a lot of media coverage, or for both reasons. One of them is Nolinor Aviation.

22-Nolinor_Avion.jpgIn 2007, Nolinor acquired two ex-Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-200 combi aircraft and another 737-200 full freight aircraft in 2011. Photo: Nolinor

Founded in 1992, Nolinor is an air transport company that specializes in commercial charter flights out of Mirabel airport in Montreal. Its fleet of five Convair 580s and four Boeing 737-200s are a combination of combi or full-freight aircraft that can be easily configured a number of ways depending on clients’ diverse requirements for transporting passengers, cargo, or both. Nolinor serves all regions of Canada, the United States and other international destinations, including remote regions – its specialty – where gravel and ice runways are the norm. About 80 per cent of its business from close to 20 clients under contract is generated in Canada, 15 per cent in the U.S. and the remaining five per cent outside of North America.

Some of its 737s are equipped with gravel kits which consist of a deflector on the front landing gear to protect the aircraft from stones on gravel runways and a vortex dissipater under each engine to prevent similar debris being sucked into the engines.

In just one hour, passenger planes can be reconfigured in a number of different ways. The Convair aircraft can accommodate from 32 to 50 passengers, while the 737-200s can comfortably seat 11 to 119 people. The 11-passenger configuration allows the transport of six pallets, 29 passengers allows five pallets, 34 passengers equals four pallets, 59 equals three pallets and 77 passengers allows two pallets of cargo.

Nolinor is a combination of the words nolis (charter) and nord (north). It began operations mainly to service hunting and fishing outfitters in the Schefferville area in Northern Quebec near the Labrador border, then provided charter services for passengers and freight. Since June 1999, it has been doing its own aircraft maintenance. In 2001, the company bought its first full cargo Convair and took over a daily flight between Dorval (now Trudeau International Airport) and Cincinnati for DHL Express after acquiring Air Wave Airlines which held the contract. DHL remains a client today. In order to respond to the growing cargo market, it purchased two more full cargo Convair 580s in 2004. In 2006, the fourth passenger Convair 580 was delivered.

Nolinor began operations mainly to service hunting and fishing outfitters in the Schefferville area in Northern Quebec near the Labrador border.
While the 580 is a relatively old aircraft no longer in production, it’s a real workhorse and fits the needs of Nolinor, according to Yves Bergeron, director of flight operations. “It’s fast for a turboprop, faster than a Dash 8 and has lots of cargo space and good range,” he says. “It has a true air speed of 285 knots with a range of up to 1,000 nautical miles, depending on the payload.”

In 2000, Nolinor president Jacques Prud’homme was offered a 24 per cent share of the company before becoming sole shareholder in 2011. Before that, he ran Cargair between 1968 to 1988, when he sold it to his brother. With expansion, Nolinor needed more space for its fleet and in 2005 the company moved its maintenance facilities from Trudeau, where it was leasing space from now defunct Skyservice Airlines, to Mirabel. The tarmac has more than 300,000 square feet and provides sufficient parking for all of Nolinor’s aircraft and any new aircraft it acquires.

Nolinor moved into the 100,000-square-foot hangar formerly occupied by Air Transat (which relocated to Trudeau) and shares it 50-50 with Avianor Inc., a privately-held corporation that specializes in aircraft maintenance and component maintenance (seats, wheels and brakes), manufacturing (crew seats and cabin interior items) and cabin modification. It would seem to be a no brainer to contract out its maintenance to its neighbour, but Bergeron said Nolinor wants to control its costs by doing it themselves.

Nolinor has been honoured on three separate occasions by the annual National Bank of Canada’s SME Awards for its strong performance and excellent management. In 2006 and 2009, Nolinor won Gold in the SME category for the Laval-North Western Quebec region. In 2006, it won Bronze in the same category at the provincial level.

In 2007, Nolinor acquired two
ex-Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-200 combi aircraft and another 737-200, full freight aircraft in 2011. Its last 737-200 combi aircraft was scheduled to join the fleet on May 1.

The company outfitted one of its Boeing 737s with a gravel runway kit to meet ever-increasing transportation demands in the Canadian North with the capacity to transport 119 passengers to extremely remote villages, a pressing need for mining companies. In order to meet the growing demand for its services, two of the four 737s are able to operate on gravel airstrips. The fourth is a full cargo aircraft with a payload of 35,000 pounds of cargo. Three of the five Convairs can carry between 30 and 50 passengers, while the two cargo aircraft can carry more than 15,000 pounds of cargo. Bergeron estimates cargo accounts for 30 per cent of company revenue, while 70 per cent is generated by passenger flights which includes combi flights. When the recession hit in 2008, Nolinor was able to contract out two of its Convairs in Africa for transporting cargo between Libreville and Port Gentil in Gabon.

Nolinor employs a Type B operational dispatch system, similar to that used by Air Canada, Air Transat and WestJet and all its aircraft are equipped with Flight Tracker software to track an aircraft’s route progress. The company has between 125 to 150 employees depending on the season, consisting of pilots, flight attendants, certified flight dispatchers and mechanics. Together, they ensure the reliability of flights and allow it to offer the best service in the industry, according to Bergeron. He cites an incident that occurred in March 2011, when Nolinor got a call at 4 a.m. to evacuate 350 people from client Alnico Eagle Limited Mines site in Meadowbank, Nunavut.

“We dispatched five aircraft and 17 hours later, they were all back in Montreal. We tried contacting other airlines, but nobody was available,” he says. “We were able to come through, because we are a strictly charter operation which gives us flexibility. Other scheduled airlines only do charter when they have excess capacity. And because we fly to remote regions where maintenance may not be available, all our flights have an engineer on board.”

Nolinor has now moved into the 100,000-square-foot hangar formerly occupied by Air Transat, which subsequently relocated to Trudeau.
For the past 20 years, Nolinor has developed air transportation expertise in Quebec’s north, a strategy that sets it apart from the competition, according to Prud’homme. As a private company and because of stiff competition, he would not divulge sales figures, total flying hours or the names of clients, but claimed Nolinor is profitable, despite the fact most of his competitors receive government subsidies.

“I can say that our major clients are involved in the mining industry, courier business and tourism,” says Prud’homme. “We carry tourists as far west as Winnipeg and Vancouver. Our clients can call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s why we have two of the largest mining companies in Canada under contract.”

Nolinor was designated last January, for the third consecutive year, as the air carrier for the mining teams of Agnico Eagle Limited Mines, between Montreal and Meadowbank, Nunavut and also carry supplies between Thompson and Meadowbank for the same company.

Another mining client is Baffinland, which is 50 per cent owned by ArcelorMittal and 50 per cent by Nunavut Iron Ore, with ArcelorMittal remaining as the project operator. To help it bid on mining contracts, Nolinor has teamed with Sarvaq Logistics, a specialized group of expediting and freight forwarding experts based at the Iqaluit International Airport.

On Sept. 25, Nolinor began charter service from Waterloo International Airport to Baffinland’s Mary River iron ore site in Nunavut via the Iqaluit Airport using a B737-200 with three times weekly service and a fourth flight every other week.

“Waterloo offered the best operating cost and it was what the customer wanted,” says Bergeron. “We needed an airport that operated 24 hours a day and Pearson was too expensive and had too many restrictions.” Waterloo is also close to Baffinland’s head office in Oakville.

“Our exposure to the mining industry has attracted a lot of interest from other mining companies,” says Bergeron. “Our next aircraft purchase will probably be a Hercules which is the best cargo aircraft available.” In fact, Nolinor had agreed to purchase two Lockheed 100-30s (the civil variant of the military C-130 Hercules) in 2012, but they had exceeded their lifetime cycle under new FAA regulations and the deal was cancelled.

“Right now, the mining sector is down. But as soon as it returns, we’ll consider the Hercules again,” says Prud’homme. “As for future growth, the courier business is interesting for us and we’re looking at offering scheduled service. But our niche is the north, so we’re also looking at things like DND and the Coast Guard as potential customers.”

And who knows what opportunities lie ahead if Quebec’s ambitious Plan Nord to exploit the province’s huge northern mining potential ever gets untracked.

- See more at: https://www.wingsmagazine.com/operations/flying-under-the-radar-9715#sthash.HlyiWOKl.dpuf

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Not an easy task in today's airline world but you definitely need a group of experienced and smart people to get it going. The amateur effort photo shop on the Flair 737 was enough to tell me these guys are not ready for prime time. :)

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What makes it "not an easy task" is the evangelical zeal with which the CTA goes after foreign influence real or imagined.

Well they are the Canadian agency and as such they do need to look after domestic interests before foreign..... Just like every other country in the world! :Clap-Hands:

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I don't think Mexican and Guatemalan agricultural interests are settings up farms in Canada and bring labourers from back home. The IT outsourcers are primarily Indian companies that bring over thousands of guys to the US and Canada as intra-company transferees and then shop them around as consultants once they get here.

It's really sleazy and immigration authorities in both countries are too overworked and too ignorant of how the industry operates to effectively police it.

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Other than the IT outsourcing industry that operates on the extreme fringe of what is legal, I can't think of another one that brings along it's own labour.

Tamsyn Burgmann, The Canadian Press

Published Friday, December 14, 2012 8:07AM EST

VANCOUVER - The Chinese mining firm at the centre of a controversial plan to use temporary foreign workers in a British Columbia coal mine has launched a two-pronged attack, threatening both a human rights complaint and legal action.

HD Mining distributed two separate letters to the media Thursday, one accusing the United Steelworkers Union of discrimination and the other putting the government on notice it may pursue claims for civil damages after federal ministers made public statements about the company.

The firm's Murray River project near Tumbler Ridge, B.C., 140 kilometres west of Grande Prairie, Alta., has drawn fire for bringing in temporary foreign workers instead of hiring Canadians. It's also currently facing a judicial review in which two unions are seeking to prevent the company from bringing more workers to Canada.

In a letter sent to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, one of the 17 Chinese workers already at the mine — Huizhi Li — includes screenshots of leaflets and other content on the Steelworkers' website that he claims violates his rights.

Mining. James Keller, The Canadian Press

Published Friday, May 31, 2013 6:05AM EDT

Last Updated Friday, May 31, 2013 10:16PM EDT

VANCOUVER -- One resident of an unnamed British Columbia community claimed to personally know 40 unemployed miners who would be more than happy to work at a proposed coal mine in the province's northeast that was instead slated to employ temporary Chinese workers.

Another lamented the mine's hiring plan as just the latest example of Canadian resources leaving this country.

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That story is dated 3 years ago. I'm pretty sure the Tumbler Ridge operation is now shut down.

Wrong, at least as of Oct 2015: and of course I posted the article to show that other industries can be / have been the target of outsourcing of workers.

$668 million coal project near Tumbler Ridge gets partial approval

VICTORIA – A Chinese-owned mine in northeastern British Columbia has passed another hurdle towards opening its controversial coal project.

British Columbia’s government has granted an environmental assessment certificate to HD Mining International Ltd. for the Murray River Coal project, near Tumbler Ridge.

A Federal Court challenge in 2013 of the firm’s proposed use of temporary foreign workers from China was successful, despite a claim by two labour unions that there were no Canadians available to do the work.

After the ruling, the federal government introduced reforms to the workers’ program, including removing a provision that allowed employers to pay temporary foreign workers up to 15 per cent less.

On Thursday, Environment Minister Mary Polak and Mines Minister Bill Bennett said the firm must follow 24 requirements to comply with the certificate, including hiring an independent environmental monitor and identifying measures to avoid impacts on First Nations rights.

The mine, which has an estimated capital cost of $668 million and a 25-year operating life, still requires a federal environmental certificate and various provincial permits to proceed.

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  • 1 month later...
Quote

Canadian Transportation Agency clarifies who must hold an air licence

 

Determination brings clarity for air industry and travellers

GATINEAU, QC, March 29, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Transportation Agency issued a determination today that will bring clarity and predictability to the air industry, allow for innovation and consumer choice, and maintain protection for travelers.

The Agency determined that resellers – companies who purchase seats from an air carrier and resell them to the public – will not be required to hold an air licence, so long as they do not hold themselves out to the public as being an air carrier that is operating an air service.

The Agency also determined that NewLeaf Travel Company Inc., should it proceed in a manner consistent with its proposed business model, would be a reseller that is not operating an air service and therefore, would not be required to hold an air licence, as long as it does not hold itself out to the public as an air carrier operating an air service.

In determining whether a reseller is holding itself out to the public as an air carrier, the Agency will consider whether it makes it clear through its marketing material, including on its website and tickets, that it is a reseller, while clearly identifying the air carrier that is operating the aircraft.

Air travelers will continue to be covered by the terms and conditions of carriage set out in the actual air carrier's tariff, which will be monitored by Agency staff to ensure that legislative and regulatory requirements related to consumer protection are fully respected. In addition, the Agency will post information on its website explaining the difference between resellers and air carriers, to help Canadians make informed purchasing decisions.

The determination reflects the most reasonable interpretation of the statutory requirements related to domestic air licences, and was made after careful consideration of submissions received through a public consultation process, held in December and January. 

Quote 

"This is an important determination that will help create clarity and predictability for the air industry and travellers," said Scott Streiner, Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency. "The determination recognizes the evolution of business models, encourages innovation and consumer choice in the market, and ensures continued protection for passengers."

Quick Facts

  • The Agency is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator. It is the aeronautical authority for Canada that issues licenses to operate publicly available air services.
  • Definition of a reseller and an air carrier: A reseller is a company that purchases seats on an air carrier and resells those seats to the public. The reseller does not operate any aircraft. The air carrier operates the aircraft. It carries the passengers who have bought tickets through the reseller.
  • As part of its compliance monitoring activities, Agency staff will examine activities of resellers where there is some indication that the criteria established in this determination  is not being respected and, should that be the case, it could require those resellers to change their practices or will require that they obtain a licence as an air carrier.
  • Information on possible non-compliance may be sent to OTC.conformite-compliance.CTA@otc-cta.gc.ca.

 

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