Air traffic controllers are being warned that layoffs are coming as Nav Canada pursues a “full restructuring” in response to a revenue slump caused by the pandemic, CBC News has learned.
CBC News has obtained a confidential memo sent internally to air traffic controllers today. In it, Ben Girard, Nav Canada’s vice president and chief of operations, told staff that the company has seen a $518 million drop in revenue compared to its budget.
He said he’s been pushing the federal government for help but — unlike some other countries — Canada has not released an industry-specific bailout package yet.
“We anticipate that until air traffic returns to higher levels, which will not occur until the end of this fiscal year, we will continue to operate in a daily cash negative position and this will be made worse as funding from the [Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy] program is ratcheted back,” Girard wrote.
Girard did not say in the memo how many air traffic controllers will lose their jobs, or which area control centres will be affected.
“I know this is very difficult news to hear. It is also very difficult news to deliver,” he wrote. “This is a decision that has been made at my level based on what needs to be done to ensure Nav Canada’s financial sustainability.”
‘We’re facing years of a downturn in air traffic’
Nav Canada manages millions of kilometres of airspace over Canada and used to provide air navigation services for more than 3 million flights a year. It’s funded through service fees paid by air carriers.
In November, Canadian air traffic was down 54 per cent compared to the same time period in 2019, according to the memo.
“Over the summer and fall months, the outlook for the aviation industry has deteriorated significantly and it has become increasingly clear that we’re facing years of a downturn in air traffic that is much larger and broader in scope than we all initially believed, and will be much deeper and longer than any downturn in the history of the industry,” wrote Girard.
Nav Canada says it is conducting studies of air traffic control towers in Whitehorse, Regina, Fort McMurray in Alberta, Prince George in B.C., and Sault Ste. Marie and Windsor in Ontario which “will result in workforce adjustments.” The company also is looking into closing a control tower in St. Jean, Quebec.
Nav Canada air traffic controllers were told today a workforce adjustment is coming because “the aviation industry has deteriorated significantly.” (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)
Government ‘pressed’ for help
The company has been focused on securing liquidity and tapped into the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy to pay up 75 per cent of employees wages, he wrote. Girard added these payments are being reduced and will run through December, but Nav Canada isn’t sure if it can continue receiving that wage support.
“While an extension for the CEWS program through June 2021 was recently announced, NAV CANADA’s eligibility is uncertain,” wrote Girard.
Girard said the government has so far failed to come up with a bailout package for the airline sector, despite “significant lobbying.”
Last month, the Globe and Mail reported the federal cabinet is working on a package for the airline sector that would include low-interest loans.
Since September 22, Girard wrote, the company has cut more than 700 managers and employees — 14 per cent of its workforce. It also let go 159 students earlier in the pandemic, he added, and in November cut even more, “leaving just a few in the system.”
Along with the cuts, seven air traffic control towers are being considered for a downgraded level of service and another 25 sites that are already Flight Service Stations — which provide only advisory services — could face more cuts.
Nav Canada’s board of directors has cut its fees by 20 per cent, and executives and managers have dropped their salaries by up to 10 per cent, Girard wrote.
These cost reductions, and access to government support through the wage subsidy program, have saved the company $200 million since March 1, he added.
“However, that number still pales in comparison to the $518 million reduction in revenues as compared to budget,” wrote Girard.
“Despite these cost-containment efforts, we find ourselves in a situation where we expect our revenues to continue falling far short of our costs for several years, and we continue to require further cost-containment measures and indeed, a full restructuring of our business.
“In an environment where 30 per cent of costs are associated with ‘things’ and 70 per cent of costs are associated with ‘people’, when all possible cuts with ‘things’ have been done, any further cuts will directly affect people.”
Girard added that he hopes the company can bring back some of the laid-off staff once the pandemic passes.
HALIFAX – Ottawa is negotiating a $500-million bailout for Nova Scotia’s privately owned electric utility, saying the money will be used to prevent a big spike in electricity rates.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement today in Halifax, saying Nova Scotia Power Inc. needs the money to cover higher costs resulting from the delayed delivery of electricity from the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric plant in Labrador.
Wilkinson says that without the money, the subsidiary of Emera Inc. would have had to increase rates by 19 per cent over “the short term.”
Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg says the deal, once approved by the province’s energy regulator, will keep rate increases limited “to be around the rate of inflation,” as costs are spread over a number of years.
The utility helped pay for construction of an underwater transmission link between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, but the Muskrat Falls project has not been consistent in delivering electricity over the past five years.
Those delays forced Nova Scotia Power to spend more on generating its own electricity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
