Three times more Canadian pilots left for jobs in the U.S. last year, government data shows | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Business

Three times more Canadian pilots left for jobs in the U.S. last year, government data shows

Published

1 year ago

 on

The number of Canadian pilots seeking to fly in the United States tripled in 2022, according to previously unreported U.S. government data, raising fears of deepening shortages in Canada as pilots seek higher wages.

Some 147 Canadian pilots applied for licences to fly commercial jets in the United States in 2022, up from 39 in 2021, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. The number of overall foreign applications roughly doubled to 1,442.

High travel demand in the United States, where pilots are securing historic wage increases, is attracting foreign aviators despite delays and high costs of immigrating, according to lawyers, unions and pilots.

While small, the increase in U.S. applications is worrisome for regional Canadian carriers, which, like their U.S. counterparts, are wrestling with staffing shortages as they lose pilots to larger airlines, industry experts say.

It could also put pressure on Air Canada during negotiations with its pilots, whose contract expires on Sept. 29.

Air Canada said this week it would halt six non-stop flights from Calgary at the end of October because of “resource pressures” due to an industry-wide shortage of regional pilots.

“It’s definitely a concern,” said John Gradek, a faculty lecturer in aviation management at McGill University in Montreal.

At Sunwing Airlines, at least 10 per cent of its roughly 490 pilots are applying to work in the U.S., said Mark Taylor, president of the Unifor union local, which represents aviators at the company.

Taylor said he has raised the issue with Sunwing, which didn’t return requests for comment. Sunwing has been acquired by WestJet Airlines, which also did not respond to requests for comment.

Two Sunwing pilots, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they have not advised their employer of their plans, said they have obtained licences to fly in the U.S. and are awaiting immigration paperwork to move, due to the higher pay and the high cost of living in Canada’s large cities.

Lawyer Jean-Francois Harvey said about 29 per cent of the 560 foreign pilots he’s helped over the last 12 months are Canadian and fly for Air Canada, WestJet and Sunwing.

Air Canada said it could not comment on “individual pilot career choices,” but said it does not “have difficulty attracting pilots” to its main carrier.

According to Air Canada pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the hourly pay gap between the Canadian carrier and United Airlines is expected to grow from three per cent in 2013 to 92 per cent in 2024 for one category of experienced pilot. Air Canada pilots earned more before 2013.

Gradek warned that the “cascading effect” of larger airlines recruiting pilots away from smaller carriers would lead to reduced frequencies and service cuts on regional routes.

John McKenna, chief executive of the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC), which represents smaller Canadian carriers, said his members are already cutting frequencies due to staffing shortages.

“Everyone is suffering right now,” he said.

 

Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Carry On Canadian Business. Carry On!

Published

8 hours ago

 on

October 22, 2024

By

business to start in Canada

Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.

I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.

Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.

Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

Continue Reading

Business

Imperial to cut prices in NWT community after low river prevented resupply by barges

Published

11 hours ago

 on

October 22, 2024

By

 

NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.

Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.

The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.

It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.

Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.

Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.

“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.

The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.

“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.

Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.

Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.

In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.

It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

U.S. vote has Canadian business leaders worried about protectionist policies: KPMG

Published

11 hours ago

 on

October 22, 2024

By

 

TORONTO – A new report says many Canadian business leaders are worried about economic uncertainties related to the looming U.S. election.

The survey by KPMG in Canada of 735 small- and medium-sized businesses says 87 per cent fear the Canadian economy could become “collateral damage” from American protectionist policies that lead to less favourable trade deals and increased tariffs

It says that due to those concerns, 85 per cent of business leaders in Canada polled are reviewing their business strategies to prepare for a change in leadership.

The concerns are primarily being felt by larger Canadian companies and sectors that are highly integrated with the U.S. economy, such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation and warehousing, energy and natural resources, as well as technology, media and telecommunications.

Shaira Nanji, a KPMG Law partner in its tax practice, says the prospect of further changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. means some Canadian firms will need to look for ways to mitigate added costs and take advantage of potential trade relief provisions to remain competitive.

Both presidential candidates have campaigned on protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canadian trade, and whoever takes the White House will be in charge during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version