April 15, 2021

Michael Kram, Member of Parliament for Regina-Wascana, today thanked the people of Regina for their diligent support in defending Regina’s air traffic control tower.

Nav Canada, the arms-length agency that regulates air traffic control towers, had previously proposed closing towers in Regina and six other cities, going so far as to issue lay-off notices to the staff. Today, Nav Canada announced that, as a result of stakeholder feedback, it was not proceeding with these plans.

“This is a victory for everyone in Regina. I am gratified by the outpouring of support I received from constituents in Regina-Wascana and across the city for my campaign to stop the closure. I want to thank the thousands of Regina and area residents who answered my call to write emails to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Transportation on this issue,” Kram said.

Kram noted that the campaign to save the control tower was a team effort that included the Mayor, City Council, Premier Scott Moe, MPs Warren Steinley and Andrew Scheer, as well as stakeholder groups such as the Regina Flying Club and STARS Air Ambulance.

Kram also thanked both the local and national branches of the Canadian Association of Air Traffic Controllers Association (CATCA), the union of control tower employees as well as the officials of the Regina Airport Authority.

“CATCA and the RAA provided me with invaluable industry insight that allowed me to make their case effectively in the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transportation. Their knowledge and experience were essential in bringing this campaign to a successful conclusion.”

Kram stated that saving the control tower is also a victory for the city’s economy as it heads into post-pandemic recovery.

“We learned through the course of this campaign that Regina might well have faced reduced flights if the tower had been closed, which would have diminished our entire economic capacity as a city. With the tower staying open, once the economy begins to reopen post-COVID, we can look forward to hosting events, trade shows and business travel at the same level, and hopefully more, than we did before the pandemic. This is a tremendous ray of hope for our whole city.”

However, Kram cautioned that more still needed to be done to ensure the future of Regina’s air transportation.

“After a year of decimated revenues, the RAA still faces many challenges. It and other airports have received little support through the pandemic. We need to keep up pressure on the federal government to ensure that Canada’s air transportation infrastructure remains healthy post-pandemic.”

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For more information, contact:

Nigel Sharp
Constituency Assistant for MP Michael Kram, Regina-Wascana
nigel.sharp.659@parl.gc.ca
306-585-2202