The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority isn’t publicly chasing the job of running the harbour’s aerodrome, but it may be leaving that door open as the federal government looks for someone to take over operations.
Harbour authority CEO Curtis Grad’s education and career have revolved around airport management and development in places such as Jordan, Cyprus, Jamaica and Nanaimo.
Meanwhile, passenger carriers in the harbour are urging that the existing system remain as is.
Grad, who was out of town Tuesday and unavailable for comment, took the helm of the harbour authority two years ago, leaving Jordan, where he led a $750-million modernization project at the Queen Alia International Airport.
Rebecca Penz, the authority’s manager of sustainability and quality management, said harbour authority officials will be will be at Victoria city hall for Thursday’s committee meeting. That is when councillors will discuss Transport Canada’s request that the city think about taking over the Victoria Harbour aerodrome.
“In principle, GVHA supports the concept of local responsibility and accountability of the Victoria water aerodrome,” Penz said.
“We are looking forward to hearing more about the proposal and finding out how GVHA can support Transport Canada, the City of Victoria and the air operators through the process.”
The federal initiative continues a long-standing practice of getting out of the business of operating airports. The majority of Canada’s airports are run by local airport authorities.
Transport Canada has transferred 128 airports to local groups. A final 18 airports remain, including Victoria Harbour, Port Hardy, Penticton and Sandspit.
Transport Canada said there is no timeline in place and talks are in early stages.
Victoria Airport Authority CEO Geoff Dickson, is cool to the idea of taking over the aerodrome, pointing to the diversity of the operations beyond air in the harbour. “I didn’t see it as a fit for the airport authority.”
Whoever runs the aerodrome will be responsible not only for the safe and efficient operations, but will govern what can be a political minefield. Victoria’s harbour is a symbol of the capital, and regional residents are passionate about protecting it and scrutinizing any potential changes. Resident groups around the harbour have long complained about noise and fumes from float planes.
In 2012, there were a total of 31,188 aircraft movements, including float planes and helicopters, in the harbour, a Transport Canada document shows. For the first six months of this year, 3,340 aircraft movements were recorded, up from 3,098 for the same months in 2012.
Nav Canada operates a Flight Service Station at Shoal Point. Float plane management includes three full-time staff — harbour master, senior port operations officer and a port revenue clerk. Five harbour patrollers work between May and October
Part of Victoria Harbour’s charm is in its complexity, a delicate balance of a variety of users. Along with float planes, the harbour is filled with small ferries, the Coho and Clipper ferries, whale-watching and other charter vessels, and pleasure craft of all sizes from large luxury yachts to small kayaks. It’s that complexity that has passenger carriers operating in the harbour calling for the status quo to remain.
Randy Wright, Harbour Air senior vice-president, said Transport Canada does a “great job.”
“It’s a water aerodrome, which is quite complicated, and Transport Canada is the authority for the harbour with all these boats coming and going,” he said. “It’s working like a Swiss watch.”
The current arrangement is the safest and most efficient, Wright said. He fears other agendas and costs would come into play if the city or another operator took over the aerodrome
“The biggest thing — this is a hugely important link to the province and to the country,” he said, pointing to the ferries and Kenmore Air linking with U.S. destinations. “The harbour is the jewel of Victoria, and it works very, very well.”
Darrell Bryan, CEO of Clipper Vacations, agrees with Wright, saying he is “absolutely opposed” to another jurisdiction running the airport. Transport Canada has developed a “runway system and protocol that is unmatched anywhere else. They’ve done a remarkably good job.”
He doesn’t think Victoria should take on the job, noting it already has budget challenges and municipalities do not generally have airport expertise. “Think of the activity in the harbour and how safe it has been over the years. Why mess with a system that has been working so well ?”
At Port Metro Vancouver, Transport Canada oversees the air traffic control. The Nanaimo Port Authority operates two designated aerodromes.
