Passenger flights resume at St. John's airport, but officials say fix is temporary
A rotational worker in Newfoundland says a swath of flight cancellations at the St. John's airport prompted by a labour dispute with firefighters has cost him at least a day's pay.
Thomas Johnston works on a ship in the Great Lakes region and lives in the town of Holyrood, N.L., on his time off. He said he was supposed to head back to work on Wednesday, flying from St. John's to Toronto at 5 a.m. and then to Windsor, Ont.
But Johnston said his flight was among those cancelled Wednesday morning due to staffing shortages at the airport's firehall.
"This should not have come to this level," Johnston said in a Facebook message to The Canadian Press about the dispute. "It should have been dealt with before bringing civilians into it."
The St. John's International Airport Authority announced Tuesday that all flights except cargo, medical evacuation and planes with fewer than 20 seats would be suspended as of 8 p.m. that night due to staffing shortages at the airport firehall.
In a tweet Wednesday morning, the authority said, "normal commercial operations" had resumed at 8 a.m., though many of the morning's flights were listed as cancelled or delayed.
"This solution is not permanent," officials wrote. "We encourage passengers to confirm upcoming travel plans with their airline as we continue to work through this issue as a matter of priority."
The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees claims that a "campaign of harassment and discrimination" against firefighters has stifled concerns around safety and regulatory compliance and ultimately thinned their ranks. In a news release Monday, the union said staff were being told by their doctors to stay home because of the "toxic workplace."
Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said the situation is "completely unacceptable."
"This airport provides an essential service to Newfoundland and Labrador," Alghabra said in a statement Tuesday. "Both parties must take any necessary steps to find a solution that will keep operations ongoing and safe."
Federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan weighed in on Twitter, saying Tuesday the situation is "unsustainable."
On Wednesday morning, O'Regan said mediator Barney Dobbin had been brought in and would be working with the parties through the night.
"(Dobbin) is from St. John's and he knows the ground here well," O'Regan said in a tweet.
As for Johnston, he said he's been rescheduled on a flight heading out of St. John's on Thursday. But Johnston said he's not holding his breath.
"I'm not gone yet," he wrote. "Anything can happen between now and tomorrow morning."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.