Yukon needs a new policy and plan for the operation of airports. The focus must be on the promotion and development of aviation, not building a cash producer and base for a growing bureaucracy.
Every opportunity to prevent aviation and aviation supporting activity has been exploited over the past few years by the growing bureaucracy, through creative use of new rules and novel interpretations of old ones.
They are announcing a new Yukon Aviation Act and regulations, to allow even more rules restricting aviation throughout the Yukon this fall. The whole thing is driven by faulty perceptions and poor understanding. The justification is usually through the Machiavellian involvement of other jurisdictions like the City of Whitehorse, or Transport Canada. But the former is first in line at the cash cow and fully supports status quo, and the latter usually turns out to be public servants hiding behind incredible mass and voicing opinions that don’t stand when challenged.
The charade continues while the aviation sector is forced to desert the airport in droves. In Whitehorse, non-aviation uses take over the available property. This is not in the public interest.
Why is tax money being spent this way?
Rather than putting millions into water and sewer that no one in the aviation industry wanted or needed, lets pave the runway. If you don’t like that idea, let’s put basketball hoops up in the $15-million Eric Neilson terminal expansion that is only used about two hours a day, and put the F.H. Collins High School kids in there the rest of the time.
George Balmer
Whitehorse