Public Airports Act

What we heard

• We heard concerns about the process to get land at Yukon airports and the need for a clear and fair land disposition process. Stakeholders also said that the government should protect airport land from intrusions.  
• Stakeholders told us to make sure we need new regulations before we make them. The only regulations planned at this stage are a regulation to list the airports that will fall under the new Act, a regulation to move the existing rates and fees from the Financial Administration Act to the Public Airports Act, and a regulation to clarify and regulate land development processes.
• We heard concerns about the possibility of new airport fees or increasing current fees. There is no intent to introduce new airport fees. The clause referring to fees in the draft legislation is necessary to move existing rates and fees that are currently in place under the Financial Administration Act to the Public Airports Act.
• Industry wanted the aviation advisory committee to be formally established by the legislation.  We incorporated this suggestion into the Act.
• Stakeholders asked to see the draft Act before it was tabled in the legislature.  They raised no additional concerns between September 11, 2017 (the date we shared the draft Act) and October 4, 2017, when the Bill was tabled in the legislature.

Summary of engagement activities

• We invited 73 aviation businesses and stakeholders to attend an open house to talk about the new Act and what it would mean to them.
• We offered to meet one-on-one with businesses and aviation groups to discuss the proposed Act in detail. We conducted meetings in July and August 2017. We shared the draft Act in September 2017.
• We offered to meet with the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) and 37 COPA members as well as other local industry representatives about the proposed Act, what they would like to see in the Act, or what they thought was missing from the Act.
• We held a meeting with the Yukon Aviation Advisory Group, and let group members know in advance that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Act and seek their input.
• We held open houses on August 3 and August 7 and welcomed stakeholders to provide feedback, ask questions and have meaningful, two-way conversation. At those meetings, we shared the current NWT legislation, which the Yukon Act was modelled on.
• We held six individual meetings with industry and industry representatives.
• We held two meetings with City of Whitehorse employees.
• We had one discussion by telephone with the Executive Director of the Northern Aviation Transportation Association.  As a result of that discussion, we added a provision to the Act to formally create an aviation advisory committee.
• We had discussions with Transport Canada by email.
• On September 11 and September 13, 2017, we emailed copies of the draft Act to 45 stakeholders and industry representatives including COPA Yukon, 37 COPA-member email addresses, the Yukon Aviation Advisory Group, open house attendees, and Transport Canada.
• When we shared the draft Act, we once again offered to meet with the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association and its members to discuss the draft legislation and any concerns they might have.