First wave of cuts at Transport Canada only the tip of the iceberg

OTTAWA, April 12, 2012 /CNW/ - Transport Canada (TC) took its first step in implementing the 10.7% budgetary cuts by saying goodbye to 33 people.  This includes the immediate closure of the Aircraft Services directorate based out of Edmonton AB.

Aircraft services directorate is responsible for the maintenance of all TC aircraft as well as some aircraft for the Department of National Defense and the Canadian Coast Guard planes and helicopters. The Edmonton Aircraft services directorate is known to have some of the lowest operating costs and is one of the busiest.

The closure of this office means that the only other location to service central and northern Canada is in Winnipeg. "In light of the Auditor General's report on civil aviation safety, Canadians can be guaranteed there will be more delays to get inspectors to locations in the North and central Canada to inspect the aircraft," said Christine Collins, National President of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE).

TC also announced the centralization of Marine Vessel registry offices to Ottawa and the realignment of some work activities within other groups. As a result some people across the country have to decide whether to move across the country to Ottawa while others are faced with immediate lay-offs.

"Unfortunately this is only the tip of the iceberg", said UCTE National President Christine Collins. "The majority of the cuts are to take place in a couple of weeks."

The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees represents the majority of staff at Transport Canada and is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

For further information:

Lira Buschman
Communications & Special Projects Officer, UCTE
Cell: 613-558-4003