Air Canada Layover Policy Announcement Sparks Debate
The city of Winnipeg, Manitoba has an admittedly high rate of
violent crime, at least by Canadian standards, but many are still
puzzled by a decision by Air Canada to move it's crews from
downtown to hotels near the airport during layovers. The biggest
question - what's changed lately to warrant this precaution?
In a memo to pilots and cabin crews, Captain Jeff Dennis, Air
Canada's manager of flying operations said, in part:
"In response to several reports indicating questionable safety
in the area surrounding the Radisson Hotel in downtown Winnipeg a
security assessment was conducted, in conjunction with the Winnipeg
Police Service, by Air Canada Corporate Security. Recent
environmental issues have forced approximately 1,000 displaced
people from rural Manitoba to numerous hotels in the downtown area.
Instances of public intoxication, resulting in several downtown
locations being susceptible to crimes of violence and opportunity,
have been observed by local police.
"For now, we have arranged...to have crews layover at the
Sandman Hotel and Suites. We will certainly revisit the downtown
area once the present situation improves. Authorities anticipate
displaced people to be an issue for another 12 months."
The Sandman is an airport hotel. Air Canada's union contract
requires that crews be put up at downtown hotels, where choices in
lodging, food and entertainment are more varied.
Michael Weinrath, chair of the justice department at the
University of Winnipeg, sounds puzzled at the timing in comments to
CBC News. "If you look at the statistics, yes, we do have a very
high violent crime rate, but it actually hasn't changed very much
and it's gone down in a few areas in recent years."
Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz says he's disappointed at this latest PR
challenge to his downtown core's resurgence, and wonders if there's
an ulterior motive. He tells CBC, "For all I know, this could be
about cost savings, but I certainly would like to know the truth
because two key reasons given have already been proven false."
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak thinks
he knows what that motive is, and calls it surprising and racist.
About 10 percent of those thousand "displaced people" mentioned in
the memo are First Nations people, or what are called American
Indians in the US.
Ironically, Air Canada Park is in the same downtown
neighborhood. Paul Strachan, president of the Air Canada Pilots
Association, tells the Winnipeg Free Press, "We don't agree with
Air Canada's assessment of the entire Winnipeg downtown being
unsafe for crews. We have our headquarters downtown and people make
it there and back home OK."
It's often informative to read local reaction to stories such as
this, something that's possible with the advent of newspaper
websites offering comment sections. A fair percentage of comments
on this story to the Winnipeg Free Press reflect the opinion that
downtown Winnipeg really is a scary place, and that the problem
continues in part because the city administration is in denial.