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Firm’s runway clearing request denied
Olympic opportunity flying out window: Xavier

The owners of a small, Pemberton-based air taxi service say Village of Pemberton officials are denying them a chance to capitalize on the Olympics because of what they see as a trivial and bureaucratic issue surrounding the clearing of snow from the airport’s runway.

Pemberton’s mayor, though, says the issue isn’t trivial at all — suggesting that when Merlin Air hired a contractor to remove snow and ice a year ago, the job wasn’t done according to regulations.

“Historically when private clearings of the runway have taken place, they have not conformed to Village of Pemberton or Transport Canada standards,” Mayor Jordan Sturdy said on Tuesday (Jan. 26), not mentioning Merlin Air by name.

On Friday (Jan. 22), Merlin Air officials issued a statement complaining about having had their request to be allowed to clear the runway denied.

Merlin Air officials noted that after they paid a contractor to clear the runway in January 2009, the airport “was open for business and remained open the entire winter, illustrating that (the airport) can operate safely and effectively on a year-round basis.”

Company officials said they were “astonished” to have their request to clear the runway so they can begin operations before the Olympics denied, especially after the Village, in its Community Update printed in local newspapers, in November stated that airport users can “pursue a ‘user pays’ option to have the runway cleared” this winter.

“This is just one example of the clients, visitors, aviators and tourists that will pass us by as we wave our Olympic flags out the window of opportunity,” company president Fred Xavier said in the statement.

Sturdy said Village councillors agree that the airport remains an “underused asset” and that in spite of the creation of a regional airport authority and technical improvements to the facilities, officials and the community are still exploring options for its long-term operation.

After saying he “didn’t want to get into” the details surrounding the clearing of the runway, Sturdy relented, saying that according to Transport Canada, the cleared area has to be a certain distance on either side of the runway and that piles of snow can’t be left at the end.

What’s more, “Only certain types of equipment are allowed… you can’t have chains or studs and you have to have appropriate types of tires for whatever equipment you use. It becomes very complicated with various private operators wanting to do it,” he said.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, lawmakers voted not to accept the lone bid that came in for clearing the runway from November to March. It came in at $150,00, which Sturdy said was about three times what the Village could afford, “maybe more.”

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