Community News
Flights Delayed; it’s because our pilots are not getting paid
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
“What we really have is job offers that are not competitive right now. Pilots are choosing career paths that are better paid.”
Tim Perry, a working pilot for WestJet and the president of the Air Line Pilots Association Canada (2023)
You know those stories about nightmare flights? The ones where you think, “It couldn’t possibly be that bad?” Well, I lived it. On July 23rd, 2024, I was supposed to land in British Columbia at 11:00 am, bright and early, ready to take on the day, but what actually happened? I didn’t step foot in BC until 11:00 pm—yes, 12 hours later.
The day started with optimism, as most travel days do, but then the first cancellation hit. Okay, I thought, these things happen. I adjusted, rebooked, and got ready to move on. Then came the second cancellation, and that’s when the sinking feeling set in. Sigh! Instead of things improving, they spiraled. The flight got delayed—once, twice, three times. By the fourth delay, I was numb to the announcements, feeling like I was in some twisted game where the rules kept changing, but the outcome remained the same – stuck in limbo.
After all that—the waiting, the frustration, the exhaustion—I finally arrived in BC, but here’s the kicker: no compensation. Not a single offer to make things right, even after I took the time to share my feedback with the airline.
During those endless hours at the airport, I had the chance to speak with other passengers. Misery loves company, after all. It was through those conversations that I learned the root of my current flight woes.
Pilots are saying enough is enough. They need to earn a living wage that will enable them to afford an apartment, support a family, and maybe even take an annual vacation.
Reportedly, one of the airlines that has been ranking dead last among North America’s 10 major airlines in on-time performance in 2023 is Air Canada. It just so happens that this was the airline that I flew with on July 23rd, 2024, and the same airline that some pilots are having issues with. The thing about it; the airline can afford to be fair. The company posted a $2.28-billion profit in 2023 ($1.71 billion in adjusted net income). For that, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau was rewarded with a $2.6-million bonus, and executives at Air Canada get compensated at rates on par with their counterparts working for legacy airlines in the U.S.
Is this the reason why so many of us are dealing with flight delays and unnecessary cancellations? Are our pilots not being paid enough?
In 2023, a job listing for a first officer at Calm Air had a salary range of $34,014 to $82,603 while the Perimeter Aviation collective agreement listed the base salary for a first officer with four to five years of experience as just over $35,700. A captain can make as little as $36,108 as their base salary.
To work in the U.S., Canadian pilots must have a high level of experience and be sponsored by an American employer. It’s not an easy feat, so other Canadian pilots opt to work with recruitment agencies that help them find employment in the Middle East or Asia.
You can only imagine (because we are all dealing with it) the escalating cost of living is making it impossible to work for the low wages paid by Canadian operators.
“There has to be a reasonable opportunity and a reasonable incentive to go up there,” said Eric Schletz, an Edmonton-area Class 1 flight instructor who has logged more than 5,000 hours total time at 702 (aerial work), 703 (air taxi), 704 (commuter), and flight training operations. He spoke with Lisa Gordon from “ISkies” and he told her that the way he sees it, the Canadian aviation industry is going through a painful, but necessary, reset. A number of factors are coming together to create today’s pilot shortage.
As a flight instructor, Eric also sees students struggling to afford their pilot training, and he believes the lack of funding is a contributor to the pilot shortage – people simply can’t afford their training anymore.
Of course, it’s about the total compensation package. People have to be incentivized and make logical decisions.
Let’s make the comparison of a pilot to being a lawyer. While lawyers see a return on their education relatively promptly, pilots can spend $100,000 on their training only to be stuck on a dock, making poverty-level wages. There’s just no sense in that.
It cannot be denied, operators’ costs have risen steeply in recent years, but a pilot’s cost of living has increased, too. It is why a report in March 2024 exposed that 70% of Air Canada pilots are willing to walk away if pay doesn’t improve.
“It’s not justifiable that our American counterparts — flying the same airplanes, same airspace, same routes — that they’re making twice as much as us, if not more,” declares Charlene Hudy, first officer on the 737 Max and chair of the Air Canada pilots union.
For the past seven months, Charlene has been hammering this message at the negotiating table with Air Canada, demanding parity with American counterparts on behalf of the nearly 5,300 pilots on Air Canada’s roster. A decade ago, pilot salaries at Air Canada and United Airlines were nearly equal; today, the Americans earn twice as much.
The salary range for Canadian pilots is roughly $40,000 for a new hire to more than $200,000 for an experienced captain. If fair compensation isn’t on offer, this airline will experience a talent drain of epic proportions,
It was, without a doubt, the longest day of my life. A day that should have been spent exploring, working, or relaxing was instead consumed by: delays, cancellations, and the stark realization that, sometimes, the customer experience isn’t a priority.
So, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s to prepare for the unexpected and, most importantly, to advocate for yourself. If you don’t, who will?
Community News
Urban Alliance on Race Relations celebrates and highlights Racial Justice Award recipients
BY PAUL JUNOR
It has been almost 40 years since the Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) has been at the forefront of: promoting tolerance, social justice, racial equity and fairness. Since it was formed in 1975, they have celebrated and recognized changemakers in the fight for racial justice in diverse sectors such as: health, labour, government, education, arts, media, environment, and justice.
On Saturday, December 7th, 2024, there was a great turnout at the 2024 Racial Justice Awards Night held at The Estate Banquet & Event Centre in Scarborough. In attendance were many community supporters, civic officials, long-time racial justice warriors, and individuals from diverse ethnic groups.
UARR is grateful for all the sponsors of the Racial Justice Awards Night Celebration. It notes in its email to its supporters on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024, the importance of its sponsors including:
- United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) of Canada, UFCW, Local 175
- The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 353
- Unite Here! Local 75
- Toronto & York Region Labour Council
- Canadian Labour Congress
- The Coalitions of Black Trade Union (CBTUL)
“Your sponsorship plays a vital role in shining a light on individuals and organizations driving equity, justice, and change in our communities. This celebration is more than an event, it’s a movement. Thanks to your support, we’re: honoring changemakers, amplifying unheard voices, and funding initiatives that break down systemic barriers.”
The categories and names of the awards and recipients were:
Racial Justice in Arts: Hannia Cheng
She is an artist and cultural worker who co-founded Unit 270, a DIY gallery and multi-purpose grassroots community hub in Chinatown Centre.
Racial Justice in Labour: Vanessa Story
She is the founder of the Black Youth York Region and co-founder of the York Communities for Public Education coalition.
Racial Justice in Education: Shannon Simpson
She is Senior Director of Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Toronto.
Racial Justice in Environment: Dr. Ingrid Waldron
She is a Professor and HOPE Chair in Peace and Health in the Global and Peace and Social Justice Program in the Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University.
Urban Alliance of Race Relations Agent of Change Award: Kirk Mark
He is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Consultant at KIRK Mark & Associates.
Racial Justice in Media: Amanda Parris
She is an award-winning writer, tv host and producer, and former host of CBC Arts Exhibitionist.
Racial Justice in Health: Camille Orridge
She is former CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (TCLHIN).
Racial Justice in Government: Amira Elghawaby
She is a journalist and human rights advocate who was appointed in January 2023 as Canada’s Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia.
Racial Justice in Justice: South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALC0)
This legal clinic supports low-income South Asian people in Canada.
The funds raised from the Awards night will be going toward the work of the Diversity Youth Fellowship Program. This innovative and creative program is directly involved in enabling racialized youth to get paid experience working in municipal governments and at various public policy making organizations across Canada.
The performers at the event included: Katheen Zaragosa (a Filipino music performer), Rithika Jeristus & Maya Jeristus (Bharatanatyam dancers) and Yasmin Said (spoken word artist)
UARR is looking forward to its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2025 and shared five of its strategic priorities for the next 10 years including:
- Employment and economic opportunity: The goal is to foster inclusive workspaces and economic opportunities.
- Education: The goal is to promote racial equity in education and research.
- Communication: The goal is to expand public awareness and reach to amplify our stories.
- Community engagement and outreach: The goal is building community capacity and convening towards change.
- Truth and reconciliation-relationship building and supporting calls to action. The goal is to strengthen our solidarity and action towards truth and reconciliation.
Community News
What is it about those short videos that keep us captivated? Oh! Yes! Our short attention span
BY KAHA GEDI
As our attention spans decrease, short form videos are becoming more popular. From TikTok, to YouTube Shorts, to Instagram Reels, these “snack sized” videos have positive qualities alongside the bad. Mainly we want to know what makes them so effective, and why are they becoming the go-to choice for both viewers and marketers? In this article, I will be discussing how these videos have received such popularity worldwide.
First, we need to understand what counts as and what is short-form content. According to blog.hubspot.com, “Short-form videos are videos that are less than 60 seconds long.” However, some marketers and content creators agree that short-form videos can be up to 3 minutes. “They are videos that deliver information in a ‘digestible’ format so that viewers can quickly watch and save content if they’re in a hurry or enjoy it.” Now, I’ll talk about the main reasons why these videos are so popular.
First, our attention spans have gone down exponentially. Dr Gloria Mark has written a book called “Attention Span,” and she says her research indicates people’s attention spans have been shrinking over the last 20 years. According to the same article Dr. Mark said that “Back in 2004, we found the average attention span on any screen to be two and a half minutes on average. Throughout the years, it became shorter. So, around 2012, we found it to be 75 seconds. Then in the last five, six years, we found it to average about 47 seconds.” So, it’s notable that our attention spans started out longer but then decreased over time.
Secondly, these videos have become cheaper and easier to make. Unlike long-form videos, which require extensive: planning, editing, and storytelling, short-form videos are simpler. To the point where they can even be shot on a smartphone. For example, DuoLingo, the app that helps learn new languages, went viral on TikTok a long time ago by posting funny, low-budget videos that resonate with millions. Like a video of a DuoLingo plus being: tossed down the stairs, sitting outside on a rainy day, or being soaked by the shower with the title “When you ignore my notifications.”
Lastly, they provide valuable information in a short amount of time, and they are easily accessible. According to a recent Adobe Survey, two in five Americans use TikTok as a search engine, and nearly one in 10 Gen Zeers are more likely to rely on TikTok than Google as a search engine. This isn’t always reliable for real news because anyone can claim to be an expert, and you wouldn’t know if they’re telling the truth. So, even though they give valuable information in a short time, they can also give misinformation or mislead you.
Short-form videos have changed how we watch and learn things. They fit our short attention spans, are easy to make, and share information quickly. Even though they’re fun and helpful, they can also spread false information or leave out important details. Even with these problems, short-form videos are here to stay, so we should use them in proportion, but also enjoy the benefits.
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