Special Concern: Air Safety
As whistleblowers come to us, patterns begin to emerge over time: there seem to be certain sectors of industry that have more problems, certain departments that are more troubled than others. As we work with these whistleblowers, we also come to learn about others trying to address these problems, and find that we share a common cause.
This new section of our website marks the start of FAIR's first foray into a specific sectoral issue, air safety, where we first learned about some of the problems from whistleblowers Hugh Danford and Kevin Gauthier. This led us to Kirsten Stevens, a powerful advocate for improved air safety, and the principal organizer behind a remarkable event that took place in Ottawa on April 21, 2009 – the Air Safety Round Table.
Air Safety Round Table
What we learned at this gathering was shocking. We heard that Transport Canada is simply walking away from its mandate and turning over responsibility for safety to industry. It is doing this without any mandate from Parliament, and in defiance of all the evidence that this policy is reckless and has already cost many lives.
Hard to believe? Check for yourself. All of the presentations are available online at a new website that we helped to develop ( www.SafeSkies.ca ) complete with video and transcripts, so that you can experience the Round Table almost as though you were there.
What's next? An alliance of individuals and industry representatives is now being formed with the aim of improving air safety, holding Transport Canada accountable to the public, and restoring Canadian’s faith in air safety. FAIR will continue to support the efforts of this new organization.
For more Information:
Air Safety In Canada: an Overview
The Dryden Crash and Consequences
Safety Management Systems (SMS)
Media articles about air safety in Canada
Video: an interview with air safety advocate Kirsten Stevens
Video: David Hutton's presentation at the Air Safety Round Table
