NAN Calls on Transportation Ministers to Take Action on Regulations Restricting Air Travel in the North
THUNDER BAY, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler is calling for action on the approval and implementation of a Flight and Duty Time Regulatory Sandbox as federal and provincial transportation ministers meet in Vancouver this week. The contentious and prescriptive regulations introduced in 2020 do not reflect the realities of remote First Nations and have severely restricted air travel in the NAN territory.
“For many of our remote fly-in communities, local airports are a vital lifeline. When that lifeline is disrupted, it affects the delivery of critical supplies and personnel, including fuel, food, medication, and essential medical services,” said NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler. “The implementation of new federal regulations, combined with ongoing pilot shortages, has resulted in a critical lack of flights that our communities rely on, shorter on-the-ground service times, and significantly higher costs for our members who relay on air travel.”
The current Flight Duty Time Regulations were introduced in response to a Transportation Safety Board watchlist item identifying pilot fatigue as a significant aviation safety risk. In order to address concerns raised regarding the impacts of these regulations, Transport Canada has proposed a regulatory “sandbox” to temporarily permit air operations outside prescriptive flight and duty time rules. The initiative aims to simplify regulations, strengthen fatigue management, improve compliance, and gather data to inform future adjustments. This approach has had strong support but requires urgent ministerial approval.
“Pilot and aircrew safety is essential, but these regulations simply do not reflect the operational realities of the North and are failing our communities. The solution has been identified, and it needs to be acted on. We are calling on Transport Canada to immediately expedite approvals and implementation of the Flight and Duty Time Regulatory Sandbox,” said Fiddler.
In 2018, Transport Canada introduced Fatigue Management regulations to be fully in force by 2022. The rules limit pilot duty hours and enforce longer rest periods for flight crew. While intended to enhance safety, the complexity of the framework has reduced flexibility for airlines serving remote and northern communities and, amid pilot shortages, contributed to cancellations at carriers that service remote NAN First Nations including North Star Air and Wasaya Airways. In 2024, Transport Canada sought feedback and in 2025 proposed a temporary exemption, but the measure did not proceed.
Last November, NAN met with Transport Canada’s Regional Director of Civil Aviation and regional carriers North Star Air, Wasaya, and Sky Care, who expressed general support of the proposed regulatory “sandbox” while stressing that safe air service is a shared government responsibility requiring infrastructure upgrades to avoid unfair impacts on carriers and remote communities.
For more information please contact:
Michael Heintzman,
Director of Communications
Cell: (807) 621-2790
mheintzman@nan.ca