Backgrounder August 2020 NEW MEASURES TO SUPPORT ESSENTIAL AIR ACCESS TO REMOTE COMMUNITIES The Government of Canada is collaboratively working with provinces and territories and Indigenous partners to ensure minimum levels of essential transportation services to remote communities, to avoid the disruptions that a sudden loss in these services would cause. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis in the aviation industry’s ability to service communities, which is having a significant impact on the remote communities that depend on small air carriers for essential goods, services, and access in and out of the community. The Government of Canada will:   Seek bilateral agreements with provinces and territories to ensure continuity of service for at least six months. Establish a $75-million funding program for the federal contribution for the first six months and maintain these essential services through an investment of up to $174 million dollars over 18 months, if needed. Additional funding will depend on the needs of the communities and the pace of recovery of air travel into remote communities. Funding and operations This funding, in partnership with contributions by the provincial and territorial governments, will ensure the minimum level of essential transportation services to remote communities, and the continued supply of food, medical supplies, and other essential goods and services to remote communities, in particular for communities who depend on regular delivery of perishable foods and personal hygiene products. A fixed funding amount would be allocated by province/territory based on the historical passenger volumes into remote communities. The six-month bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories may be renewable at adjusted rates depending on the need and the pace of recovery of air travel into remote communities. Remote communities There are 140 communities with airports that were considered remote while designing this program. More than one remote community may be served by an airport. Backgrounder August 2020 Communities are assessed as remote when air travel is used for essential needs (e.g., medical visits and personnel, food, first responders, or laboratory samples), as other travel alternatives are non-existent, impossible, or impractical. These remote communities are isolated and the vast majority are only accessible by air for most of the year. Some communities may have limited access to seasonal ice roads or long and unreliable gravel roads, ferries or remote railway. The small air carriers that service these remote communities have seen a sharp decline (in excess of 90 per cent) in the number of passengers as a result of COVID-19. Adequate revenue from passengers is essential to cover the costs of operating a flight and effectively pays for delivery of essential cargo (food, medical supplies, spare parts for electricity, water systems) on the same plane. The federal contribution was developed taking into account air carriers holding a Canadian Transportation Agency license and providing scheduled service to at least one of the remote communities. Yukon Nunavut Dawson Mayo Old Crow Arctic Bay Arviat Baker Lake Cambridge Bay Cape Dorset Chesterfield Inlet Clyde River Coral Harbour Gjoa Haven Grise Fiord Hall Beach Igloolik Iqaluit Kimmirut Kugaaruk Kugluktuk Naujaat Pangnirtung Pond Inlet Qikiqtarjuaq Rankin Inlet Resolute Sanikiluaq Taloyoak Whale Cove Northwest Territories Aklavik Colville Lake Deline Fort Good Hope Fort McPherson Fort Simpson Fort Smith Gamèti Hay River Inuvik Lutselk'e Nahanni Butte Norman Wells Paulatuk Sachs Harbour Sambaa K'e Tuktoyaktuk Tulita Ulukhaktok Wekweeti Backgrounder August 2020 Whatì Wrigley Newfoundland and Labrador Ontario Black Tickle Hopedale Makkovik Nain Natuashish Postville Rigolet Williams Harbour Attawapiskat First Nation Bearskin Lake First Nation Cat Lake First Nation Deer Lake First Nation Eabametoong First Nation Fort Albany First Nation Fort Severn First Nation Kasabonika Lake First Nation Kashechewan First Nation Keewaywin First Nation Kingfisher First Nation Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation Marten Falls First Nation Muskrat Dam Lake First Nation Neskantaga First Nation Nibinamik First Nation (Summer Beaver) North Caribou Lake First Nation (Round Lake) North Spirit Lake First Nation Peawanuck Pikangikum First Nation Poplar Hill First Nation Sachigo Lake First Nation Sandy Lake First Nation Wapekeka First Nation Webequie First Nation Wunnumin Lake First Nation Quebec Akulivik Aupaluk Chevery Chisasibi Eastmain River Iles-de-la-Madeleine Inukjuak Ivujivik Kangiqsualujjuaq Kangiqsujuaq Kangirsuk Kuujjuaq Kuujjuarapik La Romaine La Tabatière Port-Menier Puvirnituq Quaqtaq Saint-Augustin Salluit Schefferville Tasiujaq Tête-à-La-Baleine Umiujaq Waskaganish Wemindji Backgrounder August 2020 Manitoba Saskatchewan Berens River Brochet Churchill Cross Lake Elk Island God’s Lake Narrows God’s River Island Lake Lac Brochet Little Grand Rapids Norway House Poplar River First Nation Oxford House Red Sucker Lake Shamattawa South Indian Lake St. Theresa Point Tadoule Lake York Factory First Nation Camsell Portage Fond-du-Lac Uranium City Wollaston Lake Alberta Chipewyan Lake Fort Chipewyan Fox Lake British Columbia Bella Bella Fort Ware Sandspit Tsay Keh