NavCan should put any plans to reduce the overnight staffing at Mike Zubko Airport to rest.
As it's a debate that has largely happened behind the scenes, residents may be surprised to learn that NavCan, a private, non-profit which oversees all civilian air traffic navigation in Canada, is reviewing its service level at the airport and trying to determine if the cost of having staff on hand during the graveyard shift at the airport is cost effective.
Their logic is that air traffic has dropped in Inuvik over the past few years, putting the service requirement below the threshold where such a service is needed, while Gwich'in Tribal Council Grand Chief Ken Smith points out staffing are essential because medical service calls can come out of the region at all hours and reduced staff overnight could lead to serious problems down the road. Mayor Natasha Kulikowski noted Inuvik served as an important hub for the entire Delta and also was the most active NORAD base in Canada.
NavCan should get credit for their speedy responses to inquiries — they responded to me within a few days — but reducing staffing at the airport is totally the wrong move and potentially dangerous given the remoteness of the Delta.
Kulikowski rightly points out that a staffing reduction goes completely against the grain of much of the planning that has gone into airport renovations and improvements. You don't drop millions of dollars building a new airport terminal north of the Arctic circle and extend a runway by 3,000 feet so larger airplanes can land there if you aren't intending to use it. Long-term planners appear to be in agreement the Delta is going to get busier, not quieter.
But closer to Smith's point, the expense of staffing is justified to have a human being at the controls in the case of a medical emergency — or an emergency in general.
Inuvik is not known for big earthquakes, but we are in a zone — in December 2019, we ran a story about the town's aging utilidor system being held up on pilings so old many had to either be re-enforced or supported by other means. Senior municipal engineer Michael Maltais cautioned a "once-in-50-year" earthquake would likely cause serious damage to the system and by extension much of the town.
Another story we published notes, thanks to climate change the Beaufort Sea is seeing longer periods free of ice, where the water and air can interact more. Unstable conditions could trigger weather in the area that it's never seen before, which could severely damage infrastructure not prepared for it.
You can just imagine the chaos that would befall the Delta if we had such an event, especially in the winter time. Backup systems would be exhausted and heating or cooling would be a serious concern — there could very well be a need for evacuations and certainly traffic coming in to repair the system at all hours of the day. If such a disaster was to happen in the middle of the night and no one was on watch, it could be even worse.
These of course are worst-case-scenarios, but I think if 2020 has taught us anything, it's that worst-case-scenarios can and do happen. What looks like an unnecessary expense on paper could very well be a lifesaver in reality.