OTTAWA — Three Northwestern Ontario MPs have set aside their political differences to send a joint submission to federal cabinet ministers.
Liberal MP Marcus Powloski of Thunder Bay-Rainy River, Conservative MP Eric Melillo of Kenora, and NDP member Charlie Angus of Timmins-Bay are seeking financial relief for seasonal tourism operators and air carriers serving remote First Nations.
They say the travel restrictions associated with COVID-19 have stopped all tourism to the region.
"Businesses which would normally be preparing to open at this point are looking towards a summer with likely little to no revenue if the restrictions continue," their letter states.
The three MPs say existing government supports are not adequate for these operators.
Due to payroll requirements or limited time-frames attached to programs, recently-announced initiatives are not accessible to many of them, while others are start-ups that don't qualify for new loan programs.
They are facing financial ruin as a result, the MPs maintain.
Even if they are able to open later in the year, many tourism operators who rely on programs such as the Canada Summer Jobs Program will not be available, they say.
Powloski, Melillo and Angus directed their letter to the ministers of Finance, Economic Development, Transport and Indigenous Services.
They are also concerned about the plight of air carriers serving remote communities of Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
"These companies are struggling to meet payroll and operating costs due to the dramatic drop in demand for passenger service," the MPs say.
Wasaya Airlines, a 51 per cent First Nations-owned airline, has reported that its ability to operate will be threatened without emergency funding.
Similar situations, the letter states, face North Star Air, Bearskin Airlines and other carriers.
As a remedy, the three parliamentarians propose a number of measures:
- immediate relief to help cover star-up costs for seasonal tourist operators and air carriers (insurance premiums can cost upwards of $180,000)
- non-repayable loans to cover costs through the summer
- an expansion of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy beyond June
- help to address the fact that many seasonal pilots over the age of 40 cannot get medically certified to fly this season, because they can't currently arrange for physicals
Noting that both industries are critically important to the economies of their respective ridings, the MPs conclude "We hope this letter helps convey the gravity of the situation...Urgent action is needed now."
