20
Canada News
JANUARY 6, 2017
FRIDAY
Calgary police allege Sunwing pilot was impaired, passed out in cockpit THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY — A Sunwing Airlines pilot faces charges after police allege he was impaired before takeoff. Police say the pilot boarded the Boeing 737 in Calgary early Saturday for a flight that was scheduled to make stops in Regina and Winnipeg before continuing on to Cancun, Mexico. But before it took off, police say the gate crew as well as crewmembers on the aircraft indicated he was behaving strangely. Police allege the co-pilot found the pilot passed out in the cockpit. “They found him slumped
over in the seat. He was the captain,” Sgt. Paul Stacey told a news conference. The pilot was escorted from the plane and later charged with having care and control of an aircraft while being impaired, as well as having a blood-alcohol level exceeding .08 while in care and control of an aircraft. Calgary Police issued a written statement late Saturday night identifying the pilot as Miroslav Gronych, 37, of Slovakia. The release says his next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 5. Stacey said police allege the suspect had three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system.
Sunwing spokeswoman Janine Massey praised the rest of the crew for handling what she called a “very unfortunate matter.” “We can confirm that shortly before 7 a.m. local time, the gate agents, first officer and crew of Sunwing flight 595, departing from Calgary and destined for Cancun, determined that the captain was unfit to fly and reported this accordingly,” Massey stated. “The captain was immediately escorted off of the aircraft and the incident is now under investigation with local authorities.” Police said there were 99 passengers on the flight and six crew. Sunwing said the plane took off a short time later with
another captain. “We are very apologetic for any upset that this has caused and would like to assure our customers that safety remains our utmost priority,” Massey said. Stacey said Transport Canada had been contacted and he expected the suspect could face additional charges. “It had all the potential for a disaster but I’ll tell you this much — the likelihood of a pilot on a major airline like this actually being able to take off when they’re impaired like that is pretty slim, because there’s a lot of checks and balances. There’s the other flight crew and there’s gate crew and they’re all about safety,” Stacey said. “So, I’m not surprised that he
got caught before (the plane) left the terminal.” Transport Canada spokesman Dan Dugas said in an email that it is a criminal offence in Canada for a flight crew to work within eight hours of consuming alcohol or while under the influence. Dugas said Transport Canada is reviewing the pilot’s records and Sunwing Airlines’ procedures and protocols. “As more information becomes available, the department will not hesitate to take enforcement action, including issuing fines and revoking licenses if appropriate. The airline is responsible for taking any disciplinary action against the pilots,” the email said. ■
Conservationists concerned about free entry to Canada’s national parks in 2017 BY JOHN COTTER The Canadian Press EDMONTON — Parks Canada is preparing for an increase in visitors this year as people across the country and around the world request free annual passes to explore the nation’s natural treasures as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebration. Conservationists say it is important for people to connect with nature, but there are concerns about how more tourists may affect the ecological integrity of some of the more popular parks. Ben Gadd, a retired nature guide and author of “Handbook of the Canadian Rockies,” said he is worried about increased vehicle traffic. “Clearly the highway system in the mountain parks — it is going to be terrible next summer all summer long,” said Gadd, who has been hiking in the region since 1968. “When you have that situation and animals trying to cross there are going to be more accidents, more animals killed.” Gadd said he is also concerned about crowded attractions, trash and people feeding or getting too close to wildlife. He hopes there are enough
staff to properly maintain the parks and to explain the rules to visitors, especially newbies. According to Parks Canada, more than 900,000 people ordered a free Discovery Pass in the first two weeks after they became available last month. The government predicts visits to national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas will top last year’s attendance of about 24.5 million. Eric Hebert-Daly, national executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, said the Parks Canada plan is a good idea in principle, but there are some dangers. Some parks such as Banff, Jasper and the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario are already very busy. Adding more people could take away from their grandeur, he said. Hebert-Daly said the government should consider better ways to handle traffic in busy parks, including the increased use of shuttle buses. There are also not enough wardens and scientists to monitor the health of the parks, he said. “This may be the year where we realize just how overstretched some of these places are,” Hebert-Daly said. Canada’s national parks have a long history of attract-
ing tourists eager to view wildlife and wilderness. Increased media attention is expected to draw even more visitors. National Geographic Traveler magazine has put the Banff area on its “Best of the World” list of 21 must-see places in 2017 and Parks Canada has been busy promoting on social media as part of theCanada 150 campaign. On Dec. 1 so many people jumped online to get a free annual pass that the department’s computer system slowed to a crawl. Ed Jager with Parks Canada said staff know they are in for a busy year. The number of cleaning and maintenance crews has been increased to ensure facilities will be kept in shape and that garbage doesn’t attract wildlife, he said. Jager said online orders for annual passes are being tracked to get a sense of which parks will see more traffic. Information about park rules is being sent to visitors. Parks Canada is also trying to take some heat off of more popular parks by promoting other, less-visited destinations. The department has released a list of “ten hidden gems” across Canada for people to explore including the Mingan www.canadianinquirer.net
JUSTIN POULSEN / FLICKR
Archipelago National Park reserve in Quebec, L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site in Newfoundland and Labrador and Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. “We can’t actually love our parks to death — I think the death of our parks is when nobody wants to come to them and when they don’t care about them anymore,” he said. “We would much rather be in this place then in a place where
nobody is showing up.” Parks Canada plans to open its online reservation system (www.pc.gc.ca/eng/voyagetravel/reserve.aspx) for campsites starting with some parks in British Columbia on Jan. 3 and adding more parks across the country throughout the month. While annual park passes are free in 2017, there are still fees for campsites, firewood and backcountry passes. ■