Hold-out float plane operators say they’ll move

VANCOUVER — The commercial float plane operators holding out for a new not-for-profit Vancouver harbour terminal of their own said Thursday they will have to move into the private Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre.

But they’re still insisting they must get a better lease deal with the new facility’s owners to help reduce passenger fees they claim they’d have to charge to pay for their increased costs.

Greg McDougall, the president of the Vancouver Commercial Seaplane Operators Association and the owner of Harbour Air, the largest float plane operator in the province, said he expects his temporary terminal will shut down before the fall.

Under pressure by the city for a plan to decommission the temporary facility just west of the new terminal at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and facing the reality he can’t get a new terminal of his own built in time, McDougall said he’s given up a boycott of VHFC.

"That is correct, because there really simply aren’t any other options doable within the time frame," he said. "But we cannot move until we have a fair and reasonable lease term for the travelling public of British Columbia."

The association, which represents eight commercial operators – including two already using VHFC – has been negotiating with the facility’s owners with the help of a provincially-appointed fact-finder, BC Hydro chairman Dan Doyle. Harbour Air and its sister company, West Coast Air, account for 85 per cent of the roughly 350,000 passengers that fly into and out of the harbour each year, making it the second busiest airport in the province.

At issue has been rent fees VHFC needs to charge to pay for the estimated $18.5 million cost of building the terminal at the convention centre. McDougall said those rents would require him to charge up to $12 per passenger each way, a figure disputed by Graham Clarke, the president of VHFC. The province, which owns the land, recently agreed to provide the property to VHFC rent-free for 25 years, resulting in savings of about $3 per passenger. McDougall claims that’s still too high.

But two companies, Seair and Tofino Air already operate out of the new facility, with Seair offering substantially lower prices than those offered by Harbour Air.

Clarke said it was clear that the remaining companies at Harbour Air’s temporary terminal would have to move in the near future because their agreement with the city had expired now that VHFC is open for business.

"They (Harbour Air) need to make a decision as to how they participate in this market. Up till now, they’ve been the sole players," Clarke said. "Now that there are others they have to make the business decision as to what their strategy will be. My guess is that they will probably want to come over to us because our facility is open, is acceptable and has the capacity and would welcome them."

Coal Harbour residents have also been pushing for the closure of the temporary facility, saying they’d put up with noise for too long.

But both Clarke and McDougall said if anything, air traffic in the harbour will increase. The only thing that will change is that maintenance and run-up of engines will move a short distance further away from the residential towers.

"The residents shouldn’t be thinking this is a big win. First of all, we’re only moving a few hundred feet," McDougall said. There’s also the fact there will be a whole lot more flights coming in, and that’s fine, but from a noise perspective it it’s going to be a lot more. People are starting to notice that already."

Wendy Stewart, a spokeswoman for Vancouver, said the city had asked for and received from McDougall for a decommissioning plan and has now asked for clarifications. The city wants the temporary terminal removed so that the rest of the seawall can be finished and open to the public, she said.

"We’re still in discussions with (McDougall)," she said. "But it is in everyone’s interest to see this wrapped up."