After more than a year away, my son flies home from Hong Kong tomorrow. His ticket costs to Asia and back cost roughly $1500 Cdn. I want to fly up to Kangirsuk in northern Quebec this Fall. My ticket will cost roughly $2000 Cdn. Does that make sense to you? He flies the equivalent of a trip around the world. I fly a 4 hour flight inside my home province and I get to pay $500 more than he does!
It's bad enough for me, but these costs have made prisoners of the Canadians who live in the northern part of the country. They can't go anywhere. The government has the gall to spend billions of our tax dollars on arctic military adventures which help no one - we only have one 30 year old icebreaker with real arctic capabilities, yet they want a deep-water port (!?) - meanwhile they have stranded thousands of people in their home communities thanks to the incredible costs of airfare. The logic here escapes me.
I paddled today mulling these thoughts over and the clouds dropped lower and lower. Was that mind control or what?
BTW, I wore my Kokatat storm cag today for the first time. I got it for Newfoundland, but never wore it. It was neat, warm and dry. I wish I'd had it paddling around Manitoulin when I damn near got hypothermic paddling in the rain one day.
5 comments:
My wife is a travel agent and cannot make heads nor tails out of fares. I didn't know that your government set airline prices.
Yup, it's a real mess - people in Labrador face the same sort of outrageous unfairness during the winter months, when air is the only way to get around. Newfoundlanders know how this works too, with the Gulf ferry service. A few summers ago, we urged Nova Scotian friends to come on over and do some paddling - "Would love to", was the reply, "but you guys are a thousand dollars away..."
Silbs - I don't think the govt sets the prices, but I believe they ought to subsidize the costs to and from certain areas where high fares are causing problems. Most other forms of transport are to some degree subsidized, why not air travel?
Rick - You mean it cost me $1000 to paddle with you folks this past summer? Don't tell my wife!
Yup, and worth every darn penny! And mums the word ;->))
Our new Scottish parliament are talking about subsidising equivalent road prices for the Scottish ferries. Currently it costs 93 Can $ for a one way ticket for a car and driver to Arran (13 miles). At road prices that would be $11. I will need to get ready for a big tax bill and they had better get busy building more ferries!
Just for interest, on Sunday my daughter is flying from Glasgow to Vancouver Island for $850 return.
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