Norfolk County Deputy Mayor Alan Duthie says his travel plans to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa are in jeopardy as the Air Canada flight attendants’ strike intensifies, grounding hundreds of additional flights nationwide.
Duthie was set to join Mayor Amy Martin, Councillor Adam Veri, and CAO Al Meneses as part of Norfolk’s delegation at the AMO conference.
But after attending his niece’s wedding in the United Kingdom, his scheduled flight back to Toronto was cancelled by Air Canada, leaving him scrambling to find another way home.
In a statement online, Duthie expressed frustration with Air Canada’s communication, saying he spent more hours on hold without resolution.
While voicing support for the striking flight attendants, he criticized the airline for failing to rebook him on another carrier as required.
The strike, led by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), has now entered a new phase of confrontation.
Despite a federal back-to-work order, CUPE president Mark Hancock tore up a copy of the directive during a rally outside airports, declaring that flight attendants will not return to work until their concerns are addressed.
The union, representing more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, says its main issues remain low wages and unpaid labour when planes are not in the air.
The federal government is calling for binding arbitration to prevent further disruption to air travellers and the Canadian economy.
In the meantime, Air Canada says it is working with other carriers to rebook passengers where possible, but cancellations continue to mount.
Duthie says he remains hopeful he can join Norfolk’s delegation later in the week, but for now wished his colleagues “much success in advocating for Norfolk at AMO.”