Prince Albert and La Ronge airports to receive up to $600K in funding from federal government
On Wednesday Western Economic Diversification Canada announced two Saskatchewan airports will each receive a slice of $4 million in funding for seven Prairie airports through its Regional Air Transportation Initiative (RATI).
The initiative was launched in March to enable regional air carriers and airports to remain operational and continue to contribute to growth while adapting to new post COVID-19 realities and requirements, a government news release said.
Prince Albert and La Ronge are the two airports in Saskatchewan that will receive up to $300,000 each for improvements.
LA RONGE UPGRADES
“The investment will not only help a critical asset in our region economy recover from COVID, it will help improve the competitiveness of our airport and speed up the recovery timelines. On behalf of council, we are very thankful for the investment,” La Ronge Mayor Colin Ratushinak said in the release.
Ratushinak says the funding will go towards three areas in the La Ronge airport. Getting high speed internet, adding lights to the deicing bay area and rehabilitating the apron to secure aircrafts for parking.
“Being in a remote location where we are situated, we’re at a place where we’re not at sort of viable communications you would typically see in the south,” Ratushinak told CTV News regarding the internet speed.
He says the airport had a maximum of 5 megabytes per second of speed and compares urban airports receiving a gigabyte of speed or faster.
Ratushinak emphasizes not having any lights in the deicing bay during the winter can be difficult as the sun doesn’t come up until 8 or 9 a.m.
He adds the airport is a “main hub” for flight planning as they have a 24/7 flight service station.
PRINCE ALBERT IMPROVEMENTS
Prince Albert airport manager Corey Nygaard says the news of the funding was “pretty exciting” as it they weren’t expecting any money to come this year.
It will go towards painting the runway, a snowblower and an emergency generator for maintenance facilities.
Nygaard says regional airports are “vitally important” as people north of the province may only have the option to fly in order to travel to other parts of the province.
”We support the resource sector, the mining companies that have older employees, and it makes more logistical sense to wire your staff to these locations,” Nygaard told CTV News.
“Last but definitely not least the connectivity of emergency services medevac system, all the way up north, that they're funneling through Prince Albert hospital first.”
Nygaard says the Prince Albert airport was “luckier than most” and was only down 50 per cent capacity during the height of the pandemic while bigger airports were down by 90 per cent.
In order to receive the funding, Nygaard says the airport fills out a funding agreement and will purchase materials over the next two years. The airport submits the requests and the invoices come in later.
Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray, High Level, and The Pas are the other airports in the prairies that will receive funding through RATI.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.