The provincial government has announced support for the Estevan Municipal Airport and other airports in the province through the Community Airport Partnership program.
Estevan’s airport will receive $86,750 for runway drainage improvements.
A total of $700,000 in cost-shared grants will be allocated to airports across the province to provide investment dollars.
“Our communities and regionally-owned airports provide important transportation infrastructure that support critical services like air ambulance, law enforcement and firefighting,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Lori Carr said. “By partnering with municipalities, we’re ensuring a network of airports is in place to enhance economic development in sectors like tourism, oil and gas, agriculture and mining.”
CAP is designed to help offset the capital costs of rehabilitation and infrastructure improvements with grants being cost-shared up to a maximum amount of $275,000.
Other airports to receive support are:
- Birch Hills - $17,500 – replace and repair runway and apron lights;
- Humboldt - $36,500 – runway repairs and replacement of the Nondirectional Radio Beacon system with a GPS approach;
- Kindersley - $4,000 – runway repairs;
- Kipling - $6,650 - installation of a RNAV (GNSS) approach system;
- Maple Creek - $27,000 – runway repairs;
- Moosomin - $275,000 – new runway construction Phase 1;
- Swift Current - $55,000 – asphalt maintenance and runway, taxiway, and apron painting; and
- Yorkton - $257,760 – runway rehabilitation Phase 1.
“As we like to say – a mile of highway gets you a mile down the road; a mile of runway gets you the world,” Saskatchewan Aviation Council president Janet Keim said. “Our communities realize the tremendous value of their airports in both social and economic growth benefits and this program assists in important capital reinvestment opportunities.”
Since 2007, more than $7 million has been invested in community airports and, coupled with 50-50 matching community contributions, the program has generated about $14 million in airport improvements. A total of 36 different communities have benefited from the program since its inception.
