PRINCE GEORGE, BC, July 20, 2022 /CNW/ – Canadians rely on safe and well-maintained local and regional airports to keep their communities connected. These airports also support essential air services including air ambulance services, search and rescue, forest fire response, and delivering essential goods to communities. As Canada works towards recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, investments in our airports continue to be crucial to maintain the safety and security of our transportation sector.
The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, today announced that the Government of Canada is investing more than $1.7 million in the Prince George Airport through Transport Canada’s Airport Relief Fund to help it maintain important airport operations and essential air services for residents and workers in Prince George and surrounding communities.
The Prince George Airport also received over $1.4 million from Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program for the purchase of a 4×4 snowplow truck and a wet/dry material spreader. This equipment will help the airport maintain safe operations for aircraft, passengers, crews and airport workers by keeping runways and taxiways clear of snow and ice. The funding will also support the expansion of a shelter to house and protect the airport’s aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle from the elements, ensuring it is ready for immediate use in case of an emergency.
These investments are in addition to the over $1.4 million in Airports Capital Assistance Program funding provided to the airport in May 2021 for the purchase of an aircraft rescue firefighting vehicle and a runway ice sweeper.
Quotes
“As we move forward with the safe and gradual return of air travel, it is our government’s priority to ensure a vibrant and competitive Canadian air sector that keeps travellers and workers safe. These critical investments will allow the Prince George Airport to have the infrastructure and tools needed to help re-invigorate the aviation industry in the communities it serves, and allow Canadians to feel safe and secure when they travel.”
The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport
Quick Facts
- First introduced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Airport Relief Fund is part of a federal stimulus recovery plan designed to build a stronger, more inclusive, and more resilient economy post-COVID-19.
- The Airport Relief Fund, launched in May 2021, provided $64.8 million in funding in 2021-2022 for targeted airports whose 2019 revenues were less than $250 million.
- As announced in the Fall Economic Statement 2020, the Airports Capital Assistance Program received a one-time funding top-up of $186 million over two years.
- The Fall Economic Statement 2020 also announced the temporary expansion of eligibility for the Airports Capital Assistance Program to allow National Airports System airports with less than one million annual passengers in 2019 to apply for funding under the Program in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
- The eligible National Airports System airports are: Gander; Charlottetown; Saint John; Fredericton; Moncton; Thunder Bay; London; and Prince George.
- Since the Airports Capital Assistance Program started in 1995, the Government of Canada has invested over $1.2 billion for 1,215 projects at 199 local, regional and National Airports System airports across the country. Funded projects include runway and taxiway repairs/rehabilitation, lighting enhancements, purchasing snow clearing equipment and firefighting vehicles and installing wildlife control fencing.
Associated Links
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca.