The final phase of resurfacing the Cameron McIntosh Airport runway is a go, after the province announced Norht Battleford will get $135,000 in funding. (File photo/Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW)

By Josh Ryan

Smoothing runway

North Battleford airport runway project gets $135,000

May 30, 2020 | 8:00 AM

The city of North Battleford will receive half the required funding it needs to finish resurfacing the Cameron McIntosh Airport’s Main Runway.

“This is very good news,” Mayor Ryan Bater said. “Not just for North Battleford, but for the entire region around us.”

The Government of Saskatchewan announced it’s more than doubling the investment in the Community Airport Partnership (CAP) Program in 2020-2021, a total of $1.5 million for 15 airport infrastructure needs across the province. CAP provides cost-shared airports up to a maximum of $275,000.

“Community and regional airports contribute to our economy by supporting vital public services like Saskatchewan’s Air Ambulance, law enforcement and fire suppression,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Greg Ottenbreit said in a statement. “These projects will be completed this year, providing an immediate boost to communities as we begin to reopen our economy.”

North Battleford’s grant is $135,000, helping to finish one of the city’s most important projects, resurfacing a runway originally completed more than 50 years ago. Bater said the high cost for a municipality of this size forced the city to complete the project gradually.

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“We have been working on resurfacing the runway for five years now, and we having been doing it with the province. So, we’re really pleased to finish the main runway,” he explained.

Bater said the airport is a critical resource for the city and the region, serving as a connection to corporate Canada and the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

“A lot of big businesses use this airport to get in and out of this area,” Bater said. “As well, of course, the STARS Air Ambulance uses it.”

It also creates vital construction work for the region, especially important during economic struggles due to COVID-19 regulations.

“We have to keep the economic engine of this community going,” Bater said. “We have to make investments in construction and infrastructure in order to keep local firms and local people employed through these infrastructure projects.”

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports