Since the federal government downloaded responsibility for local airports to municipalities a couple decades ago, it has never increased the money it puts into a capital fund for those airports.
Timmins airport manager Dave Dayment asked city council this week to get onboard with a demand to the government, federal party leaders, and incumbent MPs that more money be put in.
“It’s $38-million. Two-hundred airports are eligible for it each year,” Dayment outlined. “Runway overlays, snowblowers, sweepers fall into that category. Thirty-eight-million dollars hasn’t been increased for about 20 years.”
(Bob McIntyre, MyTimminsNow.com staff)
Dayment noted that he has applied for a grant to rehabilitate the runway worth $15-million of that $38-million alone.
With the federal election campaign underway, Councillor Noella Rinaldo asked Dayment if he plans to attend any meet the candidate sessions to ask for their support.
“We’re trying to do business. We’re in the North. We need to have reliable transportation. We need to have our airports modernized,” she stated. “It’s an eye-opening figure, when you’re telling us that it hasn’t gone up in 20 years, and we know what the cost of everything is. So if you don’t go to the debate and ask it, I’ll ask it.”
The Chamber of Commerce has a lunchtime meeting of its members with the local candidates next Wednesday.