Moose Jaw Airport Gets $30k

Robert Thomas

Moose Jaw's Municipal Airport is set to receive $30,000 as part of a $700,000 announcement made by the Province to fund local airports capital requirements.

The money for the airport is coming from the Community Airport Partnership program. The program has spent $7 million on 37 airports since 2007. Since these are matching funds, once the municipal share is added it totals $14 million.

For Moose Jaw's Municipal Airport, the funds are ear-marked for crack sealing of the runway and taxi way plus replacement of an aerodome beacon.

In a press release, the Province stressed that local airports are vital to air ambulance service, as well as the local economy.

The local municipal airport was recently part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City, Sask Polytechnic, defense contractor CAE and the local airport users group. The MOU would look into the possibilities of developing a drone training course at the airport.
In November, a local group received the go ahead to try to develop a local airport authority. The airport authority received a $500,000 grant from the City plus a $30,000 cash operating grant and the funds from renting farmland adjacent the airport. The RM of Moose Jaw will also contribute $30,000 annually.

The upgraded facilities were said to be able to allow 15 Wing Moose Jaw the opportunity to conduct some training at the municipal airport. In a MJ Independent story the military denied guaranteeing they would use any expanded airport nor did they need to use the municipal airport to meet their training demands.

The Moose Jaw airport is ineligible for funding under the Federal Airports Capital Assistance program, which requires scheduled year round passenger service carrying 1000 passengers to qualify.

Last year, the provincial government helped upgrade the local airport's lightning.