Thunder Bay airport, among dozens getting federal funds, gets over $12M for safety projects

Thunder Bay International Airport is receiving nearly $12.5 million in federal funding for four safety-related projects through Transport Canada's Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP).

The airport in northwestern Ontario is one of 63 receiving funding through the program, which was temporarily expanded to address the pandemic, for a total of 86 safety-related projects over the next year.

In Thunder Bay, the funds will go toward:

• Runway and taxiway repairs/rehabilitation.
• Lighting enhancements.
• Purchasing snow-clearing equipment and firefighting vehicles.
• Installing wildlife fencing.

Over $2 million will be spent on two aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles, while $8.5 million has been set aside for "rehabilitation of air-side surfaces and lighting and electrical systems."

"Today's [Tuesday] funding is welcome news that will help ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the Thunder Bay International Airport," said Marcus Powlowski, MP for Thunder Bay Rainy River. 

He said the city has always been a hub for regional transportation, "and coming out of this pandemic, we need to ensure that our city is prepared to meet the transportation challenges of the future."

"Our government recognizes that airports are major contributors to the economic growth and social well-being of smaller communities and local airport workers," Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a release. "In addition to supporting personal travel, local airports are key connectors for business, health care, social services and emerging resource development sectors.

"These investments will improve access to safe, reliable and efficient air transportation options, and will help us deliver our promise to build safer, healthier and stronger communities across Canada. This is more important than ever as we work towards reopening our economies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic."

The funding will also allow for the construction of runway end safety areas for a number of areas at the Thunder Bay Airport and the installation of airside LED guidance signs.

The new projects need to be completed by the end of March 2023 to fit into the "funding window," said Ed Schmidtke, president and chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay Airport, adding that design and engineering plans for the projects are already underway.

"So it's very timely for us to accelerate some work that will see us rehabilitate our primary runway and that hasn't been done since 2009, and rehabilitate our major approach lighting system which also last saw some work in 2009," he said.

Major runway work to get underway

The Thunder Bay Airport Authority is a member of the Canadian Airports Council. The council's president said the funding comes at a "convenient time" for the local airport.

"They have major runway work to do and so for this airport, that funding is quite helpful as it is for the airports around the country that did receive notice last week that they will be getting funding on this expanded Airports Capital Assistance Program," said Daniel Robert Gooch in an interview with CBC.

The latest fall economic statement announced the temporary expansion of eligibility for the assistance program to allow National Airport System (NAS) airports with less than one million annual passengers in 2019 to apply over the next two years.