A group set up to lobby for airport improvements is asking the Ontario government to bring together the federal government, First Nations and others to put a higher priority on remote airports.
The Northern Ontario Aviation Committee says many do not meet even the minimum standards.
Executive Director Tom Maynard told a legislative committee holding a pre-budget hearing in Thunder Bay that some of the runways are too short and too narrow, terminal buildings are undersized, and service levels are inadequate.
Maynard says the industry has been lobbying the Ministry of Transportation for improvements for 40 years with limited success.
“This conversation started in the 1980s about improving these airports,” says Maynard.
“We’ve been told they are working on more studies, engineering this time. They are taking it more serious. It’s a $1.5 billion upgrade requirement over probably a period of seven to 10 years to bring the airports just up to standard, not talking about making them better.”
But Maynard says no one is talking about the money required.
He suggests the province spearhead the discussion.
“We need actions, sustainable funding, coordinated planning, and collective commitment to safety, dignity, and equity,” says Maynard.
The airports serve as important transportation links for communities in Ontario’s Far North.
New all-weather roads are planned, but Maynard says the airports will still play a vital role.
“No medical patient will travel 12 hours on a gravel road for care. Wildfire evacuations cannot rely on road access. Medical emergencies cannot wait for road transportation.”
