BC’s jobs minister is going to bat for Castlegar in the city’s bid to improve local airport reliability.
Ravi Kahlon wrote a letter this month to federal transport minister Steven MacKinnon, urging him to approve a GPS-based landing system that would result in lowered approach limits in bad weather at the West Kootenay Regional Aiport.
Kahlon said reliable air access has “significant implications for economic resilience, emergency response, and growth in rural and interior communities where alternative transportation options can be limited.”
Without naming them, Kahlon referred to local employers including Kalesnikoff, Teck, and Mercer Celgar. He said improving air access is also essential to supporting year-round tourism.
He pointed to the city’s expansion and rehabilitation of the airport’s apron and taxiway to allow larger planes and multiple planes to use the airport at once.
He said the plan that the city has submitted is a “safe, efficient, affordable and appropriate approach to meeting the region’s air travel needs, while addressing the long-standing challenges associated with the airport.”
Kahlon indicated that the idea has the support of Air Canada Jazz “and a second carrier” whom he did not name and argued that “there is a strong economic and operational rationale to advance this proposal as quickly as possible.”
He also said addressing the airport’s reliability will strengthen air access for emergency and wildfire response, including “Canadian Armed Forces assistance during major climate-driven events when provincial response capacity is exceeded.”
Kootenay-Monashee MLA Steve Morissette said in a statement provided by his office that he was “thrilled” to see the letter.
“Our provincial government knows how vital it is to support this request,” he said.
Airport manager Danny Clarke recently told city council that the request is making its way through a 200-day review period at Transport Canada. It will also need approval from Nav Canada and require testing before it can be implemented. Clarke said he believed federal approval is 16 to 18 months away at the earliest.
The city originally has been working on the project since 2017 and submitted its proposal to the federal government nearly five years ago. Mayor Maria McFaddin previously said that some standards have changed in the interim, forcing the city to revise and resubmit its plan.
