Officials can see economic recovery on the horizon as FedNor announced the federal government is providing the North Bay Jack Garland Airport Corporation with more than $1.1 million, Wednesday.
Nipissing–Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota says, "This important project will enable the North Bay Jack Garland Airport to overcome the financial impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic."
The airport has survived the devastation of the pandemic and the departure, and eventual return, of Air Canada. The airport was buoyed by the taxpayers in the 2021 budget, making up an $800,000 shortfall after losing $1.5 million in airport revenue, a figure cited Wednesday by Jack Garland Manager Jack Santerre.
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Terry Sheehan, the MP for Sault Ste. Marie joined the meeting on behalf of Mélanie Joly, the Minister responsible for FedNor, and announced the financial support for the North Bay Jack Garland Airport. The non-repayable contribution will help mitigate the financial pressures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting the operations of the Jack Garland airport for a one-year period. The project is expected to help maintain 11 local jobs.
"It will save 11 positions at our airport," agrees North Bay Mayor Al McDonald, "but the impact is far bigger than that," when it comes to 500 "good-paying" aviation-related jobs in the area plus the ancillary positions spread across 65 mining-related companies.
McDonald does not mince words when he says the closure of the airport "could have been a very significant hit to the City of North Bay," and credits City Council for acting swiftly to prop up the airport during the uncertain days of the pandemic when air travel was at a standstill.
And: Jack Garland Airport to receive financial assistance from the city to see it through the year
Santerre admits it will take between two to five years for recovery for Jack Garland.
"The airport stayed open with the help of the City and various government initiatives. We were able to provide essential aviation services," says Santerre. "With the return of Air Canada, we are starting to see growth in essential business travel.
"The essential funding announced today will allow us some time to re-establish pre-pandemic levels of traffic. We'll never be back to where we were, there is going to be a new normal and we're working hard to be at the cutting edge of that."
Rota adds the airport will be in a position to "play a meaningful role in the region's economic recovery in the months to come. This investment will help ensure the commercial viability of the airport while growing, enhancing and maintaining capital assets in support of the overall economic development of the North Bay area.
FedNor recognizes regional air transportation is crucial to local economic growth, the movement of goods and the connectivity of Canadians across the country. "The pandemic has had major impacts on regional air transportation ecosystems, affecting communities and local businesses from coast to coast to coast."
McDonald advises, "The Jack Garland Airport is an important economic driver for North Bay and the surrounding region. As it is the only facility of its size in Ontario with a dedicated airside post-secondary aviation training facility, our airport is also vital to our local post-secondary institutions. I wish to thank the Government of Canada and FedNor for this critical funding that will help ensure a long and prosperous future of this key community asset."
"I wish to thank the Government of Canada for this important support through FedNor’s Regional Air Transportation Initiative," says Wade Wasylciw, Chair, North Bay Jack Garland Airport Corporation. "Regional airports, like Jack Garland, have a significant economic and social impact on the population and businesses they serve. We look forward to continuing to operate in a safe, secure and efficient manner for the benefit of the entire community."
Regional air transportation is key to the economic development of communities and businesses right across Canada and it is essential in connecting Canadians living in rural and remote communities to urban centres, delivering Canadian goods to the global market and welcoming international visitors to all parts of the country, when it is safe to do so.
The Government of Canada’s Regional Air Transportation Initiative (RATI), launched in March 2021, supports access to air transportation and regional ecosystems. In particular, it enables the continuation of existing air routes and ensures airports remain operational and able to contribute to regional economic growth, while adapting to new post-COVID-19 realities and requirements.
