North Battleford airport gets funding boost
The runway improvement project at the Cameron McIntosh Airport in North Battleford has received another boost from the province.
On Friday, Battlefords MLA Herb Cox announced the province will invest $275,000 more to continue work repaving the runway through the Community Airport Partnership program. The City of North Battleford will match the province’s contribution towards the estimated $550,000 cost of this year’s work.
“It’s great news,” North Battleford Mayor Ryan Bater said. “This has been a great partnership between the Saskatchewan government and our city government. Since 2007 each of these governments have contributed $1.2 million to this airport. Today’s announcement from the province is very exciting … This airport is incredibly important to the community. It’s a well-used airport and an asset that needs to be maintained.”
Air ambulance and a number of businesses use the airport to access the Battlefords and the region, Bater said, but when he was given a tour of the airport two years ago before the upgrade work started, the runway was in “terrible” shape.