Crucial investments into safety upgrades at Saint John Airport

Canadians rely on safe and well-maintained local and regional airports to support vibrant communities. These airports also support essential air services including community resupply, air ambulance, search and rescue, and forest fire response.

Wayne Long, Member of Parliament for Saint John-Rothesay, on behalf of the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, has announced that the Government of Canada is making important safety investments at the Saint John Airport (YSJ).

Through Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Programme (ACAP), the Government of Canada will provide the airport with more than $1.8 million to purchase critical safety equipment including:

• An aircraft rescue firefighting vehicle
• A shelter to house and protect the firefighting vehicle
• A snow blower to keep airside surfaces clear, and
• A runway surface friction tester.

This equipment will help maintain safe airport operations for aircraft, passengers, crews, and airport workers.

This funding is in addition to the more than $500,000 in Airports Capital Assistance Programme funding provided to the airport in May 2021, to support the rehabilitation of airside apron floodlighting and electrical constant current regulators.

Since the Airports Capital Assistance Programme started in 1995, the Government of Canada has invested over $1.2 billion for 1,215 projects at 199 local, regional and smaller National Airports System airports across the country. Funded projects include runway and taxiway repairs/rehabilitation, lighting enhancements, purchasing snow clearing equipment and firefighting vehicles, and installing wildlife control fencing.

“The Saint John Airport is an important hub for residents and businesses in this region,” said Wayne Long, Member of Parliament for Saint John-Rothesay. “This investment will help maintain continued safe and reliable airport operations for folks in Southern New Brunswick, many of whom depend on their local airport not only for personal and business travel, but also for access to routine and emergency medical care in larger centres. Investing in smaller, regional airports like YSJ means that Saint John will continue to have access to major hubs for years to come.”

The Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport added: “The pandemic highlighted the important role Canada’s local and regional airports play in our country’s economy, and in sustaining the social and economic well-being of our communities. In addition to supporting personal travel, local, and regional 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 commitment to build safer, healthier and stronger communities as Canada recovers from the pandemic.”