Government of Canada invests in safety at Saint John Airport

News release

March 1, 2022            Saint John, New Brunswick           Transport Canada

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, today announced that the Government of Canada is making important safety investments at the Saint John Airport.

Through Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program (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 snowblower 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 Program 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 Program 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.

Quotes

“The Saint John Airport is an important hub for residents and businesses in this region. 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.”

Wayne Long
Member of Parliament for Saint John—Rothesay

“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.”

The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport

Quick facts

  • As announced in the Fall Economic Statement 2020, the Airports Capital Assistance Program received a one-time funding top-up of $186 million over two years.

  • The Fall Economic Statement 2020 also announced the temporary expansion of eligibility for the Airports Capital Assistance Program to allow National Airports System airports with less than one million annual passengers in 2019 to apply for funding under the Program in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.

  • The eligible National Airports System airports are: Gander; Charlottetown; Saint John; Fredericton; Moncton; Thunder Bay; London; and Prince George.

Associated links

Contacts

Laurel Lennox
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport, Ottawa
Laurel.Lennox@tc.gc.ca   

Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
media@tc.gc.ca

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