Prime Minister announces airport funding
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| Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Cranbrook Mayor Scott Manjak share a few words on the tarmac prior to a funding announcement at the Canadian Rockies International Airport. |
Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the Canadian Rockies International Airport on Tuesday to announce funding for vital safety and infrastructure upgrades at the facility.
“It’s to your credit that you have made the far-sighted decision to invest in these things that make it easier for more people to come here,” Harper stated “Tourism is a win-win - the visitors enjoy what you have to offer [...] you enjoy the jobs and the prosperity that they bring."
Harper emphasized improvements to the airport were particularly noteworthy and therefore some of the earliest infrastructure projects they invested in after forming government in 2006.
In recent years, the runway has been lengthened to 8,000 feet, catering to regional jets favoured by the airlines for short and mid-range flights to Canada and the US. The terminal has also been rebuilt to handle international arrivals and departures.
“With these upgrades, YXC now fits seamlessly into the hub and spokes system of continental air transportation,” Harper stated. “Because of the work you have done together at your airport, the entire continent is now your marketplace.”
Because of the airport’s relatively high elevation, flying is affected by a wide range of seasonal temperatures and conditions, Harper noted.
Through the Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP), the government will invest in safety-related improvements at airports across the country.
The Canadian Rockies International Airport is receiving just over $5.6 million in support of essential safety and infrastructure upgrades. These will include the replacement of a wet/dry chemical spreader and decelerometer and the rehabilitation if runways and taxiways.
“For the people who fly - and that’s most Canadians these days - there is nothing more important than safety,” Harper stated. This is why, he added, the government has decided to extend the ACAP program and fund safety-related projects at 38 airports across the country.
“[The future improvements] will be to the benefit to the citizens of Cranbrook and indeed the whole East Kootenay region,” Harper suggested. “It will also be to the benefit of visitors and the benefit will endure for a very long time.”
“I would like you to know that our community and our region is genuinely grateful for your support and MP Abbott’s support of this important economic driver in the community,” responded Cranbrook Mayor Scott Manjak. “Your announcement this afternoon will ensure safety to this airport and to air travelers who come into this region.”
During his visit at the airport, Stephen Harper also had a chance to meet with Ron Simms, one of the few survivors of the TWA plane crash in February of 1978. As a result of his injuries, Sims lost both his legs above the knee. The meeting with the survivor left Harper impressed by his spirit.
“After surviving this dreadful event, he went out and learned how to fly,” Harper relayed to the audience at the airport. “And before he hung up his keys a few years ago, he had logged more than 500 hours. [...] Where I live in Alberta, we call that ‘Gettin’ back on the horse that threw ya’.”
