BC Government News Release: Supporting economic growth, strengthening health, safety services through airport improvements

Details from this BC Government news release:

Summary

• More than $8 million from the BC Air Access Program will support 18 airport upgrades
• Investment bolsters wildfire suppression, air ambulance, emergency response, tourism and economic development
• Funding focuses on supporting rural, remote and Indigenous communities
  

Eighteen BC communities will benefit from upgrades to land and water airports through an investment of more than $8 million from BC Air Access Program.

“The BC Air Access Program strengthens local economies and supports good jobs, while improving safety for people living in and travelling through rural and regional communities,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit. “This program recognizes that smaller airports help connect communities and are essential for the people throughout BC.”

Investment in services, economic development

The investment will include upgrades to air facilities to support wildfire suppression, air ambulance and other emergency-response services. For example, the Anahim Lake apron expansion project will improve access for medevac and expand the wildfire operations base for a large, isolated area.

Upgraded airports support economic development and tourism potential by getting goods and people faster to destinations throughout the province. At the Ganges Outer Harbour on Salt Spring Island, expanded dock moorage facilities will allow floatplanes to land more often, supporting the local economy and tourism needs.

Beneficial community impacts

“This program has a significant positive impact for communities throughout the province,” said Cathy Press, chair, BC Aviation Council. “It provides funding for a variety of projects from lighting improvements to facility expansions, which will benefit communities and residents for years to come.”

The program is open to facilities that serve fewer than one million passengers per year. BCAAP opens intake for all eligible applicants from November until January each year.

Air facilities in the following communities have received funding through the BC Air Access Program for 2026-27:

• Alert Bay – $97,700 for airport lighting and crack sealing at Alert Bay Airport
• Anahim Lake – Nearly $1.6 million for an apron expansion at Anahim Lake Airport
• Bella Bella – $624,750 to relocate fuelling operations at Bella Bella Airport
• Bella Coola – $30,400 for a facility master plan at Bella Coola Airport
• Burns Lake – $24,406 for a facility master plan at Burns Lake Airport
• Chetwynd – $303,314 for airfield lighting upgrade at Chetwynd Airport
• Cranbrook – $729,660 for space capacity upgrades at Canadian Rockies International Airport
• Dawson Creek – $293,194 for an aircraft de-icing vehicle at Dawson Creek Airport
• Elk Valley – $17,250 for pavement improvement at Elk Valley Airport
• Fairmont Hot Springs – $114,472 for a skid steer loader and attachments at Fairmont Hot Springs Airport
• Ganges – $813,578 to expand the floatplane facility in the Ganges Outer Harbour
• Hope – $206,250 for a tractor and related equipment at Fraser Valley Regional Airpark
• Kitimat – $156,985 for maintenance and safety equipment upgrades at Kitimat Airpark
• Langley – $2 million for an airfield electrical and lighting systems upgrade at Langley Regional Airport
• Masset – $648,515 for tree clearing at Masset Municipal Airport
• McBride – $546,066 for improved lighting safety at Charlie Leake Airfield
• Pemberton – $14,981 for runway approach safety improvements at Pemberton Regional Airport
• Quesnel – $24,234 for a facility master plan at Quesnel Regional Airport