Transport Canada announced a federal investment of $12,148,100 to go towards safety at the Fond du Lac Airport in northern Saskatchewan.
It will fund upgrades that include rehabilitating the asphalt on the runway and airfield lighting system as well as installation of a precision approach path indicator system.
Twenty-two passengers and three crew members on a West Wind Aviation flight crashed shortly after takeoff the evening of Dec. 13, 2017, from the airport.
One injured passenger from the plane, Arson Fern Jr., died two weeks later in hospital.
“Today, our government is announcing new funding which will help ensure the continued safety and reliability of operations at the Fond du Lac Airport,” Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O’Regan said Thursday in a press release.
“We are proud to support these important renovations to the airport and the residents of Fond du Lac that rely on it.”
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) applauded the funding.
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“The community has overcome great tragedy and this funding today will go a long way in ensuring the safety of everyone who utilizes this airport,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said in a press release.
“We send congratulations to Fond Du Lac Chief Louis Mercredi and his council and community today as the fight to upgrade this airport has been a long time coming.”
The investment comes from Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP). Since 1995, Fond du Lac Airport has received over $15.3 million in ACAP funding for five safety projects.
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