The federal government will spend $1.8 million making “important safety investments” at the Saint John Airport.
According to a news release issued Tuesday by Transport Canada, the money will be used to purchase safety equipment, which includes an aircraft rescue firefighting vehicle, a shelter for the firefighting vehicle, a snowblower to keep airside surfaces clean and a runway surface friction tester.
In the release, Wayne Long, the MP for Saint John-Rothesay, said the airport is an “important hub” for residents and businesses in the area.
“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,” said Long.
“Investing in smaller, regional airports like YSJ means that Saint John will continue to have access to major hubs for years to come.”
The money is coming through Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program, and is in addition to the more than $500,000 provided by the program in May 2021 for airside apron floodlighting and electrical constant current regulators.
The release said more than $1.2 billion has been spent on 1,215 projects at 199 airports across the country since the program started in 1995.