A screenshot from the province's airport camera at Wollaston Lake. (Government of Saskatchewan)

By paNOW Staff

air services

Feds provide additional funding to maintain essential air services to Northern Sask.

Jul 22, 2021 | 2:30 PM

The Government of Canada is providing an additional $1.167 million to the province of Saskatchewan to continue the support of essential air services for remote communities.

The money will help maintain minimum levels of air transportation services to places like Stony Rapids, Fon-du-Lac, Uranium City, and Wollaston Lake to ensure continued access to essential goods and services, including community resupply of food and medical supplies.

“Our government understands the importance of reliable air services in sustaining the social and economic well-being of our northern and remote communities. This investment will ensure that, as we work towards recovery and travel restart post pandemic, people living and working in remote Saskatchewan communities will continue to have access to air services for delivery of essential goods and services and for essential travel between communities in Saskatchewan. We are pleased to be working with our territorial and Indigenous partners and the air industry to support communities as we start to build back better,” said Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra.

A joint new release from the federal and provincial governments said the global COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for northern and remote communities which depend on supply chains. The funding announced Thursday is in addition to the $1.592 million provided to the Government of Saskatchewan in 2020 to maintain essential air services to remote communities.

“The dual efforts of fighting COVID-19 and ensuring our economy recovers from the pandemic must be made in every corner of the province. We are very grateful that the Government of Canada recognizes the need for reliable air travel to Saskatchewan’s north to achieve these goals, and that it continues to invest in this crucial area of support for our remote communities,” said Fred Bradshaw, Minister of Highways.

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Under the funding agreements for the Remote Air Services Program, a fixed amount of funding is allocated to each province that has remote communities and it’s up to each province to allocate the funding to specific air carriers.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow