Long runway key to economic prosperity, Chirico says

Nipissing-Timiskaming Conservative candidate Peter Chirico talks to reporters in front of Jack Garland Airport. Photo by Phil Novak, BayToday.ca.

The 10,000-foot runway at Jack Garland Airport remains a key to North Bay’s economic prosperity, says Peter Chirico, the Nipissing-Timiskaming Conservative Party candidate.

Chirico held a news conference Monday afternoon in front of the airport, and talked about Canadian government restrictions that would allow only 6,000 feet of the runway to be resurfaced using the federal Airport Capital Assistance Program.

“Unfortunately with APAC we do not have the ability to apply for additional funding for an airport that was downloaded by the federal government to the municipality, and we need that assistance,” Chirico said.

“The 10,000 foot runway is very important to our lifeblood, very important to our economic viability in the future.”

If Chirico becomes the next MP Jan. 23, he said, “I will make sure that every person in Ottawa who’s associated with looking at funding for this airport will know where Nipissing-Timiskaming is and who the MP is,” Chirico said.

“That’s the issue here; we have not seen any action for ACAP funding or additional type of funding for the airport.”

BayToday.ca ran a story last week that stated it would cost about $2.8 million to resurface the entire runway.

Chirico said he’s consulted with the Jack Garland Airport Corporation board and was told it would actually cost $2.9 million to shorten the runway to 6,000 feet.

He was also told, he said, the runway should have been resurfaced several years ago.

Chirico said the long runway allowed other flights to be diverted here during poor weather or emergency situations elsewhere, bringing in extra landing fees.

He said the runway situation is also an election issue.

“This is the economic future for our region.”