Pemberton Regional Airport will receive $121,500 in funding from the province for runway repairs and painting.
The money is much-needed, as the airport’s runway is reportedly worse for wear these days.
The Village of Pemberton (VOP) voted to support a funding application for up to $200,000 at a council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.
Mayor and council also agreed to contribute a matching contribution of up to $50,000 (25 per cent) towards the project. Cracks on the runway were last repaired in 2016. The airport has several hundred landings per year, mostly happening in August. However, there is no runway lighting, taxiway lighting, control tower or navigational assistance at the site. Access is also limited during winter months.
Project engineer, Sachindra Wijayabandara, told council repairs on the runway are needed sooner rather than later. Runway resurfacing is a top priority, as the tarmac is currently “riddled” with large cracks—some measuring up to 10 centimetres wide. They also risk getting far bigger if moisture permeates the asphalt.
The cracks create an uneven surface and disrupt visual painted markings, and are causing a serious safety hazard to aircraft using the facility. Wijayabandara told council they run the risk of the problem becoming far worse.
“It’s needed now,” he said.
In a statement on its website, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure recognized the importance of the 300 public airports, heliports and water aerodromes that connect people around the province, saying the BC Air Access Program (BCAAP) is vital to help the government “fulfil its responsibilities related to medevac, wildfire suppression, emergency response, access to remote and Indigenous communities, tourism and economic development.”
Other projects getting money from the BCAAP this year include runway improvements at Kamloops, Castlegar and Terrace, an emergency heliport upgrade for the Metlakatla First Nation and improved accessibility at the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre for passengers with disabilities. This year, $11 million will be invested to support 26 upgrades at 24 airports throughout B.C.
Since 2017, BCAAP has committed more than $63 million in grants to projects at 71 air facilities. The program is specifically for facilities serving fewer than one million passengers per year.
Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit, Dan Coulter, said the funding stream is vital for the province. “Airports pay a key role in bringing together communities and people and provide the vital links that keep goods moving and our economy strong,” he said in a release. “This provincial support will help our regional airports with a wide range of upgrades that will increase safety, reliability and capacity for the services that British Columbians rely on including access to health-care and support for firefighting.”
Chair of the BC Aviation Council, Heather McCarley, said the “strategic” investments are particularly important for remote, rural and Indigenous communities.
“The BC Air Access Program provides front-line funding that supports wildfire suppression, air-ambulance, emergency response, tourism and economic initiatives for British Columbia’s airports,” she said.
