The federal government announced on Monday (Aug. 31) a grant of $11.6 million for runway, taxiway and apron improvements at Wollaston Lake airport (CZWL) in northern Saskatchewan. The existing 3,793’ x 75’ runway consists of a combination of concrete and asphalt.
The airport, located north of 58°N, supports the Wollaston Lake settlement of 96 residents and the nearby Hatchet Lake First Nation of over 1,270 residents. According to their upcoming winter schedule, Saskatoon-based Rise Air will serve the Wollaston Lake airport with six flights a week.
“In northern Saskatchewan, reliable transportation is essential infrastructure,” said Buckley Belanger, the secretary of state for rural development and a Saskatchewan MP. “For Wollaston Lake and Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation, this airport means access to health care, essential supplies, family and opportunity. This $11.6 million investment from our government will make those vital connections safer and more reliable.”
The announcement comes on the heels of an announcement last week of federal infrastructure investments in six British Columbia airports totalling $23 million. Both funding announcements come from the federal government’s Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP). This year’s total available funds are $38 million, leaving a fund balance of $3.4 million for airport infrastructure projects in the rest of the country.
Since ACAP’s inception in 1995, Wollaston Lake airport has only received $1.9 million in infrastructure funding.
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