Local Chamber Pushing for Support for YXS
The three resolutions deal with Airport funding, forestry and brownfields.
The Airport funding resolution points out that while the Federal Government has a fund to assist small airports with infrastructure upgrades, Prince George’s Airport , along with 5 others in the country, can’t apply for funding because it is on land leased from the Federal Government.
The resolution notes “These six airports have been deemed essential by the NAP but are experiencing difficulties paying for all of the capital requirements necessary for airports in Canada, for property, buildings and infrastructure that the Crown maintains ownership of.”
The resolution calls for an updating of the funding program to allow YXS and the other five airports to qualify for funding “so that they may fulfill their obligations as NAS airports without financial hardship that may cause the loss of the airports themselves” reads the resolution.
On the matter of forestry, the P.G. Chamber worked with the Williams Lake Chamber in developing a resolution that calls for the Provincial Government to work towards certainty on a number of fronts, including First Nations forest tenure, stumpage, annual allowable cuts and continued marketing of BC products.
The final resolution calls for continued funding to identify and remediate brownfields so they may be commercially viable properties.
“Our Chamber’s Advocacy Committee has focused their work on key impediments to business affecting our city and region,” said Cindi Pohl, President of the Prince George Chamber. “We believe wholeheartedly that, if the appropriate levels of government follow the recommendations outlined in these resolutions, all sorts of doors will open for Prince George and the region.”
The BC Chamber’s AGM will be held May29 – 31 and delegates will examine 55 resolutions from across the Province. If the resolutions pass, they become official BC Chamber policy, and the BC Chamber will present them to the appropriate levels of government.
Comments
As far as the Airport goes if YXS cannot get the appropriate funding from the Federal Government, they will not **lose** the Airport. The Airport is owned by the Federal Government and leased to the Airport Authority. They pay lease payments which are based on a percentage gross revenue.
If these airport cannot look after the necessary capital projects for these Airports because of a shortfall in funding from the Federal Government, or revenue generated by running the airport, then in my opinion they should return the Airport to the Federal Government to run, and walk away.
The larger airports in Canada generate huge profits which they plow back into the their airports, and in addition pay the Federal Government hundreds of millions of dollars in lease payments. So there is money available if they can pry it loose from the Feds.
At the end of the day creating airport authorities was a slick way to download the running of these airports on local municipalities, and generate revenue for the Federal Government.
It is a Federal Government airport, and it is their responsibility to see that it is funded and run responsibly if this means going back to the old model where the Feds ran the airport, then so be it.
Raising the airport improves fee’s (tax) to provide funding is nothing more than a slight of hand. Some kind of a trick we would expect from a card shark, but certainly not from Government. Hmmmm.
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