Ottawa – The Government of Canada is providing an additional $8.82 million to the Government of Manitoba to continue the support of essential air services for remote communities in Manitoba. The Minister of Transport Honourable Omar Alghabra and the Minister of Northern Affairs Honourable Daniel Vandal made the announcement this week.
The funding announced is in addition to the $12.03 million provided to the Government of Manitoba in 2020, to maintain essential air services to remote communities.
“Our government understands the importance of reliable air services in sustaining the social and economic well-being of our northern and remote communities,” said Alghabra. “This investment will ensure that, as we work towards recovery and travel restart post pandemic, people living and working in remote Manitoba communities will continue to have access to air services for delivery of essential goods and services and for essential travel between communities in Manitoba. 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.”
This financial contribution will help maintain minimum levels of air transportation services to remote communities in Manitoba to ensure continued access to essential goods and services, including community resupply of food and medical supplies.
“Our government recognizes the vital importance of transportation links in maintaining and strengthening supply chains across the North. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put pressure on the transportation sector in the North and Arctic, this investment will ensure communities in Manitoba remain connected and supported with access to essential goods and health services when they need it the most,” said Vandal.
The Governments of Canada and Manitoba will continue to collaborate to ensure essential transportation and supply chains for Northern and remote communities are protected for the health, safety and well-being of all Canadians.
Under the funding agreements for the Remote Air Services Program, a fixed amount of funding is allocated to each province or territory that has remote communities. Provinces and territories are responsible for allocating the funding to specific air carriers.
Remote communities are those that rely on air service as the only practical year-round mode of transportation. There are 21 communities with airports or aerodromes in Manitoba which are considered remote. Some communities may have limited access to seasonal ice roads or long and unreliable gravel roads.