City Council has given its support to the Jack Garland Airport. Council passed a motion Tuesday night calling on the city to support the airport for the rest of this year and next year too.

Councillor Chris Mayne says the airport had requested up to $200,000 a month for a total of $800,000 but not much of that money has been touched at this point.

He says now they’re looking at between $200-400,000 by the end of the year. As for next year.

“The expectation is the airport board can work out with the city a minimal cost budget at $125,000 a month so the request to council was for $1.5 million,” Mayne says.

That was approved by a 10-1 vote with one Councillor Mark King voting against.

Council also got behind a lobbying campaign to convince the federal and provincial governments for operating funding support.

King says the city’s doing the senior governments job for them.

“They’ll be able to say to Mayor McDonald that you guys have already found the money somewhere,” he says.

King says we don’t know the impact of COVID-19 on the city’s finances yet and fellow councillors are willing to subsidize the airport.

“Can we build Cassellholme, can we build a new arena and can we maintain our staffing levels at the current amount or will we have to go to Bob Rae days,” King asks.

Councillor Dave Mendicino says the airport is an economic engine for the city and has to be supported.

“It provides an economic spinoff of $57 million to the economy of North Bay and the region. It’s pretty simple-no airport equals no jobs and no jobs means no economic benefit,” Mendocino says.

(photo by station staff)

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