DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy
Municipal Airports
Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Consulting Team: IBI Group | Hemson Consulting Ltd. November 2016 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: MUNICIPAL AIRPORTS Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
This technical backgrounder was prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines by the consultant team to assist the ministries in developing the Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy. The opinions and ideas in this backgrounder are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the ministries or of the Government of Ontario.
Cette publication hautement spécialisée Municipal Airports Technical Backgrounder n'est disponible qu'en anglais conformément au Règlement 671/92, selon lequel il n’est pas obligatoire de la traduire en vertu de la Loi sur les services en français. Pour obtenir des renseignements en français, veuillez communiquer avec le Ministère des Transports au 1-844-505-5006 ou par courriel à [email protected].
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November 2016 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: MUNICIPAL AIRPORTS Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Table of Contents
1. Overview ...... 1 1.1 Categorization of Municipal Airports ...... 4
2. Northern Ontario Airport and Air Carrier Policy and Funding ...... 5 2.1 Federal Government Role ...... 5 Regulation ...... 5 Air Navigation Services ...... 5 Programs ...... 6 2.2 Provincial Role ...... 9 2.3 Other Funding Sources ...... 10
3. Thunder Bay International Airport ...... 11 3.1 Governance ...... 11 3.2 Services ...... 11
4. Northern Ontario Air Services ...... 12 4.1 Passenger Services ...... 12 4.2 Cargo Services ...... 16 4.3 Government Air Services ...... 17 Air Ambulance Services ...... 24
5. Municipal Airport Facilities ...... 31 5.1 Runways ...... 31 5.2 Airport Weather and Navigation Systems ...... 33 5.3 Condition of Airport Facilities ...... 35
6. Passenger Travel Connectivity with Ground Transportation Modes .. 38
7. Alternative Approaches to Airport Policies and Programs ...... 40 7.1 Airport Policy of Other Provincial Governments ...... 40 Airport Funding Example: Saskatchewan Airport Partnership Grant Program ...... 41
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Table of Contents (continued)
7.2 Comparable Ontario Funding Programs ...... 41 7.3 Helipad Policy and Funding ...... 42
8. Outlook for Municipal Airports ...... 43
9. Issues and Opportunities ...... 45 9.1 Summary of Issues ...... 45 Important Benefits of Municipal Airports ...... 45 Condition of Municipal Airports Infrastructure ...... 45 Financial Viability ...... 46 Funding Sources ...... 46 9.2 Opportunities ...... 46 A More Cohesive and Reliable Funding Program ...... 46
Resources ...... 48
Alternate Text for Exhibits ...... 49
Appendix A: Municipal Airport Survey Results ...... 1
Appendix B: Municipal Airport Survey Questionnaire ...... 3
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Table of Contents (continued)
List of Exhibits
Exhibit 1.1: Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation System ...... 2 Exhibit 1.2: Northern Ontario’s Airports with Municipal Airports by Name . 3
Exhibit 2.1: Municipal Airports Eligible for Funding from the Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP) ...... 8
Exhibit 4.1: Northern Ontario Scheduled Air Passenger Services ...... 13 Exhibit 4.2: “Strategic” Roles of Northern Ontario Municipal Airports in Providing Scheduled Passenger Connections ...... 14 Exhibit 4.3: Passenger Volumes for Large Regional and International Airports ...... 15 Exhibit 4.4: Daily Frequency of Southern Ontario Scheduled Air Passenger Connections ...... 15 Exhibit 4.5: Municipal Airports Reporting Cargo Handling (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) ...... 18 Exhibit 4.6: Municipal Airports with Resource Management Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) ...... 19 Exhibit 4.7: Municipal Airports with Aerial Firefighting Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) ...... 20 Exhibit 4.8: Municipal Airports with Aerial Policing Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) ...... 21 Exhibit 4.9: Municipal Airports with Search-and-Rescue Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) ...... 22 Exhibit 4.10: Government Air Services by Airport ...... 23 Exhibit 4.11: Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance Patient Transfers, 2014 (Largely Emergent and Urgent Patients) ...... 25 Exhibit 4.12: Ornge-Contracted Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance Patient Transfers, 2014 ...... 26 Exhibit 4.13: Rotary-Wing (Helicopter) Patient Transfers, 2014 ...... 27 Exhibit 4.14: Northern Ontario Helipads ...... 28 Exhibit 4.15: Northwest Region Helipads ...... 29 Exhibit 4.16: Northeast Region Helipads ...... 30
November 2016 iii IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: MUNICIPAL AIRPORTS Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Table of Contents (continued)
Exhibit 5.1: Municipal Airport Runway Length and Surface Type ...... 32 Exhibit 5.2: Weather and Navigation Systems at Municipal and International Airports ...... 34 Exhibit 5.3: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Large Regional Airports ...... 36 Exhibit 5.4: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Intermediate Regional Airports ...... 36 Exhibit 5.5: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Other Municipal Airports ...... 37
Exhibit 6.1: Connecting Surface Transportation for Airports with Scheduled Passenger Services ...... 39 Exhibit 8.1: Self-Reported Community Benefits of a Municipal Airport .... 43
November 2016 iv IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: MUNICIPAL AIRPORTS Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
1. Overview
Northern Ontario has 67 public airports, including the following: Thunder Bay International Airport, the only national airport it the region1; 37 municipal airports; and 29 remote airports associated with remote communities in the Far North, operated by the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario (MTO). In addition there are privately owned and operated landing strips and helipads across Northern Ontario. This Technical Backgrounder is intended to develop an understanding of the current state of Northern Ontario’s municipal airports and services provided by these airports, and related outlooks, issues and opportunities. A brief overview of Thunder Bay International Airport is also included in this document. Remote airports are discussed in detail in a separate technical backgrounder. The locations of all three types of airports are shown in Exhibit 1.1, together with other elements of the Northern Ontario multimodal transportation system, including other airports, road, rail, and marine infrastructure. A map highlighting the municipal airports, together with the names of each airport, is shown in Exhibit 1.2. Except for Moosonee, Northern Ontario’s municipal airports are located in the Near North. Although the term “municipal airports” is used in this backgrounder, not all are operated directly by municipalities, but they are all owned by public agencies. Some have been set up by regional boards and commissions, and some are operated by not-for-profit corporations.
1 Transport Canada National Airport Policy: The National Airport System (NAS) includes airports in all national, provincial and territorial capitals, as well as airports with annual traffic of 200,000 passengers or more. Currently, the 26 NAS airports serve 94 per cent of all scheduled passenger and air cargo traffic in Canada and are the points of origin and destination for almost all interprovincial and international air service in Canada.
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Exhibit 1.1: Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation System
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Exhibit 1.2: Northern Ontario’s Airports with Municipal Airports by Name
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Municipal airports in Northern Ontario serve a unique role in the movement of people and in the provision of essential services, such as health services, policing, and fire suppression. In a region where ground transportation options can be limited and there are at times very large distances between communities, municipal airports allow for faster and more direct travel when needed. Many municipal airports are jumping-off points for services to remote communities, and several also provide a very important linkage for Northern Ontario to Southern Ontario and to other major communities. A detailed survey was undertaken of these municipal airports in the summer of 2015 as part of the NOMTS. The findings of the survey provide insights that are woven throughout this report. The survey results are also summarized in further detail in Appendix A, and the survey questionnaire itself is included as Appendix B.
1.1 Categorization of Municipal Airports Municipal airports vary greatly in terms of size and activity levels. To allow similar airports to be compared to each other for analysis purposes, Northern Ontario’s Municipal Airports were categorized based on amount of scheduled passenger service as follows: Large Regional (5 airports): served by at least three commercial airlines with scheduled service; these include Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay, and Sioux Lookout; Intermediate Regional (7 airports): other municipal airports with commercial airlines with scheduled service; these include Fort Frances, Red Lake, Kapuskasing, Kenora, Dryden, Nakina, and Moosonee, and; and Other Municipal (25 airports): all other municipal airports.
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2. Northern Ontario Airport and Air Carrier Policy and Funding
This section describes the role of the federal and provincial governments regarding municipal airports. The federal government is the main regulator of air transportation in Canada. Municipalities typically fund their airports as part of their annual operating municipal budgets and sometimes through charging airport improvement fees, though senior government programs also can make funding available to assist municipal airports.
2.1 Federal Government Role
Regulation The Federal government regulates airports and air carrier operations economically through the Canada Transportation Agency and, with regard to safety and related aspects, through Transport Canada.
Air Navigation Services NAV Canada was established by the Federal Government to provide air navigation services both en route and at airports on an as-required basis. NAV Canada is financed by fees charged to airlines for providing these services. In Northern Ontario, NAV Canada operates air traffic control towers only at Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie (navcan.ca). In addition to control towers, flight service stations provide information to arriving and departing pilots, including wind direction/speed, altimeter settings, runway conditions, and information about other aircraft in the vicinity of the airport. The stations also control ground traffic, but unlike control towers do not provide take- off and landing clearances to pilots or provide aircraft separation. NAV Canada operates Flight Service Stations at Kenora, Sioux Lookout, Timmins and Sudbury municipal airports.
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Programs The Federal government provides subsidies for airports through the Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP), which is only available for airports with scheduled passenger service. Other Federal infrastructure funding is also often available for airport improvements, including through FEDNOR, a federal economic development agency for Northern Ontario.
Airport Capital Assistance Program The main federal airport funding program is the Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP). ACAP began in 1995 and funds projects in three priority categories that help an airport meet required safety levels. These are, in order of priority: Safety-related airside projects, such as rehabilitating runways/taxiways, runway/taxiway lighting, visual aids, and firefighting equipment; Heavy airside safety-related mobile equipment such as runway blowers/plows and winter friction testing devices; and Air terminal building/groundside safety-related equipment, such as sprinkler systems, asbestos removal, and barrier-free access. ACAP does not fund land purchases, planning/zoning studies, and projects that have been started or already completed. To obtain ACAP funding airports must apply to the federal government and meet the following criteria: Must not be owned or operated by the federal government; Must meet Transport Canada Certification requirements2; Must offer regularly scheduled commercial passenger service, which means that the airport must have handled at least 1,000 regularly scheduled commercial passengers in each of the most recent three calendar years; and Must prove that the airport cannot self-finance the project. The project must also be needed to maintain or improve safety, meet accepted engineering practices, and be justified based on current demand.
2 A registered airport will be considered eligible if it is almost at certification status and the proposed project will bring it up to certification.
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ACAP funding will cover up to 100% of the eligible costs of a project depending on the number of year-round regularly-scheduled commercial passengers. The proportion of funding decreases as the number of yearly passengers increases: For example, airports with 1,000 to 49,000 passengers will have 100% of the project costs covered. Airports with 500,000 to 524,999 passengers are only eligible to have 5% of their project costs covered. Airports with 525,000 passengers or more are not eligible for ACAP funding. There are exceptions to this structure for equipment purchases. When proposed equipment will not be used exclusively at the airport, funding will decrease to align with the proportion of airport use. This funding program excludes 25 municipal airports in Northern Ontario that do not have regularly scheduled passenger service, but have many infrastructure needs. Exhibit 2.1 shows ACAP-eligible airports in Northern Ontario.
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Exhibit 2.1: Municipal Airports Eligible for Funding from the Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP)
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Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) The Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) is administered by Industry Canada. The program provides business support services and financial aid to Northern Businesses. The program is not airport specific but has provided grants for airport improvements.
Building Canada Fund The Building Canada Fund makes financial resources available for projects of national, regional, and local significance. Of note for Northern Ontario, the fund reserves $1 billion for projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 people. Discussions are ongoing between the Federal and Provincial governments as to how best to support transportation and other infrastructure investment in Ontario’s Far North. Like FedNor, the funding is not airport-specific.
2.2 Provincial Role In the past, Ontario had a very active Northern Ontario air carrier policy. During the 1990s, NorOntair was established as a subsidiary of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (Ontario Northland), a provincial Crown agency, and operated services across Northern Ontario. NorOntair operations were discontinued in 1996, and many of the routes were taken over by the current private sector carriers Similarly, Ontario also had an active program of assistance to Northern Ontario airports. This has diminished now to the point that generally only airports in remote communities are supported by MTO, as discussed in detail in the Remote Airports Technical Backgrounder. Some funding for airport improvements is available through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund has several programs to assist projects that align with the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, including the Strategic Economic Infrastructure Program. Municipalities, First Nations3, not-for-profit organizations, and educational institutions and/or partnerships comprising these groups may apply. Projects that further economic goals in Northern Ontario are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The Fund is not airport or transportation specific, but transportation projects are funded.
3 Northern Ontario Heritage funding may also be accessed by Métis organizations, which are included under not-for-profit organizations
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2.3 Other Funding Sources There are two other sources of funding available for municipal airports: The first is from the municipality itself. As municipal assets, municipalities may fund airport projects and operating expenses through their municipal budgets. The second possible source of funding is charging an airport improvement fee. Airport improvement fees are fees either collected at the airport or added to the price of a ticket. The fees are charged to departing and sometimes connecting passengers. The fees are generally used for airport projects and improvements. In Northern Ontario, the following airports currently charge an airport improvement fee: Kenora ($5); Moosonee ($12); Sault Ste. Marie ($12); Sudbury ($25); and Timmins ($10).
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3. Thunder Bay International Airport
This section provides a brief overview of Thunder Bay International Airport, the largest airport in Northern Ontario, with 732,000 enplaned/deplaned passengers in 2015. As it is federally owned, it is generally not included among the discussion of municipal airports in this document.
3.1 Governance Thunder Bay International Airport is operated by the Thunder Bay International Airport Authority Inc. under Federal legislation. The Authority was established in 1997 and is one of 21 Canadian Airport Authorities operating across the country. These are not-for-profit corporations. The Authority is responsible for all of its costs and, in fact, pays a ground rent to the Federal government, as the federal government maintained ownership of the site when it set up the Authority. Its revenues pay both operating expenses and capital expenses. There is no Airport Improvement Fee added to tickets, unlike most airports in Canada. Revenues include airside fees paid by airlines and aircraft using the airport plus groundside fees paid by both passengers and airlines. Federal and Ontario government air services do not pay airport fees because of a grandfathered agreement. The Authority can borrow money to pay for capital expenditures. Improvements to the secondary runway and a reconfiguration of facilities within the terminal are capital expenditures expected in the near future.
3.2 Services Three major airlines provide service to Toronto: Air Canada, Porter Airlines and WestJet. Air Canada and WestJet also provide service to Winnipeg. There are no services to and from US destinations although in the past there was a service to Chicago. There are also seasonal flights to sun destinations in the winter. A number of local airlines provide scheduled and charter services to other Northern Ontario communities. The most used route is to Sioux Lookout municipal airport, where subsequent connections are available to a number of remote communities. There are also services linking to Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and North Bay. Air cargo is also handled to northern communities. However, as this is handled by the carriers, there is no reporting of volumes.
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4. Northern Ontario Air Services
There is a variety of air services operating in Northern Ontario and a wide variety of types of aircraft are used. In the past, the provincial government has subsidized or operated air services in the North, but this intervention has been discontinued. All services are privately operated on an entirely commercial basis. Given the relatively low levels of demand and the smaller aircraft operated, fares are generally higher than for intercity services operated in Southern Ontario.
4.1 Passenger Services Exhibit 4.1 is a map of all scheduled passenger air services in Northern Ontario. The strategic role of municipal airports in terms of inter-regional connections, intra-regional connections, and connections to the Far North is conceptually summarized in map form in Exhibit 4.2. Annual numbers of passengers enplaned/deplaned are provided in Exhibit 4.3 for 2010 through 2015, where published by Statistics Canada. The busiest airports in terms of passengers served are Thunder Bay with over 700,000 passengers enplaned/deplaned in 2015, followed by Sudbury, and Timmins, each with over 200,000 passengers in 2015. Sault Ste. Marie was approaching 200,000 passengers and North Bay had approximately 63,000 in 2013, the last year data were made public. Sioux Lookout airport volumes were not published by Statistics Canada, though the airport’s website notes that they have had over 100,000 passengers annually since 2001 (Sioux Lookout Municipal Airport, 2016). Three companies offer scheduled air services from Northern Ontario to Southern Ontario and to other provinces: Air Canada, Porter and WestJet. Air Canada and Porter provide services to Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and North Bay linking these centres with Toronto and in some cases to Winnipeg. WestJet serves Thunder Bay only, linking it to Toronto and Winnipeg. Bearskin Airlines also provides connections between several Large Regional Airports within Northern Ontario. Exhibit 4.4 summarizes the daily frequency of these connections.
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Exhibit 4.1: Northern Ontario Scheduled Air Passenger Services
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Exhibit 4.2: Strategic Roles of Northern Ontario Municipal Airports in Providing Scheduled Passenger Connections
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Exhibit 4.3: Passenger Volumes for Large Regional and International Airports Airport 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 International Thunder Bay 660,408 688,836 725,359 742,192 739,028 732,136 Municipal Sudbury 198,941 221,561 255,665 249,256 232,880 229,010 Timmins 127,895 139,964 205,537 207,132 210,448 210,831 Sault Ste. Marie * 155,935 187,407 187,834 * * Sioux Lookout * * * * * * North Bay * * 63,814 63,025 66,171 77,510 Note: * data not available due to the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act. Source: CANSIM 401-0044. Data for North Bay for 2014 and 2015 were provided by the North Bay Jack Garland Airport
Exhibit 4.4: Daily Frequency of Southern Ontario Scheduled Air Passenger Connections
Flights/ Airline Origin Destination Day Air Canada Porter Westjet Bearskin Inter-Regional Connections Toronto Timmins 7 Sudbury 8 North Bay 5 Sault Ste. Marie 9 Thunder Bay 16 Winnipeg Thunder Bay 3 Select Regional Connections Sudbury Thunder Bay 1 Sudbury Timmins 1 Thunder Bay Sioux Lookout 4 Note: Flight frequency represents scheduled non-stop service on a typical Wednesday, current as of spring 2016.
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There are a large number of companies offering scheduled and chartered passenger services within Northern Ontario. Northern Ontario airlines with scheduled passenger services are Air Creebec, Bearskin, Nakina Air, North Star Air, Perimeter Aviation, Slate Falls Airways, Thunder Airlines, and Wasaya Airways. With the exception of Bearskin, these airlines mainly offer services to remote communities with jump-off points in Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, and Timmins, where they can link with services to outside of Northern Ontario. In addition to the scheduled services, a number of airlines, including some of those listed above as providing scheduled services, provide charter passenger and freight services to essentially all airports in Northern Ontario.
4.2 Cargo Services Air cargo services are provided by the scheduled passenger carriers. Large numbers of charter aircraft are also available to carry freight. Cargos handled vary from heavy equipment for resource extraction, to supplies to remote communities, to a number of different commodities such as blood services. The municipal airport authorities do not have a detailed understanding of the volumes and types of cargo handled, as these are managed by the air services with little or no reporting requirements. Exhibit 4.5 is a map highlighting municipal airports that reported handling cargo in the 2015 municipal airports survey.
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4.3 Government Air Services In addition to the commercial services operating at Northern Ontario airports, the provincial and federal governments operate several fleets of aircraft, including the following: Those operated by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) for operational purposes (resource management, wildfire management and other purposes) and for fire suppression4 — airports with these services are highlighted in Exhibit 4.6 and in Exhibit 4.7, respectively; Ontario Provincial Police-owned aircraft and chartered aircraft: 60% of municipal airport survey participants report that they serve aviation related police activity at their airports — airports with these services are highlighted in Exhibit 4.8; and Search-and-rescue functions: in the municipal airports survey, 64% of airports reported that they serve search-and-rescue aircraft — airports with these services are highlighted in Exhibit 4.9. Exhibit 4.10 summarizes in table form the government air services at each airport that participated in the 2015 municipal airports survey.
4 Airport usage for fire suppression can vary from year to year. Airports identified in Exhibit 4.7 and listed in Exhibit 4.10 reflect airport participation and 2015 usage.
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Exhibit 4.5: Municipal Airports Reporting Cargo Handling (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results)
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Exhibit 4.6: Municipal Airports with Resource Management Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results)
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Exhibit 4.7: Municipal Airports with Aerial Firefighting Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results)
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Exhibit 4.8: Municipal Airports with Aerial Policing Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results)
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Exhibit 4.9: Municipal Airports with Search-and-Rescue Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results)
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Exhibit 4.10: Government Air Services by Airport Resource Search Manage- Aerial Fire- and Airport ment fighting Policing Rescue Large Regional Greater Sudbury Airport North Bay Jack Garland Airport Sault Ste. Marie Airport Sioux Lookout Municipal Airport Timmins Victor M. Power Airport Intermediate Regional Dryden Regional Airport Fort Frances Municipal Airport Kapuskasing Airport Kenora Airport Nakina Airport Red Lake Airport Other Municipal Atikokan Municipal Airport Cochrane Municipal Airport Earlton-Timiskaming Regional Airport Elliot Lake Airport Geraldton (Greenstone) Regional Airport Gore Bay - Manitoulin Airport Hearst (Rene Fontaine) Airport Kirkland Lake Municipal Airport Manitouwadge Municipal Airport Marathon Municipal Airport Mattawa Airport Muskoka Airport Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport Wawa Municipal Airport Source: 2015 Northern Ontario Municipal Airports Survey. Airports that did not participate are not shown.
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Air Ambulance Services The provincial air ambulance agency Ornge also provides services to all communities on an as-required basis. Ornge operates its own fixed-wing and rotary-wing (i.e. helicopter) aircraft and also uses the services of other airlines to provide flights. Exhibit 4.11 and Exhibit 4.12 show fixed-wing air ambulance transfer volumes for 2014 on Ornge aircraft and on private carriers contracted by Ornge, respectively. Exhibit 4.13 shows helicopter air ambulance transfer volumes for 2014. The locations of helipads in Northern Ontario are shown in Exhibit 4.14, with detailed maps of the Northwest and Northeast regions shown in Exhibit 4.15 and Exhibit 4.16, respectively. The exhibits show that there are no helipads in the Far North, with the exception of Moosonee and Fort Albany. In some parts of the Near North, helipads are the predominant type of landing site, meaning that air ambulance response can only be performed by helicopter. There is a wide variety of helipad owners across Northern Ontario, including hospitals, First Nation communities, municipal and provincial governments, resource facilities such as mines or dams, and private owners. In the Far North, fixed-wing aircraft provide almost all of the medical transportation with hubs in Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Timmins, and, to a lesser extent, Moosonee. Winnipeg, Manitoba also serves as a significant hub for Northern Ontario fixed-wing medical transportation. Fixed-wing aircraft are also the predominant aircraft type used for transfers between Northern and Southern Ontario, though helicopter flights between Pikangikum and Sioux Lookout and along the James Bay coast are also significant. A variety of carriers provide medevac services to transfer people to and from medical services in larger communities. Overall 72 % of municipal airports reported serving air ambulance traffic with an additional 88 % serving medevac flights in the 2015 airports survey. Ornge indicates that, in marginal weather, airport facilities for de-icing and weather monitoring systems such as Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) are not only important for safety, but also for the reliability of time- sensitive patient transfers.
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Exhibit 4.11: Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance Patient Transfers, 2014 (Largely Emergent and Urgent Patients)
Source: IBI Group, based on Ornge Air Ambulance data. Note: These flights are performed by Ornge Air Ambulance, are mostly used for emergent and urgent patient transport, and do not include the transports performed by contracted carriers.
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Exhibit 4.12: Ornge-Contracted Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance Patient Transfers, 2014
Source: IBI Group, based on Ornge Air Ambulance data Note: These flights are performed by private carriers contracted by Ornge, and are mostly used for non-urgent patient transport.
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Exhibit 4.13: Rotary-Wing (Helicopter) Patient Transfers, 2014
Data Source: IBI Group, based on ORNGE Air Ambulance data
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Exhibit 4.14: Northern Ontario Helipads
Helipads data source: ORNGE Air Ambulance
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Exhibit 4.15: Northwest Region Helipads
Source: IBI Group based on Ornge Air Ambulance data
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Exhibit 4.16: Northeast Region Helipads
Source: IBI Group based on Ornge Air Ambulance data
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5. Municipal Airport Facilities
5.1 Runways Runway length and surface type determine what type of aircraft can serve a particular airport and are therefore crucial to understanding the capabilities and limitations of Northern Ontario’s municipal airports. Exhibit 5.1 shows these runway characteristics for Northern Ontario’s 37 municipal airports as well as for Thunder Bay International Airport. All Large Regional airports except Sioux Lookout have at least a 6,000-foot runway. North Bay, because of its military functions, has the longest runway at 10,004 feet, which is just over 3,000 feet longer than the next longest runway in Sudbury. Sioux Lookout has the shortest runway in its category at 5,300 feet.5 For comparison, Canada’s busiest airport, Toronto Pearson, has runways that range in length from 9,000 to 11,120 feet. All Large Regional airports can accommodate the 50 seat Dash-8 passenger aircraft, which is flown by several Northern air carriers as well as all three carriers providing service to Southern Ontario. The aircraft requires only approximately 3,200 to 3,800 feet of runway. At Intermediate Regional airports runways range in length from 5,800 to 3,500 feet meaning that certain smaller Dash-8 models can be accommodated at all of the airports. Airports in the Other Municipal category have runways that range in length from 2,000 to 6,000 feet making them similar to airports in the Intermediate Regional Category. The major difference is in runway surface. Two airports in the Other Municipal category have turf runways (Emsdale and South River-Sundridge), two (Thessalon and Killarney) have a combination of packed gravel and asphalt, and one (Vermillion Bay) has a combination of gravel and turf/gravel. The aircraft that fly to remote airports have no problem on gravel surfaces, but turf surfaces can create issues in heavy rain.
5 Thunder Bay has a slightly shorter runway (5,297 ft), but the main runway is longer at 7,318 ft.
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Exhibit 5.1: Municipal Airport Runway Length and Surface Type Airport Runway Length (ft) Surface Type International Thunder Bay 7,318 and 5,297 Asphalt Municipal Large Regional North Bay Airport 10,004 and 4,492 Asphalt Sudbury Airport 6,600 and 5,000 Asphalt Sault Ste. Marie Airport 6,000 and 6,000 Asphalt Timmins Airport 6,000 and 4,907 Asphalt Sioux Lookout Airport 5,300 Asphalt Intermediate Regional Fort Frances Municipal Airport 4,493 Asphalt Red Lake Airport 5,001 Asphalt Kapuskasing Airport 5,506 and 3,593 Asphalt Kenora Airport 5,800 Asphalt Dryden Regional Airport 5,596 Asphalt Nakina Airport 3,500 Asphalt Moosonee Airport 4,004 and 3,554 Asphalt and Gravel/Asphalt Cochrane Municipal Airport 4,484 Asphalt Other Municipal Muskoka Airport 6,000 Asphalt Parry Sound Municipal Airport 4,000 Asphalt Emsdale Airport 2,500 and 2,000 Turf South River - Sundridge District Airport 3,200 and 2,800 Turf Mattawa Airport 2,000 Asphalt Killarney Municipal Airport 3,200 Asphalt/Gravel Manitowaning/Manitoulin East 3,498 Asphalt Gore Bay-Manitoulin Airport 5,500 and 2,615 Asphalt Elliot Lake Municipal Airport 4,495 Asphalt Thessalon Municipal Airport 3,100 Asphalt/Gravel Chapleau Municipal Airport 5,003 and 3,006 Asphalt Wawa Municipal Airport 4,429 Asphalt Earlton (Timiskaming Regional) Airport 5,998 Asphalt Kirkland Lake Airport 3,200 Asphalt Iroquois Falls Airport 3,988, 2,906, 2,595 Asphalt, Turf, Turf Hearst (René Fontaine) Municipal Airport 4,493 Asphalt Hornpayne Municipal Airport 3,504 Asphalt Marathon Municipal Airport 3,933 Asphalt Manitouwadge Municipal Airport 3,603 Asphalt Geraldton (Greenstone Regional) Airport 5,007 Asphalt Atikokan Municipal Airport 3,500 Asphalt Nestor Falls Airport 3,512 Asphalt Ignace Municipal Airport 3,512 Asphalt Vermillion Bay Airport 2,800 and 2,650 Gravel and Turf/Gravel
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5.2 Airport Weather and Navigation Systems Being equipped with advanced weather and navigation systems allows aircraft to take off and land at the airport during low visibility conditions when visual/manual navigation is not possible. The availability of weather and navigation systems at Northern Ontario’s international and municipal airports is summarized in Exhibit 5.2. The following weather systems are in place at various Northern Ontario airports: Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS) is the most advanced form of information available to pilots in-flight about a specific airport. ATIS broadcasts weather information as well as other information relevant to operations at larger airports, such as active runways and available approaches. The information is transmitted on a continuous radio recording. All international and large regional airports in Northern Ontario have this technology. Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) is a comprehensive sensor based system that provides cloud base height, sky cover, visibility, temperature, dew point, wind velocity, altimeter setting, precipitation occurrence, type, amount and intensity, and icing. Limited Weather Information Systems (LWIS) provide more basic information, measuring wind, altimeter setting, temperature, and dew point. Some airports have a system that provides less comprehensive weather reports (AUTO). These systems report on a variety of weather elements, but do not meet the requirements of an LWIS report. For navigation, there a variety of technologies to help pilots maintain course on- route, find airports, and safely land their planes. Two systems in use in Northern Ontario are the following: Instrument Landing System (ILS) is an advanced navigational aid that helps pilots land by providing precise lateral and vertical guidance when approaching a specific runway. This helps allow continued air service in times of less than ideal visibility such as heavy rain, blowing snow, and low cloud cover. When ILS is in place, visibility for ground maneuvers is often the factor that determines whether planes can land at an airport. Non-Directional Beacons (NDBs) are a much more basic navigational aid. These beacons transmit signals from known locations and allow aircraft to determine their position relative to the beacon. They are sometimes used to mark the beginning of an ILS approach, but when used in isolation do not provide precision approaches, meaning that pilots land their aircraft by visual reference alone.
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Exhibit 5.2: Weather and Navigation Systems at Municipal and International Airports Weather Navigation Airport ATIS AWOS AUTO LWIS ILS NDB International Thunder Bay Large Regional North Bay Airport Sudbury Airport Sault Ste. Marie Airport Timmins Airport Sioux Lookout Airport Intermediate Regional Fort Frances Municipal Airport Red Lake Airport Kapuskasing Airport Kenora Airport Dryden Regional Airport Nakina Airport Moosonee Airport Cochrane Municipal Airport Other Municipal Muskoka Airport Parry Sound Municipal Airport Emsdale Airport South River - Sundridge District Airport Mattawa Airport Killarney Municipal Airport Manitowaning/Manitoulin East Gore Bay-Manitoulin Airport Elliot Lake Municipal Airport Thessalon Municipal Airport Chapleau Municipal Airport Wawa Municipal Airport Earlton (Timiskaming Regional) Airport Kirkland Lake Airport Iroquois Falls Airport Hearst (René Fontaine) Municipal Airport Hornpayne Municipal Airport Marathon Municipal Airport Manitouwadge Municipal Airport Geraldton (Greenstone Regional) Airport Atikokan Municipal Airport Nestor Falls Airport Ignace Municipal Airport Vermillion Bay Airport
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ILS technology is very limited in Northern Ontario with most airports having only NBDs. Some airports have no navigational equipment whatsoever and rely on pilots finding the airport through visual cues, compass bearings, and perhaps GPS technology depending on aircraft capabilities.
5.3 Condition of Airport Facilities Exhibits 5.3, 5.4 and 5.5 summarize the reported condition of airport facilities from the 2015 airports survey for large regional, intermediate regional and other municipal airports, respectively. The condition of airport infrastructure can be summarised as follows: Most infrastructure was reported as “Fair” or “Good” in all airport groups. Large Regional Airports did not report any infrastructure in the “Very Poor” category. Runways are cited as the most frequent infrastructure need. Taxiways and aprons are also common infrastructure needs. The majority of participating airports do not have Lateral Navigation Systems, Weather Observation Systems, and LED Lighting. Observations from comparison with 2011 municipal airport survey results include the following: In 2011, most airport infrastructure was also reported as “Fair” or “Good”. With the exception of Vehicles/Equipment and Roads/Parking, more airports reported infrastructure in the “Fair” or “Good” category than in 20116. For runways, the percentage of airports reporting “Excellent” decreased from 15% to 7%. However, 8% of airports reported their runways as “Very Poor” in 2011, whereas no airport listed a runway as “Very Poor” in 2015. For taxiways, fewer airports report “Poor” in 2015 (19% in 2011 and 15% in 2015) and there were fewer reporting as “Excellent” in 2015 (15% in 2011 versus 7% in 2015). However, in 2015 “Fair” and “Good” were reported by 44% and 26% of airports respectively, whereas in 2011 the numbers were at 38% and 23 % for “Fair” and “Good” ratings.
6 The 2011 survey did not ask participants to rate lighting, other navigation equipment, and weather observation equipment, as was the case in the 2015 survey
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Exhibit 5.3: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Large Regional Airports
Runways 20% 20% 60% Taxiways 60% 40% Apron 20% 20% 60% Terminal 20% 20% 60% Perimeter Fence 40% 60% Vehicles/Equipment 40% 60% Roads/Parking 20% 60% 20%
Lighting: LED 40% 20% 40% Lighting: Incandescent 80% 0% 20% Back Up Generator 20% 60% 20% Automatic Weather Observation Station 40% 60% Human Weather Observation Station 80% 20% Limited Weather Observation Station 20% 40% 40% Non Directional Beacon System 20% 20% 40% 20% Area Navigation 20% 40% 20% 20% Lateral Navigation 20% 20% 20% 0% 40% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A No Response
Exhibit 5.4: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Intermediate Regional Airports
Runways 17% 33% 33% 17% Taxiways 67% 17% 17% Apron 67% 33% Terminal 17% 33% 17% 33% Perimeter Fence 17% 33% 50% Vehicles/Equipment 33% 50% 17% Roads/Parking 17% 33% 17% 17% 17%
Lighting: LED 33% 50% 17% Lighting: Incandescent 17% 50% 17% 17% Back Up Generator 17% 50% 17% 17% Automatic Weather Observation Station 50% 50% Human Weather Observation Station 17% 33% 50% Limited Weather Observation Station 17% 83% Non Directional Beacon System 50% 33% 0% 17% Area Navigation 17% 33% 33% 17% Lateral Navigation 17% 33% 17% 17% 17% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A No Response
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Exhibit 5.5: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Other Municipal Airports
Runways 6% 31% 38% 13% 6% 6% Taxiways 6% 25% 31% 25% 6% 6% Apron 6% 6% 44% 31% 6% 6% Terminal 19% 38% 25% 6% 13% Perimeter Fence 19% 19% 31% 6% 6% 6% 13% Vehicles/Equipment 6% 31% 31% 13% 19% Roads/Parking 6% 13% 31% 38% 6% 6%
Lighting: LED 13% 6% 38% 44% Lighting: Incandescent 6% 13% 31% 19% 6% 6% 19% Back Up Generator 13% 19% 19% 19% 31% Automatic Weather Observation Station 13% 19% 38% 31% Human Weather Observation Station 13% 6% 56% 25% Limited Weather Observation Station 6% 6% 50% 38% Non Directional Beacon System 25% 19% 13% 19% 25% Area Navigation 13% 6% 31% 25% 25% Lateral Navigation 63% 38% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Very Poor Poor Fair
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6. Passenger Travel Connectivity with Ground Transportation Modes
Almost all of the airports with scheduled passenger service have some type of connecting ground transportation service between the airport and city centre. These connections are listed on Exhibit 6.1. Thunder Bay and Timmins provide municipal transit service between their respective airports and central cities. Sudbury does not provide a public transit connection, but has an on-demand shuttle service. Most airports have car rental services and all have taxis available, although taxi service in many municipalities is limited and requires advanced booking to guarantee availability. For travellers wishing to connect to another mode, all communities with scheduled passenger air services except Red Lake have intercity coach services or rail services with a terminal near the central city. Although, as noted in the Inter-Community Passenger Transportation Technical Backgrounder, bus services are often infrequent and at inconvenient times. For rail, nearby access to VIA Rail service is available in Sioux Lookout and Sudbury. Connections to the Ontario Northland’s Polar Bear Express train are available at both ends of the route in Cochrane and Moosonee, although Ontario Northland provides a train-meet shuttle service between Cochrane and Timmins, where there are far more air connections available, including connections to Southern Ontario. For tourists wishing to ride the Agawa Canyon Tour Train, the station in Sault Ste. Marie is a taxi or rental car ride away from the municipal airport, which provides air connections to southern Ontario and Thunder Bay. Exhibit 6.1 details all of the ground transportation and intermodal connections available at municipal airports with scheduled passenger service.
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Exhibit 6.1: Connecting Surface Transportation for Airports with Scheduled Passenger Services Distance to Connecting Nearest Provincial Distance to Transportation to Connection to Distance to Airport Highway City Centre City Centre Other Passenger Travel Modes Connecting Mode International Thunder Bay on Hwy 61 5.2 km Municipal Transit, Taxi, Intercommunity Bus: Greyhound, 8.8 km (municipal and Car Rental Caribou Coach, Kasper transit available) Large Regional North Bay 5.1 km to Hwy 11 8.0 km Municipal Transit, Taxi, Intercommunity Bus: Ontario 8.7 km (municipal and Car Rental Northland/Greyhound transit available) Sudbury 17.5 km to Hwy 17 18.6 km Airport Shuttle, Taxi, Intercommunity Bus: Ontario 18.4 km and Car Rental Northland/Greyhound Rail: VIA Rail 17.2 km Sault Ste. 19.0 km to Hwy 17 16.7 km Taxi and Car Rental Intercommunity Bus: Greyhound 22 km Marie Rail: Agawa Tour Train 18.1 km Timmins 10.7 km to Hwy 655 12.7 km Taxi and Car Rental Intercommunity Bus: Ontario 12.9 km Northland Sioux Lookout on Hwy 516 4.0 km Taxi and Car Rental Intercommunity Bus: Kasper 3.4 km Rail: VIA Rail 3.5 km Intermediate Regional Fort Frances 5.6 km to Hwy 11 7.6 km Taxi and Car Rental Intercommunity Bus: Caribou Coach 8.2 km Red Lake on Hwy 125 15.6 km Taxi and Car Rental none within 100 km - Kapuskasing on Hwy 11 5.3 km Taxi and Car Rental Intercommunity Bus: Ontario 4.2 km Northland Kenora 2.0 km to Hwy 17A 14.4 km Taxi and Car rental shuttle Intercommunity Bus: Greyhound 12.1 km Dryden on Hwy 601 11.7 km Taxi Intercommunity Bus: Greyhound 9.5 km Nakina 1.5 km to Hwy 584 0.9 km Taxi Intercommunity Bus (Longlac): 70 km Caribou Coach, Kasper Moosonee N/A 2.9 km Taxi Rail: ONTC Polar Bear Express 3.6 km
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7. Alternative Approaches to Airport Policies and Programs
In the survey of municipal airports, agencies were given the opportunity to provide further comments. A common sentiment was the need for the Provincial and possibly the Federal government to develop a small airports policy. It was noted that Ontario recently increased the aviation fuel tax, but is not providing any of the additional funds to airports. There are many provincial government programs that could not be provided without the existence of the municipal and remote airports. These include air ambulance, medevac, police, fire fighting, and many other services. At the same time, the Province does not provide any subsidies for municipal airports. Any proposed Ontario municipal airports funding program would benefit from a thorough review of the policies in other Provinces and a thorough review of the specific needs of Ontario’s municipal airports in order to develop an ideal made- for-Ontario funding model.
7.1 Airport Policy of Other Provincial Governments Many other Canadian provinces have policies designed to provide funding to smaller airports. Programs from five provinces are highlighted below: Manitoba has a program called the Manitoba Airport Assistance Program, which gives relatively small grants to airports. These are available both for certified and registered airports. Saskatchewan has an Airport Partnership Grant Program, which provides up to 50% of approved costs for airports receiving funding. Alberta has a Community Airport Program, which provides some assistance to 72 community airports across the province. Assistance provided is to up to one-third of eligible project costs. British Columbia has an Air Access Program. This provides assistance of up to 75% of eligible costs for small rehabilitation projects and up to 50% of eligible costs for major projects. The government of Newfoundland and Labrador operates 12 landing strips in coastal communities of Labrador.
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A more detailed look at one program, Saskatchewan’s Community Airport Partnership program is provided below.
Airport Funding Example: Saskatchewan Airport Partnership Grant Program The Saskatchewan Airport Partnership Grant Program provides financial assistance to help in the rehabilitation and upgrading of community airports in Saskatchewan. The program covers 50% of eligible project costs with a maximum contribution of $275,000. Airports eligible for funding are those that: support economic development; provide general access to surrounding communities; provide air ambulance and medevac operations; and support commercial operations and aviation safety. Airports that are eligible for funding under the Federal Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP) are not eligible for funding under the Provincial program. Criteria such as the above could be suitable for a similar Ontario program. The caveat that airports eligible for ACAP funding are not eligible for Provincial funding is important because it means that the program fills an important funding gap, as airports that do not handle at least 1,000 regularly scheduled passengers are left out of ACAP funding despite serving important roles. This would be an important feature of any Ontario municipal airports funding policy and would respond to feedback obtained from the 2015 survey of Northern Ontario’s municipal airports.
7.2 Comparable Ontario Funding Programs In considering a potential program to support Ontario’s municipal airports, elements of MTO’s Connecting Links program could be considered as an example The Connecting Links program is designed to fund connecting links — municipal roads that serve as connections between provincial highways or connect a provincial highway to an international or interprovincial border crossing. This program has the objectives, of ensuring the continuity of the Provincial road system and supports projects that: extend the life of an asset; are cost-effective and appropriate to address the identified need; and
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ensure the safe and efficient movement of provincial traffic. The program offers funding for up to 90% of total eligible project costs and funds individual projects to a maximum of $3 million.
7.3 Helipad Policy and Funding Similar to small airports, there is no policy framework for helipads. Infrastructure requirements are specified by Transport Canada for helipads in built-up areas, but there are no infrastructure requirements for helipads in non-built-up areas that are used for air ambulance helicopter operations. Similarly, there are no provincial guidelines for hospital helipads.
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8. Outlook for Municipal Airports
Municipal airports are supported and operated by local governments or combinations of local governments or combinations of local governments and other local agencies. As discussed in this report some of the larger ones are self-sustaining but the majority require some financial assistance from their sponsors. Exhibit 8.1 summarizes the self-reported benefits that the municipalities feel that they are receiving from the operation of the airport based on 2015 municipal airport survey results by municipal airport categorization. These benefits include the following: Economic development; Improved accessibility; Access for emergency services; Access for Medevac services; Permits local business to function more efficiently; and Provides connections to other airports/communities.
Exhibit 8.1: Self-Reported Community Benefits of a Municipal Airport
100% Economic Development 100% 86%
80% Accessibility 83% 86%
80% Access for Emergency Services 83% 93%
100% Access to Medevac Services 83% 93%
Permits Local Business to 100% 100% Function more Efficiently 86%
Connections to Other 100% 100% Airports/Communities 71%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Large Regional Intermediate Regional Other Municipal
Source: IBI analysis of 2015 Northern Ontario Municipal Airport Survey
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In the past, a few communities have decided that these benefits were not worth the cost and have discontinued support for a local airport, but the majority of communities with municipal airports have continued supporting them, recognizing the importance of the above benefits to the economic and social well-being of the community. With the increasing use of air services, it is probable that the vast majority of the existing municipal airports will remain in service for the coming years. Communities see major benefits in having a local airport and continue to support them. They charge a variety of fees to users and sell fuel as well so that all of the Large Regional airports are reported as self-sustaining. Most of the smaller airports require support from their owners. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has recently (April 5, 2016) stated “the north needs air services to support economic development and to connect its communities with one another in the world. It also needs modern aviation infrastructure to support these services”. The FCM goes on to recommend a new federal program to support airports in the territories and in the north of the provinces. In the past, the Ontario Government has supported scheduled passenger and freight services to northern communities but has discontinued this type of assistance. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund has, however, supported various types of airport development as has the FedNor Program of the Federal Government. There is a large diversity of airports in terms of size and services in Northern Ontario, ranging from Thunder Bay International Airport to the municipal airports to the remote airports in the Province’s Far North. There is also a wide variety in the amount and types of air carrier operations provided at these airports. In addition, the ownership of helipads in Northern Ontario and the infrastructure and facilities available at these helipads vary widely. Except for the remote airports, all air services are operated on a commercial basis; non-remote airports are also operated on a commercial basis although many access provincial and federal government grant programs to help with capital expenditures. This makes cohesive understanding and policy development challenging and important.
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9. Issues and Opportunities
9.1 Summary of Issues Based on the survey results and other data presented in the preceding sections, two issues stand out as most important in their implications for municipal airports and related policies: 1. Transportation infrastructure and services provided by Northern Ontario’s municipal (and other) airports are critically important for the well-being and even survival (e.g. for fighting forest fires, medevac, etc.) of the region’s communities. 2. Almost all of the region’s municipal airports are struggling financially, are dependent on a variety of government support programs, and consequently face ongoing issues in planning and delivering cost- effective programs to maintain and – where warranted -- expand their infrastructure and services. These and related issues are itemized below.
Important Benefits of Municipal Airports Recognizing the long distances, low population densities and often severe weather conditions experienced in Northern Ontario, the region’s municipal airports deliver economic, social, health and security benefits that are considered by many to be essential. Without the network of airports and carriers available in Northern Ontario, many provincial government programs could not be delivered.
Condition of Municipal Airports Infrastructure Infrastructure at municipal airports tends to be in fair shape. The overall state does not appear to have degraded between the surveys in 2011 and 2015. Nevertheless, 17-20% of Large Regional and Intermediate Regional airports report runways in poor shape and 39% of Other Municipal airports report runways in very poor or poor shape. The majority of reporting airports do not have Lateral Navigation Systems, Weather Observation Systems, and LED Lighting. Fewer than half of helipads are certified by Transport Canada. This gives rise to risk management considerations for Ornge.
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Financial Viability Only one municipal airport reports having sufficient revenues to cover operating costs as well as the capital costs, seven report sufficient revenues to cover operating costs only, and 19 report insufficient cash flow to cover even their operating costs. Many municipal airports that need infrastructure upgrades lack the revenue to pay for the upgrades. When municipal airports cannot upgrade and/or maintain their infrastructure it is difficult to attract additional traffic which is necessary to increase revenues.
Funding Sources The Federal Government is the main airport regulator but, with the exception of the Airport Capital Assistance Program for airports with scheduled services and some grant programs does not get involved with air carrier or airport operations. Unlike other provinces with northern territories, Ontario does not have a municipal airport subsidy program. Both levels of government lack a cohesive funding strategy for smaller airports, particularly airports with no scheduled passenger service.
9.2 Opportunities While most municipalities routinely budget some funding for their local airport, it is generally recognized that the two senior orders of government have national/regional responsibilities that warrant their providing financial support to municipal airports beyond that which can be provided by the relevant municipalities. The findings of this Backgrounder suggest that the most important opportunity for consideration in the NOMTS is how to structure a more effective and coordinated funding program from the two senior government orders.
A More Cohesive and Reliable Funding Program Consideration could be given to developing a “made for small airports” funding program at the provincial level as suggested by survey respondents. This could include a detailed review of airport funding programs by other provincial governments (see Section 7 of this Backgrounder) in light of the specific needs of Ontario’s municipal airports; for example, a program similar to
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the Saskatchewan Airport Partnership Grant Program, which covers 50% of eligible project costs with a maximum contribution of $275,000 could, with possibly higher contribution limits, help fill an important funding gap for airports that handle fewer than 1,000 regularly scheduled passengers per year and are therefore ineligible for ACAP funding from the federal government. As noted in Section 7.2, another funding model is that of MTO’s Connecting Links program, designed to extend the life of the airport’s assets, be cost- effective and appropriate to address the identified need, and help to ensure the safe and efficient movement of air traffic in Northern Ontario.
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Resources
Sioux Lookout Municipal Airport (2016). Retrieved August 25, 2016.
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Alternate Text for Exhibits
Exhibit 1.1: Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation System This map shows the roads, railways, and airports that make up Northern Ontario’s transportation system. Airports are classified as remote, municipal, or international. Roads are classified as primary, secondary, other all-season, winter, or major out of province. Active railways are distinguished by owner. Marine features are distinguished as major ports, other ports, or provincial ferries. International border crossings are also noted. The Far North boundary is shown, as are the approximate southern limits of continuous permafrost and discontinuous permafrost. Return to Exhibit 1.1
Exhibit 1.2: Northern Ontario’s Airports with Municipal Airports by Name This map shows Northern Ontario’s airport distinguished as international, municipal, or remote. The municipal airports are numbered for identification. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 1.2
Exhibit 2.1: Municipal Airports Eligible for Funding from the Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP) This map shows the municipal airports that are eligible for the Airport Capital Assistance Funding Program. All airports are marked on the map and distinguished as international, municipal, or remote. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, other all-season, winter, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 2.1
Exhibit 4.1: Northern Ontario Scheduled Air Passenger Services This map depicts all of the scheduled passenger air services in Northern Ontario. Airports are distinguished as remote, municipal, or international. Airlines are distinguished as international, regional, or international seasonal. The international airlines are Air Canada, Porter, and WestJet. The Regional airlines are Air Creebec, Bearskin, Nakina Air, North Star Air, Perimeter Aviation, Slate Falls Airways, Thunder Airlines, Wabusk Air, and Wasaya. The international seasonal airlines are Air Transat and Sunwing. Roads are also
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included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.1
Exhibit 4.2: Strategic Roles of Northern Ontario Municipal Airports in Providing Scheduled Passenger Connections This map shows the Northern Ontario municipal and international airports that provide strategic scheduled passenger air connections. Air connections are distinguished as Far North, Near North Internal, or Southern Ontario/Manitoba. Airports are distinguished as international, municipal, or remote. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.2
Exhibit 4.5: Municipal Airports Reporting Cargo Handling (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) This map shows the Northern Ontario municipal airports that reported handling cargo in the 2015 municipal airport survey. Airports are distinguished as international, remote, municipal airports that participated in the survey, or municipal airports that did not participate in the survey. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.5
Exhibit 4.6: Municipal Airports with Resource Management Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) This map shows the municipal airports that reported hosting aerial resource management operations in the 2015 municipal airports survey. Airports are distinguished as international, remote, municipal airports that participated in the survey, or municipal airports that did not participate in the survey. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.6
Exhibit 4.7: Municipal Airports with Aerial Firefighting Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) This map shows the municipal airports that reported hosting aerial firefighting operations in the 2015 municipal airports survey. Airports are distinguished as
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international, remote, municipal airports that participated in the survey, or municipal airports that did not participate in the survey. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.7
Exhibit 4.8: Municipal Airports with Aerial Policing Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) This map shows the municipal airports that reported hosting aerial policing operations in the 2015 municipal airports survey. Airports are distinguished as international, remote, municipal airports that participated in the survey, or municipal airports that did not participate in the survey. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.8
Exhibit 4.9: Municipal Airports with Search-and-Rescue Operations (2015 Municipal Airports Survey Results) This map shows the municipal airports that reported hosting aerial search and rescue operations in the 2015 municipal airports survey. Airports are distinguished as international, remote, municipal airports that participated in the survey, or municipal airports that did not participate in the survey. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.9
Exhibit 4.11: Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance Patient Transfers, 2014 This map shows the approximate number of fixed-wing air ambulance patient transfers directly provided by Ornge (largely emergent and urgent patient transfers) in 2014 between Northern Ontario airports and between Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario airports. The number of transfers are displayed in ranges, which are 1-50, 50-100, 100-150, and 150-200. Airports are distinguished as international, remote, municipal airports that participated in the survey, or municipal airports that did not participate in the survey. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.11
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Exhibit 4.12: Ornge-Contracted Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance Patient Transfers, 2014 This map shows the approximate number of fixed-wing air ambulance patient transfers provided by private carriers contracted by Ornge (largely non-urgent transfers) in 2014 to and from Northern Ontario airports. The number of transfers is displayed in ranges, which are 1-50, 50-100, 100-150, 150-200, 200-300, and over 300. Airports are distinguished as international, remote, and municipal airports. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.12
Exhibit 4.13: Rotary-Wing (Helicopter) Patient Transfers, 2014 This map shows the approximate number of helicopter air ambulance patient transfers in 2014 between Northern Ontario airports and between Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario airports. The number of transfers are displayed in ranges, which are 1-50, 50-100, 100-150, and 150-200. Airports are distinguished as international, remote, municipal airports that participated in the survey, or municipal airports that did not participate in the survey. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.13
Exhibit 4.14: Northern Ontario Helipads This map shows the location of helipads in Northern Ontario. Airports are distinguished as remote, municipal, or international. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.14
Exhibit 4.15: Northwest Region Helipads This map shows the location of helipads in the Northwest Region of Northern Ontario with a focus on the Thunder Bay area. Airports are distinguished as remote, municipal, or international. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.15
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Exhibit 4.16: Northeast Region Helipads This map shows the location of helipads in the Northeast Region of Northern Ontario. Airports are distinguished as remote, municipal, or international. Roads are also included and are classified as primary, secondary, secondary local, or major out of province. Return to Exhibit 4.16
Exhibit 5.3: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Large Regional Airports This bar chart outlines the conditions of municipal airport infrastructure at large regional airports as reported by airports that participated in the 2015 survey of municipal airports. Infrastructure conditions are categorized as very poor, poor, fair, good, excellent, not applicable, and no response. Infrastructure listed includes runways, taxiways, aprons, terminals, perimeter fencing, vehicles/equipment, roads/parking, LED lighting, incandescent lighting, back-up generators, automatic weather observation stations, human weather observation stations, limited weather observation stations, non-directional beacon systems, area navigation, and lateral navigation. Return to Exhibit 5.3
Exhibit 5.4: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Intermediate Regional Airports This bar chart outlines the conditions of municipal airport infrastructure at intermediate regional airports as reported by airports that participated in the 2015 survey of municipal airports. Infrastructure conditions are categorized as very poor, poor, fair, good, excellent, not applicable, and no response. Infrastructure listed includes runways, taxiways, aprons, terminals, perimeter fencing, vehicles/equipment, roads/parking, LED lighting, incandescent lighting, back-up generators, automatic weather observation stations, human weather observation stations, limited weather observation stations, non-directional beacon systems, area navigation, and lateral navigation. Return to Exhibit 5.4
Exhibit 5.5: Reported Condition of Airport Infrastructure at Other Municipal Airports This bar chart outlines the conditions of municipal airport infrastructure at other municipal airports as reported by airports that participated in the 2015 survey of municipal airports. Infrastructure conditions are categorized as very poor, poor, fair, good, excellent, not applicable, and no response. Infrastructure listed
November 2016 53 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: MUNICIPAL AIRPORTS Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
includes runways, taxiways, aprons, terminals, perimeter fencing, vehicles/equipment, roads/parking, LED lighting, incandescent lighting, back-up generators, automatic weather observation stations, human weather observation stations, limited weather observation stations, non-directional beacon systems, area navigation, and lateral navigation. Return to Exhibit 5.5
Exhibit 8.1: Self-Reported Community Benefits of a Municipal Airport This bar chart shows the self-reported community benefits of a municipal airport as reported by airports that participated in the 2015 survey of municipal airports. Results are shown by municipal airport type, which includes large regional, intermediate regional, and other municipal. The benefits listed in the survey are economic development, accessibility, access for emergency services, access to medevac services, permits local business to function more efficiently, and provides connections to other airports/communities. Return to Exhibit 8.1
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