Dalton & Dave get us ready for Sunwing flights to Cuba

NEWS RELEASE

DAVID ORAZIETTI, MPP

******************************* Orazietti announces $129,885 for infrastructure upgrades to Sault Airport

Provincial government’s NOHFC program investing in development and creating Jobs in Sault Ste. Marie

SAULT STE. MARIE - The provincial government’s $129,885 investment in an expansion to Sault Ste. Marie’s airport terminal will help create space for an additional airline counter and provide new access into the pre-boarding area so that the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) can administer the essential services required for international flights to operate out of the Sault this winter, David Orazietti, MPP announced today.

“Our government’s Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation’s (NOHFC) economic development programs are investing in new and existing infrastructure in Sault Ste. Marie, which is creating additional jobs and further boosting the local economy,” said Orazietti. “Ontario’s plan to strengthen the north’s economy is positioning our community at the forefront of industries, such as the aviation and energy sectors, that will provide long-term economic and employment benefits to residents in Sault Ste. Marie.”

This announcement is in addition to the $437,750 that the NOHFC, which is funded through the province’s Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry, contributed to the Sault Ste. Marie airport to upgrade a 30,000 square foot aircraft hanger that is being used by JD Aero Technical to provide maintenance, overhaul and aircraft inspection services.

Today’s announcement provides funding for this phase of expansion to the airport terminal building, which was required in order to meet the space requirements for the CBSA to carry out important screening services so that Sunwing Airlines can operate direct international flights to Cuba this winter.

The new secondary screening area will include a confiscated goods storage area, a holding cell and additional space for a secondary search area.

“The Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corporation is pleased with the additional provincial funding for this phase of expansion to meet the requirements of the CBSA to provide service to Sunwing Airlines international flights,” said Terry Bos, CEO, Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corporation. “The international flights add a new element to the airline service for the citizens of Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding area for winter vacation and continue to provide growth and development for the airport.”

In 2010, the provincial government again increased the NOHFC budget by $10 million from $80 million to $90 million to create new jobs and support economic development in Northern Ontario.

Some of the other key investments through the NOHFC in Sault Ste. Marie include:

- $5 million Agawa Canyon Tour Train

- $4.7 million Essar Centre

- $2.5 million Heliene Canada Inc. - Solar Module Manufacturing Plant

- $2 million Sault College - IT infrastructure, multi-media centre, wind energy training centre

- $2.1 million Flakeboard Ltd. Expansion

- $2 million Ellsin Environmental Ltd. - Tire Recycling Plant

- $1.5 million Huron Central Rail line ($16.5 million total)

- $1.6 million Hub Trail and waterfront walkway expansion ($3.1 million total)

- $1 million Algoma Public Health - technology

- $1 million City - Emergency Response Centre (EMS) ($2.2 million total)

Quick facts

The 2010 Ontario Budget also allocated a total of $200 million this year to programs that support the people, businesses and industries of the north that were affected by the global recession.

The government is investing $1.2 billion in infrastructure throughout Northern Ontario

*******************************