Airport sale threatens Maritimes transportation infrastructure

In Trenton, Nova Scotia the town council recently voted in favour of selling Trenton Municipal Airport to grocery store change Sobeys.

Sobeys then said in a statement, “the airport will remain open to current users," but the statement did not define exactly what that means.

COPA is not opposed to the sale of an airport to a private entity as long as it remains open for public use as an airport, but Sobeys’ statement concerns COPA because the airport may become limited to only those who are currently resident at the airport.

When COPA learned the town was putting the Trenton Municipal Airport up for sale COPA President Kevin Psutka sent a letter to the town mayor and council members urging them to reconsider selling or at least ensure that public access to this important part of the transportation infrastructure remains available to the public.

The potential loss of this airport to the public is particularly worrisome because of recent developments not too far away. Shearwater has been closed to general aviation and efforts to secure a future for small aircraft at Halifax International Airport have not made significant progress. The loss of yet another public facility would leave a gaping hole in the airport infrastructure in Nova Scotia.

The letter was acknowledged during a public town meeting on July 11, where Trenton residents were invited to comment on the sale of the airport before council made its final vote for or against selling the airport to Sobeys.

COPA Director/Maritimes, Brian Chappell, attended the meeting. He said it was a packed room overflowing outside and that about 80 per cent of the presenters there were against selling the airport.

Chappell distributed a copy of COPA’s “Your Community Airport” brochure to everyone in the room and placed one at each town council members seat prior to the meeting, but according to Chappell, council members ignored the brochure along with all other arguments which were presented in favour of not selling the airport.

“It came to a vote at the end, less than an hour into the meeting and council voted unanimously in favour to sell,” Chappell said.

“This is the National Airports Policy in action,” COPA President Kevin Psutka said after hearing how the vote went.

“When communities are allowed to do whatever they choose with the infrastructure, they will, in their short sighted way, decide against retention of their airport asset in favour of a short term gain.

“This situation highlights the need for a review of the National Airports Policy with a goal of protecting a system of regional airports to serve general aviation's needs.”