YELLOWKNIFE (March 3, 2016) – As a result of a successful partnership between the Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) and the Government of Canada, a new state of the art, self-propelled snowblower is now on site at the Hay River Merlyn Carter Airport.
The new snowblower employs cutting edge technology to increase productivity and decrease time required to clean airport runways, improve worker safety, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
The Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP) is a federal program that focuses on providing financial assistance to eligible airports across Canada for capital projects that will maintain and improve operational safety. Through this program Transport Canada provided $370,953, while the GNWT contributed an additional $151,911, for a total investment of more than half a million dollars for the purchase of the snowblower.
Strengthening connections in the north by improving the existing transportation system is one of the priorities of Government of the Northwest Territories, as identified in the Department of Transportation’s 25-year Transportation Strategy, Connecting Us.
Quotes
“New technologies are essential for operating our northern infrastructure. Ensuring a safe operating environment and efficient maintenance approaches and practices across all airports will help us to achieve our commitment to improve transportation safety in the NWT.”
- Wally Schumann, Minister of Transportation, Government of the Northwest Territories
“The Hay River Merlyn Carter Airport is an important gateway for residents and businesses in this region. This equipment will allow for the timely and effective removal of snow, slush and ice from runways and taxiways and ensure continued safe operations for flight crews, passengers, and employees.”
- Michael V. McLeod, Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories, on behalf of the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport
Related Links
Federal Media Inquiries:
Delphine Denis
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
GNWT Media Inquiries:
Ioana Spiridonica
Manager of Public Affairs and Communications
Department of Transportation
Government of the Northwest Territories
(867) 767 9082 ext. 31042; (867) 447 1368 (cell)
ioana_spiridonica@gov.nt.ca