Airport Management Board established for Moosomin Airport
August 4, 2025, 9:35 am
Ashley Bochek
The Moosomin Airport project is moving forward, with an Airport Management Board being formed to look after operations at the airport.
The airport board is currently working on planning and installing permanent electrical and lighting for the runway and airport.
Kendra Lawrence, the Chief Administrative Officer of the RM of Moosomin, says the project is ongoing and the board will mske future decisions regarding the airport’s development.
“In regards to the airport, as for activity in the way of construction, that has ceased—it has been built, paved, and temporary lighting has been installed,” she said. “Tender documents have been created for the electrical, but we felt we needed to move forward with the creation of an Airport Management Board. Seven appointed members from the region will look after the operation management for the forseeable future of the airport. The bylaw setting up the committee was passed at our June meeting.
“The seven individuals were pulled from around the region, I wouldn’t say to represent each municipality—that is impossible because we have over 15 contributing municipalities, so we were looking at some business-minded individuals, ones who have aviation experience, different things like that pulling into the mix. Some were involved right from the beginning development of the project to some new individuals coming on at the management board level who maybe weren’t part of the development process. Sometimes they give a different unique perspective of coming in as it’s finished moving forward rather than having the previous knowledge of hick-ups in the way.”
Airport Management Board
Lawrence explains the duties of the individuals who are part of the newly formed board.
“Ultimately that board is going to be the individuals that will look after the airport. Of course the ownership still remains by the RM, that doesn’t change, it is just an extension of us. We know we have municipal duties to look after and an airport definitely has its own unique things to look after with Nav Canada, and Transport Canada regulations. It is a learning curve so we might as well look to the individuals who already have that knowledge and experience. Then, that gave us a greater sense of success with those individuals looking after things.”
The seven individuals approached by the RM are from surrounding local communities.
“The seven that we have approached—Olga McCarthy, Dr. Van, Jeff St. Onge, Colin Paull, Scott Andrew, Kristjan Hebert, and Rob Austin,” Lawrence said. “The Chair and Vice-Chair also indicate in the bylaw that the council would appoint at least the first two individuals to be Chair and Vice-Chair so Jeff St. Onge was asked to be Chair and Olga McCarthy was asked as Vice-Chair. They’re definitely still exploring all of their options. They are reviewing the bylaws and I believe they were scheduled to have a meeting as a group for further discussion to come up with thoughts, ideas, or suggestions. I believe that they are looking at other locations and other bylaws just to see in comparison that everything we have in ours will work. We know it is an ever-revolving document—not locked into anything so if there are suggestions there could be some changes coming forward.”
Lawrence explains the reasoning for the board’s name.
“We can’t call it an Airport Authority. That can only be in Regina and Saskatoon. It is something to do with their size and dynamics of international flights. So that is why we call it a Management Board with these seven individuals. They are supposed to be moving forward with incorporating the board as a nonprofit organization.”
Airport being utilized
Lawrence says the Moosomin Airport has been busy with flights from all around Western Canada.
“I have heard lots of comments in regards to increased aerial applicators utilizing it. There are more companies using it. So our agriculture sector has increased availability of different companies and a quicker turnaround time because of course, they’re landing here versus farther away and coming back. We have had quite a few small jets come and land, and some of them are coming from some very far distances and landing. There was one out of Alberta and it was something to do with a family reunion so he flew in from Alberta. There have been two planes from Vancouver that have landed at the airport as well.”
Jeff St. Onge looks after the incoming aircraft at the Moosomin Airport.
“The thing with that is that we aren’t always aware that they are coming,” Lawarence said. “There isn’t a pre-phone line to indicate that they are arriving. I think Jeff St. Onge sees a few more of those calls because I believe it’s his phone number that is on the contact list if you googled Moosomin Airport. So I think he sometimes hears more of that if they are needing fuel or the possibility of a ride into the community. So he has done some of that and I know Rob Austin has also done rides and stuff for pilots wanting to come into town.”
“We had a plane land when we were out there for the soft opening that we did and went out for a little tour, and all of a sudden this little plane comes in and he lands, and he was meeting somebody at The Red Barn for lunch,” said Lawrence. “It is amazing how much it does get used. Dan Knisley, Director of Saskatchewan Air Ambulance says the air ambulance has accessed the Moosomin Airport eight times since the airport was expanded. Manitoba Air Ambulance has used it as well.”
Doctors thankful for airport
Lawrence says the local physicians have really positive comments about the airport and say the flights have saved lives.
“The doctors like it due to the fact that extra accessibility with both STARS and the Air Ambulance able to serve the area, that if one can’t because they are out on another pick-up, the other can be used, because sometimes Sask Air Ambulance is available, but STARS isn’t—it is not that STARS has been replaced—they are both being utilized—they are both an air ambulance service and whichever one works the best is what they are utilizing when they make the call.”
Next steps
Lawrence says the Airport Management Board will determine the next steps regarding lights and further development.
“The lights at the airport right now are temporary. We have a design plan for permanent electrical, but they felt that could be an asset for the Management Board to handle and see where they want to go with that—whether they just look at the apron and taxiway lighting to replace the temporary lighting that is there and then split the project and do the weather station two years from now to ensure there is some funding there for the operation purposes. We are also in the process of a subdivision out there. We focused on the land base that was owned by the RM.
“We have a development plan so there is a possibility for future development which would tie into what we are currently doing. The RM is willing to sell the land that we own and that we are subdividing because we are making three commercial hanger size lots—they are slightly larger—and then there are four more of the smaller ones for more private-type hangers by the apron. That subdivision application is in Community Planning currently. So we sent that in six weeks ago so sometimes their turnaround time can be anywhere from three to six months. They had to forward the subdivision plan to Nav Canada and Nav Canada says right on their website that there could be a 12-week turnaround for that. We are hoping we will have titled property by the fall.
“That again will be the Management Board’s decision. Ultimately those are fees and a revenue stream they can ask to retain, but that will be up to the Management Board to determine what kind of rate they want to set and market value. The indication from stakeholders has always been they wanted titled lots. We will be, I believe, the first one with actual titled property for hanger space at an airport. Most airports are leased which when we spoke with stakeholders they felt if they had owned property it of course makes it easier to obtain funding a mortgage, financing to put up a larger structure, and then they might put up two. They might put up one that much larger because they know that they have some protection by having that owned property out there. So it changes the design a bit because you have to make sure there are land roads and air roads and they cannot touch. So the planes can’t drive where the road traffic would go and vice versa, so they don’t touch in the plan.”
She says the RM has had questions from locals about lots available at the airport.
“We’ve had some people asking about the lots for quite some time. There is a list that would be published and they can reach out to the Management Board. Then, the board can also determine whether they are proceeding with further development or reach out to work with a developer, but that is going to be up to them.”
Fully funded project
Lawrence says the airport project is fully funded.
“Everything is covered. Currently there is not quite $1.1 million in the bank, is it just under. The estimation from a 2018 construction estimate for the electrical—including a building for housing those components, everything we needed, the lighting and navigation system—was $1.2 million, but we have a building put up and it went up for a lot less than what was estimated so that should bring that down. We feel that the construction should be below the estimation of the $1.2 million, but of course there still needs to be funds to continue with operation. They don’t want to spend everything that is in the account on the electrical. So there could still be some more room for some more fundraising or contributions, donations, and again that will be the Management Board and what they determine on how they want to move forward with further funding. We have also heard that once the Management Board was established that there are some waiting in the wings for contributions, but they were waiting for the Management Board to be developed so lots of different comments are floating around.”
Further fees and costs for the airport will be determined by the Management Board.
“It is up to the board to determine if they are going to have landing fees, if there is any area out there that they would sooner do lease fees—that would be for them to determine,” explained Lawrence. “There was conversation about fuel so instead of landing fees you have to buy your fuel there—lots of different options that they can choose. There was an area designed for storage of airports so we have heard that there are places at the larger centres that just store planes in the back and charge a rate. So we have designed an area where we could have planes tied down and stored for the winter and they would pay a fee for such. As for hanger taxes, the RM has always indicated that they would put that back to that area, because that is specifically coming from that area so it should be utilized for the airport. When there are hangers developed, beyond what we already have, that would go into that to feed operation and management.”
Direction from other airports on future steps
The RM of Moosomin has been in contact with a provincial airport to learn future steps in developing the Moosomin airport.
“The board has always been in the back of our mind as we move forward that it was going to be a requirement or a need. We had been in communications with Moose Jaw quite regularly because they developed the Moose Jaw Airport Authority. They have a complete website of what the airport is there, the bylaws, and we are actually utilizing the same legal counsel Moose Jaw used to draft and assist with all of the nonprofit registration and the bylaws and suggestions, because there was a couple individuals who had said it seemed to be working very well there and their board and executive is evolving as the board grows. So you get past the infancy stage and you’re up and running the way it is established and appointed and the individuals have migrated into something else and changed things. I could see that is where we could go, but we are only in the infancy stage so baby steps to start with.”
Lawrence explains the previous steps with the airport project before getting to this point. “In 2018 is when we began the conversations of trying to move forward with this development. The announcement where Nutrien and the province announced they would take part in funding was in February of 2023 so we have done a lot in those two years. It seems like a long time ago, but there is a lot that has happened in that time frame.
“I think we all thought we would have the lighting in fully by now, but there were some alterations and changes that were required to make it feasible. We will get there.”
Saskatchewan Air Ambulance
Lawrence adds, “We’ve had a lot of questions about the cost of Sask Air Ambulance and utilizing the air ambulance and that is on the Ministry of Saskatchewan website under Ambulance Services. They list both STARS and Air Ambulance. It’s $465 per flight and then you have to pay for ground ambulance service to and from the airport. We had a couple of comments asking about the cost of the trips.”
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