The attention of the Saskatchewan aviation scene will be focused on Yorkton this week as the city is the host centre for the 2010 Wings of Saskatchewan Conference & Trade ShowCheryl Denesowych, one of the local event organizers said this week's conference is a first for the city."It's the first time it's ever been in Yorkton," she said, adding typically the Conference is held in Regina, or Saskatoon.
However, the Yorkton Airport Tenant Association made an effort to attract this year's Conference as a way to focus attention on the needs of rural airports in southern Saskatchewan, said Denesowych. She said the local Association sees the event as a way to help "its effort to get southern airports recognized as hubs of activity and commerce."
The Conference is generally focused on airport operators, managers, flying school operators, aerial applicators and others active in the sector. Denesowych said usually the Conference attracts 100-125 delegates, but added this year they have made a special request to southern airport operators."We've made an appeal to every municipality that has a small airport in its jurisdiction to come out," she said.
Denesowych explained southern airports are rather unique in terms of funding in Saskatchewan."Airports north of Prince Albert are owned by the province," she said, adding in southern Saskatchewan airports "are left on their own."
Until the province initiated its Capital Assistance Program a couple of years ago municipalities "had no access to shared funding of any form," said Denesowych.
And funding from federal sources are restricted only to airports "with regularly scheduled flights," she explained, adding the regular flights must carry passengers.
Denesowych noted Yorkton has regularly scheduled flights for cargo, but those don't count under federal funding criteria.
"It's still an airplane using the airport," she said.
As a result she said federal support for airports outside the international ones in Regina and Saskatoon is "just about zero," with, to her knowledge, Swift Current and Estevan the only airports which might be accessing funds.
With limited provincial dollars and no federal money flowing to southern airports there are operational hardships, said Denesowych.
"That poses a bit of a problem," she said.
Denesowych said in many instances municipalities were left with airports to operate when the federal government divested itself of the properties in the late 1980s and early '90s.
"They were given to the municipalities for a dollar," she said, adding that was likely not a good deal given "the maintenance requirements associated with an airport."
In retrospect Denesowych said there should have been a more concerted lobby for a better deal at that time.
So Denesowych said they are hoping this year's Conference will refocus attention on the needs of southern airports, and that is why the event's theme is 'Small Airports - Big Business'.
Denesowych said the Conference will look at the history of the small southern airports, discuss current needs and look to future opportunities, all with the hope of creating a collective voice to lobby both senior levels of government to recognize the importance of the airports as a gateway for both people and commerce.
The Conference is hosted by the Saskatchewan Aviation Council, the Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators, and the Saskatchewan Chapter of the Canadian Business Aviation Association. It will run Wednesday through Friday this week.
