Brenda Chisholm-Beaton; file photo
The mayor of Port Hawkesbury says officials with the federal government made the right call to cancel the review of a proposed Inverness airport.
Brenda Chisholm-Beaton says she never thought the proposal met the criteria for the Rural and Northern Communities stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
Chisholm-Beaton tells The Hawk it’s the outcome she expected.
“Was I surprised? No, not really, because I really don’t think that the project demonstrated how it was going to improve the quality of life for the people in the community,” she says. “We certainly had grave concerns with regard to the future viability of the Allan J. MacEachen Port Hawkesbury Airport, and having that review cancelled certainly gives us some relief.”
Chisholm-Beaton says she was confident the requirement involving improving the quality of life for local communities would kill the proposal.
She says they’ll be able to focus on growing Port Hawkesbury’s airport now that this proposal has been dismissed.
“We (will) pursue and continue to grow and develop the Allan J. MacEachen regional airport,” she says. “We can do so without that pending jeopardy.”
Chisholm-Beaton says Cabot reps could resubmit their proposal, but she’s not concerned.
She says she doesn’t think a new airport could improve the quality of life for residents, given the cost and the fact two other airports already exist in the region.
