The Yorkton Regional Airport will be installing Precision Approach Path Indicator lights in the coming weeks at a cost of $275,987.
On May 20, Saskatchewan Highways Minister Kim Gartner was at the Yorkton airport to announce the province would contribute $137,994 to the project.
The provincial dollars are being made available through the Community Airport Partnership program.
The CAP program supports upgrades to regional, community-owned airports, including improvements to runways and taxiways, lighting systems, security fencing, navigational aids and other eligible infrastructure.
The dollars ear-marked for Yorkton are part of more than $2 million in infrastructure improvements at nine community airports across Saskatchewan. The Ministry of Highways will commit up to $934,974 toward the projects, with airport operators providing the remaining estimated $1.1 million.
Air ambulances, firefighting and policing services, along with agriculture and many other industries, depend on local airports across Saskatchewan, Gartner said, calling airport service like Yorkton’s “essential to daily life in Saskatchewan.”
Gartner said airports “create opportunities for communities to prosper.”
Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle was smiling at the announcement.
“This is an important investment in our airport,” he said, adding it is always good when the province is cost-sharing vital municipal infrastructure upgrades. He said it shows the province “recognizing the importance of regional airports like ours.”
Kienle said the project may not be particularly flashy, but it is one which is hugely important to city and the region because the lighting will make for “more reliable airport operations.”
Smooth operations are important because like many services, the airport is not one people may think about until it’s needed – for something such as air ambulance access.
An eligible project is funded on a 50/50 cost-sharing basis between the approved recipient and the provincial government to a maximum $275,000. Any additional costs are the responsibility of the funding recipient.
Construction on the nine projects across the province are expected to occur during the 2026 construction season, weather permitting said Gartner.
“Through our continued partnership with the provincial government, communities are able to invest in critical airport infrastructure,” Saskatchewan Aviation Council President Janet Keim said via a release following the announcement in Yorkton. “These improvements help ensure airports can continue delivering vital services that support economic activity and enhance quality of life across the province.”
