‘These lifelines are failing’: Improve northern airports, advocates say – Northern Ontario Business
February 2, 2026
During pre-budget consultations, Ontario legislators heard from the Northern Ontario Aviation Committee about the state of remote First Nations airstrips.
KINGFISHER LAKE — Airports in over two dozen remote First Nations are wholly inadequate and have been for decades.
That’s what Tom Meilleur, chair of the Northern Ontario Aviation Committee, told provincial legislators during pre-budget consultations in Thunder Bay on Jan. 28.
Meilleur and his group were advocating for significant upgrades to Ontario Ministry of Transportation-owned First Nations airports across the Far North, saying a litany of infrastructure and service issues are causing serious problems.
