IJACK gives $500,000 to airport project
April 8, 2024, 8:14 am
Kevin Weedmark
Moosomin’s Airport Expansion Project has taken a huge step closer to its fundraising goal with a $500,000 contribution from IJACK.
The $10.6 million airport expansion has been divided into four quarters for fundraising, with the provincial government, local municipalities, Nutrien, and local businesses each being responsible for one-quarter of the cost, or $2,650,000.
The province, Nutrien, and municipalities are at or near the target, and the fourth stage of the fundraising campaign focuses on local businesses.
The contribution from IJACK is the largest in the final stage of fundraising. Dan McCarthy of IJACK said he decided to make the contribution after hearing about the benefits of the CT Scanner.
“I knew it was an important project for the community, but after talking with Jeff St. Onge and Dr. Van, I realized just how important it is,” he said.
“It’s important for health care, and it will lead to a lot of future growth. It’s worth investing in.”
He said he believes the most important benefit of the airport expansion project will be the impact on the long-term growth of the community.
McCarthy said it feels great to be able to help out the airport project.
“Oh, it’s pretty special, for sure,” he said. “It feels good to be able to help out and make a difference for something like this.”
$500,000 makes an impact
RM of Moosomin administrator Kendra Lawrence says the contribution from IJACK makes a big difference.
“We’ve been working on this a long time and getting this contribution brings the finish line a lot closer,” she said. “It pushes it a lot closer to the end. We’re not there yet—there’s still lots of work to do, but this brings us closer. The contributions are coming in really good, but you always need that one person to step up and say, ‘I believe in the project,’ and to think it’s really worthwhile. That helps everyone else see the value.”
Jeff St. Onge has been part of the group pushing for the airport expansion since it started. He said the contribution from IJACK means a lot.
“It’s been amazing to see how the whole community has got behind this, and every step of the way I’ve been encouraged to see the support, to see what kind of community this is. But this one—I just don’t know what to say. When you look and you see Dan and Olga’s contribution, the value that they put on our community just shines through in something like this. And to have a facility like this in our town will make such a difference for so many people.”
What was his reaction when you found out that IJACK was contributing half a million dollars?
“I’m not going to lie, I had a tear in my eye,” said St. Onge. “My feet were off the ground for a second.”
Pavement tenders close April 24
A call for tenders has been issued for pavement on the airport expansion. The tender documents call for a completion date of September 15 this year.
