Cathy Dobson/Local Journalism Initiative

The flight path for Chris Hadfield Airport was rerouted Monday for a third time in four months by city council. It’s agreed, for a second time, to create a Municipal Service Corporation to manage the city owned airport.

“The bigger issue in my mind is that we continue to not make a decision, which I think is a huge barrier to attracting investment,” said Councillor Adam Kilner who has consistently advocated for a firm plan forward for the money-losing airport.

Last year, council agreed to create a Municipal Service Corporation (MSC) to manage the city-owned asset, then abruptly scrapped the concept in January. In February, council established a three-person committee but that’s been scrapped now, too.

Monday, council has voted 6-3 in favour of returning to the MSC model that involves hiring a CEO and establishing a board of directors at an estimated cost of $2.1 million for 2.5 years.

All this, amid warnings from staff and several council members that a firm and timely decision is needed because a contract with the current operator – Scottsdale Aviation – expires in mid-2027.

Chris Hadfield Airport has been losing about $400,000 a year since 2021, a loss the city must absorb.  With no commercial airline operating out of Sarnia, council is hoping to find alternative ways to make the airport viable.

But hiring a CEO and establishing a board of directors is a costly concept if you don’t have the revenue to justify it, said City/County Councillor Bill Dennis.  There are too many costs and risks to creating an MSC, he said. 

Councillor Terry Burrell agreed, calling the creation of an MSC a disaster with too much overhead. “If we install the MSC, we are shooting ourselves in the head, not just the foot,” Burrell said.

But the majority of council opted for the corporate model.

City/County Councillor Chrissy McRoberts said she doesn’t believe an MSC will cost millions of dollars, as an earlier report suggested. 

The price tag was what initially turned McRoberts off the MSC model but now she is convinced the airport can be successful by paying a “stipend” to a CEO, she said.

Other airports operate without passenger airlines and are filled with training schools, flight schools, storage areas and “hangarminiums,” said McRoberts.

“We need to get the people who know what they are doing in place.”

Monday’s vote in favour of an MSC may not be the end of it.  Burrell said he intends to write his own report and bring it back to council likely in June. 

Dennis and Burrell were joined by City/County Councillor Dave Boushy in voting against creation of an MSC.