Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Due for Expansion, Revamped Facilities

Canadian Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez announced an investment of up to $186.2 million under the National Trade Corridors Fund for a project that includes major upgrades at the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport.

The airport was selected due to its position in the greater Yukon, a vital hub for frontier-bound cargo, medical support, and passenger travel. The 4 primary tasks will see Whitehorse upgraded with an improved parallel runway, a reconstructed primary runway, a new rotary-wing operations center, and an entirely new air maintenance facility. In addition to such banner projects, Whitehorse will get improved safety measures and greater operational capacity to "better support Yukon's mining and tourism sectors". Riding along with the improvements is a vague promise to "increase the airport's resilience against the impacts of climate change."

"We're investing in the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport to support the growth of the tourism and economic sectors in Yukon," said Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez. "Strengthening our supply chains also means Canadians in Northern communities can more easily have access to the goods they need, when they need them and at fair prices."

"This investment by our government is a vote of confidence in one of the key economic sectors of the Yukon. It will also ensure our infrastructure is resilient and will be able to withstand the disruptive effects of climate change. With these runway upgrades, Erik Nielsen Airport will be able to better serve our community," added Brendan Hanley, Yukon's Member of Parliament.

FMI: www.tc.canada.ca/en