THUNDER BAY -- The city's International Airport Authority’s industrial park is getting a $1 million expansion.
The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is giving the Thunder Bay International Airport Authority the funding to build more serviceable lots along their taxiway west of the Ornge and Pilatus Centre Canada hangars.
Airport president and CEO Scott McFadden said the project will extend both the taxiway and the road to accommodate another two or three lots.
The demand for space in the aviation industrial park has been slow but steady, said McFadden, adding it’s mostly come from companies already established in the city.
“But there’s also been demand created certainly by companies that are doing business associated with mining sector logistics,” he said. “That has created some demand for companies we haven’t seen at the airport before.”
The airport has an annual economic impact of $500 million on the city and creates 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. With this expansion, another 270 jobs could be created within the next 10 years.
“The airport is already a significant economic driver in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario,” said MPP Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay-Atikokan), who made the announcement at the airport Monday morning.
“The growth of this industrial park on this property will allow them to continue that growth, to create more jobs in Thunder Bay and to continue to expand our economy in an area where there is obviously a lot of room for growth – aerospace related,” he added.
Aerospace-related companies that locate themselves at the airport also receive tax incentives through the Community Improvement Plan, which Mauro said makes it easier for the Airport Authority to attract businesses to the park.
