Plane (Image from Tobermory municipal website)
The future of the Saugeen Municipal Airport remains uncertain months after Hanover, Brockton and West Grey met to discuss potential sale options.
Brockton Mayor Chris Peabody says there has been no real updates to determine the direction each of the three partner municipalities will take with the airport, after meeting in April to consider its future.
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Hanover previously expressed interest in continuing to explore all options for the future of the Saugeen Airport. Brockton proposed either selling its share of the airport to Hanover or West Grey, or to a private entity which would continue to run it as an airport, or renegotiate the deal of how much each municipality paid into the airport. West Grey had indicated it was open to all options.
Following the meeting in April, each municipality agreed to go back to review options with their own legal counsel.
Peabody says it is hard to assess if Brockton still wants to sell its stake in the airport.
“I think some members of council would prefer to renegotiate, so if we put it up to for a vote after the legal opinion, I can’t really predict,” says Peabody.
West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles says his municipality is also waiting for its legal counsel to return with advice on how to proceed.
“West Grey is still exploring options on municipal ownership around the airport and how we can keep it as being a positive win for the municipality on continuing to be a partner in the ownership of the airport,” says Eccles.
Hanover CAO Sherri Walden adds the town has not made any decisions on where it would like to go with the airport.
“Council hasn’t made a firm direction that we have communicated at this point in time. We have been seeking some information accordingly that allows council to have the details to make an informed decision,” says Walden.
She anticipates the municipality might be able to share an update early in the new year.
While Peabody does not have an idea as to when their legal counsel will return with news about the airport, he has asked staff to get in touch with the lawyers.
“That amount of time is too long. We owe it to the stakeholders at the airport and the residents in Brockton and the region to get moving on this since it has been since April,” says Peabody.
Brockton initially approached West Grey and Hanover in November 2023 to start the process of discussing the airport’s future.
The Saugeen Municipal Airport was established in 1990 and the original partner municipalities included Arran-Elderslie, but it has since stepped away.
Each of the member municipalities contribute money annually to cover the operating and general maintenance costs of the airport.