The MLA for Inuvik Boot Lake wants the town’s airport to add security measures that would open up the possibility of welcoming a broader range of flights.
In the legislature on Friday, Denny Rodgers called for Inuvik Mike Zubko Airport to have security screening installed when planned upgrades take place in the coming years.
Flights taking place entirely within the North generally don’t involve any form of security screening. You can just walk onto the aircraft.
However, flights to or from southern Canada do require screening.
Rodgers noted the pending sale of Canadian North – the northern airline that provides a large share of Inuvik’s scheduled service – and raised the prospect of whether that might encourage more competition.
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“Currently, the airport in Inuvik does not have security screening. So if there was an appetite to have direct flights from Inuvik to other major airports in western Canada, we would need that infrastructure in there,” he said.
“There’s obviously other reasons why we would need that. Certainly with the influx of drugs in the territory, having airport security is always an advantage. We also just had our runway expanded so now we can actually accept larger aircraft.”
Replacement of Inuvik’s air terminal – built in the late 1950s – is a project tentatively earmarked by the NWT government for completion in 2027-28. Federal funding was announced several years ago. The terminal was initially scheduled to open in 2024 before the work was pushed back.
Infrastructure minister Caroline Wawzonek said the design for the new terminal “is meant to balance both the current needs and future opportunities” but added she didn’t have the specifics in front of her.
Pushed by Rodgers for a commitment to include security screening in the design, Wawzonek said: “This project began pre-Covid and the world has changed significantly since then and continues to change.
“So if this presents us an opportunity now, today, to ensure that we are truly looking at the opportunities tomorrow, then I’m happy to take that opportunity.”
