Should the future of Fort Simpson’s island airport go to a vote?

Two airlines who use Fort Simpson’s island airstrip say its lease must be renewed to preserve a critical piece of local infrastructure.

The future of the island airport was discussed by village councillors this month as the lease for the land on which the runway sits is up for renewal in August.

Simpson Air and South Nahanni Airways say failing to renew the lease would have a detrimental impact on the two local, Indigenous-owned businesses.

Mayor Les Wright says the decision to renew the lease should be put to the public. Council has discussed other options for the land that could mean ending its use as an airstrip.

Vanessa Murtsell and her husband finalized the purchase of Simpson Air in February this year.

In an email to Cabin Radio, Murtsell said the two were aware the airstrip lease was due for renewal in 2025 and they had attempted to initiate conversations with the village “to ensure a smooth renewal process.”

“Unfortunately, there has been a lack of clear communication from the Village regarding any issues or concerns with the lease, which has made it difficult to properly plan and prepare,” said Murtsell.

“While our emails were acknowledged and we were told the lease would need to go before council, there was no indication that anything was out of the ordinary.”

Murtsell said the airline was invited to this month’s council committee meeting to make a presentation about Simpson Air and the lease renewal. Only at the meeting, she said, did it become apparent that alternative uses for the land were being floated.

“Being presented with a significant and unexpected development proposal during the meeting – without any prior discussion or consultation – was concerning, especially with the lease set to expire in just three months,” said Murtsell.

At the meeting, Wright said he had been approached by other parties like the Beavertail Jamboree about using the land for storage and to install a park. Organizers of the jamboree couldn’t be reached by Cabin Radio for comment.

On Tuesday last week, Wright told Cabin Radio he would speak to these and other issues after they were further discussed with council on Tuesday evening. The mayor could not be reached for comment later in the week and minutes from the meeting have yet to be published.

‘Time we don’t have’

At last week’s meeting, South Nahanni Airways chief executive officer Jacques Harvey said he had trouble envisaging anything else being built in the area because it’s in a flood zone, which would introduce various logistical challenges and be difficult to insure.

In an email to Cabin Radio, the territory’s department of Environment and Climate Change confirmed the airstrip is “flood affected.”

While the piece of land on which the airstrip sits is owned by the village, the two airlines who use the runway own the land on which the hangars and apron were built.

At the meeting, it was suggested that if the lease isn’t renewed, the two airlines could move their operations to Fort Simpson’s main airport – located about 15 kilometres from the island – which is used by Air Tindi and Canadian North.

Murtsell says that isn’t a viable option.

“The lots currently available are undeveloped, in poor condition, and would require substantial investment to make them suitable for aviation operations,” said Murtsell.

“Building new infrastructure from scratch would not only be financially burdensome but would also take time we don’t have, with the lease set to expire in just a few months.”

Murtsell also said the island airport is more accessible to most residents and provides an important evacuation option if the community were to face floods or fire that could cut off access to the other airport.

Which issues go to the public?

South Nahanni Airways president Laverna Martel told last week’s meeting the island airport has been in operation since the 1960s and she had never seen the airstrip lease go to a public meeting.

“In that 60 years, we’ve never asked the community whether we wanted an airport,” said Wright.

“I was surprised to hear that with a new council and mayor, that we’re going to start going to the community for everything, or some issues.” said councillor Troy Bellefontaine.

“I don’t remember ever having a meeting where we said that we need to go to the community for every issue, or specifically issues that one person decides.”

Bellefontaine said he has heard no concerns from residents other than Wright, who brought it up in the previous council term, before he was mayor.

He said council needs to come up with a way to decide which issues go to public consultation, which can be decided by elected representatives, and what the metric might be for determining public support.

“If we did go to the community, and the community says we don’t want to support it, what number we’re looking at? How many people would have to vote to shut down two businesses?” Bellefontaine said.