Virden airport expansion will accommodate larger planes, air ambulance service
'These projects, they are lifelines,' Brock Andrew says
The province is spending $1.65 million to expand the Virden Regional Airport, a move locals say will create jobs in the community while improving emergency medical access in western Manitoba.
The regional airport, which is used for crop dusters, medical transports, an aviation school and corporate aircraft, is widening and lengthening its runway from 4,320 feet to 6,000, and adding an automated weather observing system.
The funding announced Monday in Virden comes after pilot Brock Andrew and his family, who run their company Air Andrew out of Virden, have spent $1.5 million on airport infrastructure.
"If you don't invest in your own home communities ... the community dies," Andrew said Monday.
"Us putting the money into it allows for the life flight into here, allows for larger aircraft to come in and it allows for business to happen and prosper in rural Manitoba."
Andrew, who helps operate the airfield, said investments in the airport are already creating change.
In 2019, the airport had zero employees. Today, it supports 33 jobs, from pilots to maintenance staff. The majority are filled by young adults age 18 to 25.
Around 40 students train at Air Andrews' flight school, with about a dozen earning their pilot licences each month.
'Critical infrastructure'
Municipal Affairs Minister Glenn Simard, who grew up in nearby St-Lazare, said supporting rural infrastructure is a key part of the province's strategy for long-term growth.
"Investments like these matter in rural Manitoba," Simard said. "The expansion will provide greater capacity and capabilities for the airport and have a positive impact on the local economy."
The funding for the airport in Virden, a town of just over 3,000 people that's 270 kilometres west of Winnipeg, comes from the Manitoba growth, renewal and opportunities for municipalities program.
Simard said the airport's expanded capacity will serve as a lifeline for nearby communities like Oak Lake, Miniota and Kola, especially in emergencies where Brandon may not be the closest or best option for medical care.
The upgrades, like the automated weather system, will help STARS air ambulance provide 24/7 critical care, ensuring "Manitobans can get the care they need when they need it," he said.
The facility improvements also strengthen Virden's ability to recruit health-care professionals and skilled workers by offering the kind of infrastructure expected in labour centres, Simard said.
Virden Mayor Tina Williams said the project supports the town's growing role as a regional medical hub while providing major economic benefits.
"This expansion and rehabilitation has allowed for commercial expansion, new business and improved medical transport for this entire corner of our province. The combination of funding from private business, municipal government and the province of Manitoba was a true collaboration for the benefit of us all," Williams said.
The Virden Regional Airport, also known as R.J. Andrew Field, was first built in 1940 for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and hosted Royal Canadian Air Force trainees during the Second World War.
Since the Air Force decommissioning in 1944, the airport has been kept active through the efforts of area residents, private aviators and, since 1954, the Virden Flying Club.
The airport has become outdated and last year, the town of Virden and the Virden Airport Commission initiated significant upgrades, Airport Commission chair and Virden Coun. Bruce Dunning said.
Andrew said the project has restored the facility's status as a centre for aviation in the region while benefiting the local economy.
"These projects, they are lifelines," he said.
WATCH | Virden people talk about their desire to improve their airport in this 2023 report:
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