Human life needs to be a priority in Saskatchewan. That from Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief, Bobby Cameron, as he calls for runway improvements to begin in Fond-du-Lac promised by the provincial government over a year ago. Following a fatal crash in December of 2017, both the federal and provincial governments committed to ensuring a safe runway in the northern community.

Fond-du-Lac is the most isolated community in the province and air travel accounts for 90 per cent of its transportation use. Chief Cameron considers this a perfect example of where the province gets funding from the federal government for First Nations, but it doesn’t flow through to the intended communities.

Government Relations Minister Lori Carr says safety is the top priority of the provincial government. She adds that no completed application was received for this project to be funded through the Investing In Canada Infrastructure Program back in June, but there will be another chance later this year to put in an application.

Carr says the Ministry of Highways applied for funding to widen, lengthen and rehab the Fond-du-Lac runway through the Federal Airports Capital Assistance Program, but the feds only approved rehab funding so the Ministry is trying to work on that.

She notes that currently, the runway meets the physical and safety standards prescribed for its class code and the Transportation Safety Board says the runway wasn’t a contributing factor to the fatal accident.