November 07, 2008

I was very pleased to attend the opening ceremonies of the Kelowna International Airport runway expansion on Friday, November 7th, 2008.

The project is a great example of the power of good partnership and what can be done for our city and region when all levels of government work together.

Federal and provincial government partners each contributed $1.35 million to the expansion while the City of Kelowna committed $5.3 million.

As we all know, the City and the surrounding region have experienced hardship from the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation and that has resulted in an economic downturn for our traditional economic generators.

The Airport runway expansion offers new opportunities for business development and tourism that will strengthen the economy of the Central Okanagan, one of the fastest growing regions in British Columbia.

The expansion will encourage more people from around the world to visit and do business by attracting long-haul international flights from Europe and around the world.

Visitors flying directly into Kelowna will have better access to some of the best wineries, skiing, hiking and biking in Canada and the expansion will mean more business for the local industries such as Kelowna Flightcraft. 

Congratulations to Roger Sellick and his team for their professionalism at all stages of this project and for getting the job done. 

And congratulations to the community for your support.  The runway expansion is an important economic milestone for us.  The future is bright and the sky is the limit.