SUMMERSTOWN, Ontario – The United Counties of SD&G voted to not become involved with the Cornwall Regional Airport at their September meeting.
“At this time there, area a lot of questions that need to be resolved,” said United Counties Warden Ian McLeod in an interview with Seaway News. “It came down to concerns over the governance of the airport.”
The United Counties commissioned an Ad Hoc committee to look at the Cornwall Regional Airport and report back on whether or not the Counties should seek to be involved.
As it stands now, the airport is governed by an independent commission that represents the interests of the major stakeholders, namely the City of Cornwall and the Township of South Glengarry, where Ian McLeod is also currently Mayor.
“I guess what we would like to see is the governance change so it can become a profit centre,” said McLeod.
McLeod conceded that nothing will likely be done about the airport until after the upcoming municipal elections on Oct. 22.
At the last City of Cornwall Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 24, the Cornwall City Council voted to have their administration write a report on the City’s continued involvement with the airport.
Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy said that for his part, he believed that the airport should be expanded.
“I really think there is some benefit to expanding the airport,” he said.
O’Shaughnessy pointed out that employers in Cornwall might benefit from having an airport so close by and also mentioned that there might be synergy with the Nav Centre in Cornwall and their flight training program.
As for governance, replacing the independent commission with a governing partnership between Cornwall and South Glengarry was something that the Mayor believed could be looked at.
