Yorkton Municipal Airport received an early Christmas present last week in the form of a $250,000 cheque from the federal government.
Yorkton-Melville MP Garry Breitkreuz announced the funding Tuesday at the airport.
"Our government is committed to creating jobs and long-term prosperity in our communities," Breitkreuz said. "By improving facilities such as the Yorkton Municipal Airport, we are helping to boost economic activity and maintain a high quality of life for Canadians."
The money came from the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund and will be used to upgrade runway drainage, signage and lighting in an effort to make the second busiest airport in southern Saskatchewan safer, a press release said.
Ron Evinou, outgoing chair of the Yorkton Airport Authority (YAA) said he has seen first-hand how such improvements build economic growth.
"I had been a long-term president of logistics in Ontario and I know what an airport can do for a community," he said.
Mayor Bob Maloney thanked Evinou for his eight years of service to the YAA crediting him for much of the work that has resulted in improving funding for the airport.
"This is good news for Yorkton," Maloney said. "This significant funding helps us to move forward with much needed improvements to our airport infrastructure and will enhance our stature as the regional transportation hub of east-central Saskatchewan.
CIIF is a $46.2 million fund being distributed over two years to western Canada through Western Economic Diversification Canada.
