Stikine Airport Authority, with support from Tahltan Nation Development Corporation(TNDC) and Tahltan Band, secures $918,652 from the BC Air Access Program. The funding will upgrade Dease Lake Airport with a six-foot chain-link fence and a recreational pathway spanning 3.4 km around the perimeter.
The fence will be an upgrade from the deteriorating three to four feet wooden and barbed wire fencing currently present on the north side and the absence of fencing on the south side; animals currently have easy access to the runway from the south (resulting in incidents) or get entangled in the barbed wire on the north side.
The pathway will serve recreational purposes, accommodating activities such as snowmobiling, ATV riding, walking, jogging, and biking, along a roughly 3.4 km route encircling the airport.
“As the airport operator, TNDC has worked tirelessly with Stikine Airport Authority and our partners to improve infrastructure and services at the Dease Lake airport,” said Todd den Engelsen, CEO, TNDC.
“This grant not only enhances safety at our airport but also accommodates the community’s needs, fostering ease of commuting for our people,” said Carmen McPhee, Chief, Tahltan Band.
The Dease Lake Airport is a vital community resource in health and emergency operations as well as a central access point for the exploration/mining industry in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle. Extensive safety and capital upgrades, including runway repaving and lighting improvements, carried out in 2021, led to a significant reduction in medevac times, from 20.5 hours to 5.3 hours.