Thompson terminal ‘will help unlock’ North

After decades of planning and years of construction, Thompson Regional Airport has opened its new terminal building.

At 40,000-square-feet, the structure is almost three times larger than the facility it replaced. The project cost approximately $125 million, which included the terminal building, a new parking lot, apron and water treatment facility.

Airport staff began operating out of the terminal on Oct. 4.

“It’s a special moment for us all to be in this space,” said James Lindsey, president and CEO of the Thompson Regional Airport Authority. “There’s a lot of opportunity in the North and this is the right piece of infrastructure at the right time that will help unlock the North.”

The airport authority funded about 50 per cent of the project, thanks in part to a long-term loan from Canada Infrastructure Bank. The project also accessed money from the federal government’s Airports Capital Assistance Program and Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.

The provincial government contributed $15 million, and made an approximately $2.8-million investment to realign the airport access road from Provincial Road 391.

Work on the project started around 2006, when an engineering report stated the airport’s terminal building had five years of life left because of the discontinuous permafrost that was causing the structure to sink.

Much of the funding was in place in 2019, but the project had to be paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction began in 2023.

The airport is located six kilometres outside the municipality of Thompson and is responsible for its own water system. Previously, the airport had to truck in all of its potable water from Thompson.

Thanks to the water treatment facility and sewage lagoon, the airport and its tenants have access to clean water.

Thompson has the second busiest airport in Manitoba, Lindsey said. Some 120,000 passengers use the airport each year, about half of whom are medical patients. The airport services about 37 northern communities, including 15 remote Indigenous communities only accessible by air and ice roads.

Additionally, 20.4 million kilograms of freight passes through the airport annually.

The rehabilitated facilities will help expedite further expansion at the airport, Lindsey said.

He noted the Thompson airport is working on two projects that were included in the Canada Investment Summit prospectus: Area 55, a sub-arctic research centre, and the Northern Indigenous Integrated Air Logistics Hub, a planned 100,000-sq.-ft. multi-tenant cargo facility that would serve the North.

“What we’re doing here in the North is not just being recognized in Manitoba, but it’s being recognized nationally,” Lindsey said.

In September, the airport hosted an open house so Thompson residents could see the facility before it opened. That event was followed Oct. 16 with a grand opening celebration that drew politicians, Indigenous leaders, businesspeople and community members.

The celebration included a roundtable discussion about northern prosperity, and it was timed to coincide with the announcement that Exiro Nickel Co., is officially the majority owner of nickel mining operations in Thompson.

Thompson is the hub of the North, Lindsey said. “If we want to create the growth in this province that’s going to come out of the North, then we need to invest in the North.”

The grand opening demonstrated what can be achieved when governments and partners work together to invest in the future of northern Manitoba, said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor.

“The Thompson Regional Airport is such a critical transportation hub,” she said. “This investment really will help support this vital gateway that keeps northern and remote communities connected to essential services.”

The new terminal is “a huge accomplishment” that will give visitors a proper first impression of northern Manitoba, said Chuck Davidson, chief executive at Winnipeg Economic Development and Tourism.

“It’s the kind of facility that’s welcoming and that’s a level of quality that you would expect in a community the size of Thompson and that area,” he said.

Elisabeth Saftiuk, acting president and CEO at the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, called the grand opening “a really important day” for Manitoba’s economy.

“For businesses who are considering making investments, particularly in sectors like mining, transportation and tourism, reliable infrastructure is a fundamental consideration,” she said. “The significant investment in the Thompson airport terminal sends an important signal that northern Manitoba’s infrastructure matters and that there is confidence in the region’s future.”

The new airport facilities will lead to a stronger future for generations of northern Manitobans to come, said Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Cheryl Moore. “The airport connects all of us,” she said. “We all know that transportation is essential. It helps us travel out for medical appointments, education (and) employment opportunities … It supports tourism, commercial activity, industry and future investments.”

Thompson Regional Airport has about 35 full-time staff members and is in the process of hiring a few more, Lindsey said.

aaron.epp@winnipegfreepress.com