New era of Manitoulin air travel
A new airport terminal at Gore Bay Airport on Manitoulin Island is now in use.
Work is nearing completion on Gore Bay Manitoulin Airport's new terminal building in May 2024. (Ian Campbell/CTV News Northern Ontario)
The terminal which has been four years in the making will usher in a new era for air travel on the west of the island.
$4.2 million in federal funding enabled airport management to put a plan in place to build the facility.
Over the last few days work was completed to take down the former structure used to welcome travellers to the island.
"In terms of the old building, there was really no tears from me on the day they smashed it down – it was long overdue,” said Robert Colwell, the airport’s manager.
“In some sense, there was a lot of history in the old building, being 77 years old, and I know that there were prime ministers, premiers, movie stars and celebrities over the years that have walked through the doors of the old building."
Gore Bay Airport manager Robert Colwell standing in front of the airport's sign in before the construction of the new terminal began in 2021. (File photo/Ian Campbell/CTV News Northern Ontario)
According to Colwell, the airport hands anywhere from 4,500 to 5,000 flights annually.
Officials told CTV News that the details and date for an official grand opening of the new building have not yet been finalized.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air Canada begins preparations for shutdown due to 'inflexible' union demands
Air Canada is finalizing plans to suspend most of its operations, likely beginning Sunday, as talks with the pilot union are nearing an impasse over 'inflexible' wage demands, the country's largest airline said on Monday.
Former fashion tycoon Peter Nygard's long-delayed sentencing expected today
Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is expected to be sentenced for his sexual assault convictions today, after multiple delays in the case that have stretched for months.
WATCH LIVE PWHL unveils team nicknames and logos entering women's hockey league's second season
In a process nearly a year in the making, the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Monday unveiled the nicknames and logos for each of its six franchises entering its second season.
Trial begins over Texas 'Trump Train' highway confrontation
A federal trial is set to begin Monday over claims that supporters of former U.S. president Donald Trump threatened and harassed a Biden-Harris campaign bus in Texas four years ago, disrupting the campaign on the last day of early voting.
Sudbury police continue to investigate teen's disappearance 11 years later
Wednesday marks 11 years since Sudbury teen Meagan Pilon was reported missing and police are appealing to the public again for information.
Hunt widens for man who allegedly threw scalding coffee on baby
A man wanted for allegedly throwing scalding coffee on a baby in an unprovoked attack at a park in the northern Australian state of Queensland is now the subject of an international manhunt.
A golden eagle has attacked a toddler and 3 others in Norway
A young golden eagle attacked a toddler in Norway, clawing her so badly that she needed stitches, in what an ornithologist says is likely the bird's fourth such attack on humans in the past week.
Justin Trudeau may be in for an earful as he meets with caucus in B.C.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may be bracing for an earful from his caucus when Liberal MPs gather in Nanaimo, B.C. today to plot their strategy for the coming election year.
Apple's upcoming iPhone will catapult the tech trendsetter into the age of AI
Apple's ubiquitous iPhone is about to break new ground with a shift into artificial intelligence that will do everything from smartening up its frequently dim-witted assistant Siri to creating customized emojis on the fly.