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
Freeland says she is 'not going anywhere' after Conservatives call her 'phantom finance minister'
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declared she is 'not going anywhere' when pushed by the Conservatives on Monday about her future as finance minister.
'Never seen anything like this': Humpback whale catches unsuspecting seal off Vancouver Island
A Vancouver Island nature photographer says he has never seen anything like what his camera captured on a recent whale-watching excursion off Victoria.
First teen sentenced in Kenneth Lee case gets 15 months probation
The first teenager to be sentenced in the death of a Toronto homeless man will not face further time in custody, and instead participate in a community-based program.
Body recovered from B.C. lake after unclothed man leads investigators to crash site
Mounties are investigating a fatal crash north of Whistler, B.C., after an unclothed man who was found along the side of the road led police to a pickup truck submerged in a lake with one occupant still inside.
Mortgage loan rules are changing in Canada
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced changes to mortgage rules she says are aimed at helping more Canadians to purchase their first home.
A passing comet could shine as bright as Venus. Here are the best viewing times
This eye-catching celestial event is around the corner and will appear in the skies this fall.
Pipeline explosion near Houston erupts in a towering flame, forcing evacuations
A pipeline explosion near Houston erupted in a towering flame over neighbourhoods for hours on Monday, forcing evacuations and shelter orders and melting playground equipment as firefighters struggled to keep nearby homes from burning.
'We don't have much time': Parliament's fall sitting begins with plenty of political posturing
The fall sitting of Parliament began Monday with plenty of political posturing given the new minority dynamics and the threat of an early general election looming overhead.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont. woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun, says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.