The chief of the Fond-du-Lac First Nation says he will continue to lobby for changes to the local airport until the work is finished.
In December, one person died after a plane crashed taking off from the northern community’s airport.
Following the crash, lobbying efforts got underway to improve and update the airport.
The province has committed to undertaking this work, but Chief Louis Mercredi says he will only stop lobbying when the work begins.
“I am going to keep lobbying until I see equipment and people working on this runway,” said Mercredi.
The northern chief says the airport has had inadequate equipment for many years.
“They only have a little garden container to de-ice the plane,” said Mercredi. “How do you reach 20 feet in the air to de-ice a wing with a garden container? It’s hard to do.”
The Transportation Safety Board did say the plane was not de-iced properly before take off, but wouldn’t confirm if that was the cause of the crash.
At the most recent AFN Assembly, Mercredi put forward a resolution that was passed by the chiefs in assembly. The resolution called for governments to better fund northern and remote airports.
“I don’t want to see other communities go through what we went through — December 13 is the night that destroyed my community.”
(PHOTO: Wreckage following crash. Photo courtesy of the Transportation Safety Board.)