Transportation and Public Works Minister Don MacKinnon met yesterday with federal Transport Minister David Collenette to discuss several pressing issues relating to Prince Edward Island's transportation network.
"Minister Collenette and I had a good opportunity to discuss a number of transportation issues where an effective working partnership between the Province and the federal government could yield positive results for Prince Edward Island," said MacKinnon following the meeting.
Among the topics discussed were the ongoing impacts that airline consolidation and the federal divestiture policy have had on Prince Edward Island's transportation infrastructure. The combination of these two forces have put the Charlottetown Airport Authority at a competitive disadvantage, creating a series of ongoing challenges for the Authority and the Province.
"The twin pressures of reduced federal support for the Airport Authority and the lack of competition in air travel options are having a negative economic impact on Prince Edward Island. Declining capital assistance for the airport has forced the Authority to rely on generated revenue's yet the lack of competition and the outrageous fares which result from that are making air travel an increasingly unaffordable means of transport for businesses, tourists, and Islanders in general," commented MacKinnon.
A consequence of the current air travel situation on Prince Edward Island is that more and more traffic, which could be streamed by air in a more economically accessible environment, is being forced onto the province's highway network. This extra traffic increases the strain on an already crumbling road system and the absence of a cost-shared National Highways Program only worsens the situation.
"These challenges were discussed in detail and it was noted how all three levels of government worked together to develop the Airport Business Park as a means of supporting the airport. I'm hopeful that by working in partnership we can build upon that cooperation to develop a fiscally and environmentally sustainable solution to these issues," said MacKinnon.