Airport land development expected to draw massive investment, create jobs in aerospace, aviation

Government and industry leaders are banking on a $32-million airport land development to cement Winnipeg as a national leader in economic growth and trade.

In a joint announcement Friday, the federal and provincial governments, alongside the Winnipeg Airports Authority and the City of Winnipeg, outlined a plan to develop 127 acres of land west of the airport into direct-access runways.

“You can think of this as beachfront property. This is very valuable for businesses in key sectors such as aerospace, aviation, trade enabling and logistics that need that direct proximity to air side operations,” said Nick Hays, the WAA’s president and CEO.

“It is very unusual to have an airport… with that scale of land right next to the runway that has not been developed. Today’s announcement is about putting in the investment that services that land to unlock that opportunity.”

The development area stretches along Saskatchewan Avenue from the airport’s western boundary by Wihuri Road to Sturgeon Road before extending north.

Building new runways will attract investments, enhance national trade capacity and support high-value jobs, making it “one of the most strategically significant air side development opportunities in Canada,” Hays said.

While a timeline is not yet available, the project is expected to support 1,300 jobs and create $940 million in GDP impact during its construction, and $270 in annual GDP once it’s complete.

The WAA is contributing $17 million toward the project, while $10 million is coming from Ottawa and $5 million from the province.

Discussions are ongoing with a company interested in building an aviation maintenance facility in Winnipeg once the lands are complete. The project has also drawn the attention of businesses involved in manufacturing and other trade-related industries, but Hays said it was too early to provide specifics.

Multiple sources told the Free Press last month that WestJet is considering Winnipeg as a potential home for an aircraft maintenance facility, but it has not yet been confirmed by the airline.

In a city council committee meeting last month, Will Rossall, the WAA’s director of real estate and land development, said there had also been “a number of fairly encouraging conversations” within the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

The city is providing water and sewer infrastructure and servicing to the airport lands. The development aligns with the Airport Area West Industrial Secondary Plan, which was approved in 2021, and includes 2,500 acres of land.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said developing the area has been a personal priority for him since he was first elected to office as a councillor nearly 12 years ago.

“Today’s announcement is about getting our trade and supply-chain infrastructure ready for what’s next. From the city’s point of view, it also comes down to a simple idea: if you want investment, you have to be ready for it,” Gillingham said.

“It’s the difference between us saying, ‘We’d love to have you,’ versus ‘We’re ready for you to build here.’ That’s what I want people to understand.”

Asked whether Winnipeg’s wastewater system is prepared for such significant growth, Gillingham said the North End sewage treatment plant is critical to the city’s future.

Completing that project will require further support from senior levels of government, he said.

“The city has put our funding up to get that project completed. The discussions with the federal and provincial partners are going very well, and we really do need to get that across the line,” he said.

The mayor said Friday’s announcement was the first of many in the Centreport region, pledging Winnipeg is “headed into a period of development that will be among the biggest in our city’s history.”

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca