A panel of experts will be taking over the Muskoka Airport planning and operations.
District officials appointed a seven-member governing board on Monday. CAO Michael Duben says the board is made up of members with experience in tourism and aviation. Duben says this board could help make the airport more profitable.
The majority of board members are not from Muskoka, but Duben says this is necessary to get a wider range of experience. The board will be meeting for the first time either in March or April to discuss plans for the airport moving forward.
Here is a summary of the new seven-member board:
- Robin Garrett, experience with public and private sector tourism
- David Legge, experience with Air Canada, former RCAF pilot
- Selma Lussenburg, Vice President, Governance, Corporate Safety and Security, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority
- Don MacKay, Chartered Accountant and owner of Muskoka Highlands Golf Course
- Bud Purves, President of York University Development Corporation
- Katherine Rethy, experience in mining, law, sales, business and government operations, named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women
- John Klinck, District of Muskoka Chair
You can read more on each of these board members here.
District officials are hoping to open a terminal at the airport for regional flights, which could help boost tourism in Muskoka. In 2016, District officials reported they were working on setting up meetings with commercial airline companies, however no updates have been provided since.
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District officials want to create a governance board for the Muskoka Airport
Muskoka may be ready to approach commercial airline providers by early January
District of Muskoka may soon take steps to begin attracting commercial airlines to Muskoka Airport