Dear Sarnia Council members:
Back in the late '70s and early '80s, Great Lakes Airlines was a going concern in this city. At the time, I was a young man who drove motorcoach for Lamco Lines.
Great Lakes Airlines never had the types of weather radar that planes have today, and at times used to get grounded during snowstorms, thunderstorms, and heavy fog. If conditions were bad enough, we would have to transfer passengers by bus to London or Toronto.
Lamco also had a Detroit Limo and airfreight run and would bring passengers to and from Detroit Metro, as well as parts for the old Convair aircraft on a daily basis. They were a very expensive aircraft to maintain and, like all airplanes, required constant maintenance.
Also, the 402 highway had finally been completed in November of 1982, making it much easier to get to London, Hamilton, and Toronto.
Then it was the internet, and shortly after that, the ability to FaceTime meetings that made it easier and cheaper to meet with local refineries and industry.
Executives and salesmen could no longer afford the luxury nor their precious time to fly, as our connected world put us together in ways no one could have ever imagined.
After that, smaller commuter planes like Air Canada's Jazz tried to make a go of it and then packed it in.
We are never going to see those aviation hay days again. The cost per hour to operate an aircraft of any kind makes bringing an airline to Sarnia a likely impossibility.
I believe that this city needs to divest itself from this airport. Our proximity to Flint, Detroit, London, Hamilton, and Toronto gives our citizens who wish to travel plenty of options to do so, at a much more reasonable cost than any flight from Sarnia—return would cost.
My question to council would be this: When was the last time you said, "Jeez, I wish we could fly out of Sarnia for our vacation?"