The Alberta government says it's paying $1.1 million to help develop 10 regional airports in the province. Devin Dreeshen, minister of transportation and economic corridors, made the announcement Thursday morning. The grant funding will go to supporting airport infrastructure, feasibility studies and business planning. Regional airports help with emergency operations, including medical evacuations and wildfire response. In northern Alberta, Dreeshen said funding will help with wildfire response planning. "A lot of the northern airports, their feasibility study has a big heavy impact on when it comes to wildfire," he added. "Whether it's Nav Canada or just wildfire responses, it's kind of like a base for our air tankers and other aircrafts that fight wildfire." The 10 airports that will receive funding are: Dreeshan said the amount of funding will vary depending on each airport's needs. In Red Deer, money will go toward supporting a land development strategy, to help attract businesses to use the 200 acres surrounding the airport.
