Sturgeon County council is standing with the Edmonton Airshow as the twice-cancelled event tries to take flight next year.
County councillors asked administration Aug. 11 to bring back recommendations later this year on how best to support the Edmonton Airshow at Villeneuve Airport.
Sturgeon County is a sponsor of the airshow.
This year’s airshow was cancelled July 15 due to the pandemic. It was the second cancellation in a row for the event, which was called off in 2019 because the airport’s grounds were too wet for cars.
Edmonton Airshow president Richard Skermer told county council Aug. 11 that the airshow currently owes the county $28,503.83, related in part to the 2018 airshow, which took in about $200,000 less than expected due to heavy smoke. The airshow has access to various grants, and is seeking some $800,000 through a lawsuit with its insurance provider. Once that lawsuit is finished, airshow organizers plan to set out a detailed three-to-five year financial plan.
Skermer said the 2020 airshow would cost about $1.2 million.
He emphasized the point of the airshow is to draw attention to Villeneuve Airport and the Edmonton region as a place to invest.
“The goal of this is investment attraction,” he said, not just to look at pretty airplanes.
Skermer said Edmonton would host the Northwest Council of Airshows conference next January, giving the airshow a chance to draw international attention. He envisioned the airshow becoming an Alberta International Airshow that would act as a showcase event for Alberta’s aerospace sector, draw world-renowned acts such as the USN Blue Angels, and host air-racing.
Skermer said the airshow hopes to continue to work with Sturgeon to draw sponsorships, and that any support the county could provide would help.
The airshow has faced a lot of barriers in recent years, but both council and the province see its potential to serve as a driver of investment, said Mayor Alanna Hnatiw, who had spearheaded efforts to draw investment to Villeneuve Airport.
“I’m excited for the future there and excited for the future of the airshow.”
