Villeneuve Airport will be a footnote in history if city council has its way.
The airport northwest of St. Albert could be renamed the St. Albert-Sturgeon Regional Airport, if both Sturgeon County and the Edmonton Airport Authority agree to the change.
City council approved a recommendation from the St. Albert economic development advisory committee (SAEDAC) to seek the name change. SAEDAC chair Malcolm Parker said the idea came from a regional symposium held in February with the Sturgeon County Economic Development Board.
“The closure of the Edmonton City Centre Airport provides an economic opportunity for St. Albert,” he said during his presentation Tuesday. “The [Villeneuve] airport is set to deal with commercial and private customers. Transportation is a critical link to recognizing economic development.”
Coun. James Burrows supported the motion, saying it could only help improve the economic viability and profile of St. Albert in its work to attract industry.
“I obviously urge council to vote for this,” he said. “I don’t see this at all harmful from an economic point of view.”
However Coun. Carol Watamaniuk expressed concern about moving ahead with such a proposal without consulting people in Villeneuve, a hamlet of more than 150 people within Sturgeon County. She felt the airport’s current name is related to the hamlet and they should be part of the decision-making process.
“What’s the history behind it? There’s got to be history there,” she told her fellow councillors. “I really feel they should be consulted.”
City manager Bill Holtby said any consultation would happen with Sturgeon County, which oversees the community. Mayor Nolan Crouse will extend that request in a formal letter to Sturgeon County council.
If county council supports the move, both groups will make a formal request to the Edmonton Airport Authority, which operates the airport.
Crouse also inquired about the former St. Albert airport, questioning if there would be a problem with the Villeneuve Airport sharing a similar name with the former airport. The airport is now a private heliport and no longer runs public airfields, making the naming issue non-existent.
Holtby assured council there would be only a minimal cost to the city from things like directional signage.
