COLD LAKE - At the City of Cold Lake's regular council meeting on Sep. 10, the future of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) School project was a key topic of discussion.
The project is a partnership between Portage College and the City of Cold Lake. Council is now focused on securing the necessary funding to move the project forward.
"Following the Aug. 13 Corporate Priorities Committee meeting, there was discussion and further information presented about the future of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering School project," Kristy Isert, General Manager of Corporate Services explained.
She said Portage College is eager to move forward, stating, "We've included in the report that Portage College is quite excited about the project and would like to move forward for a possible fall 2025 launch date of the program."
However, Isert also pointed out that a later start might be more realistic. "We’ve indicated that the fall of 2026 is likely a safer target, but we’ll be working towards a sooner than later project start date."
To facilitate the project, Isert proposed reallocating $1.4 million from the 2018 capital budget, which had previously been earmarked for the Canadians Forces base in Cold Lake (YOD) terminal development.
"The intent is to utilize the funds to do renovations within the hangar as well as the terminal building in order to allow the school to be established for the fall of 2026," she explained.
Isert also confirmed that Portage College would contribute to the project’s funding.
"We have included in the report that Portage College will also be contributing funds. We understand that they've allocated $442,000 in capital dollars towards the project."
Mayor Craig Copeland also expressed enthusiasm and spoke about the importance of collaboration with the aerospace industry.
"The idea is that we're going to continue to try to work with the aerospace industry and other partners to come on board."
He also mentioned the possibility of securing additional funding, noting, "Maybe we can lessen the blow of that amount and put it towards the furnishings or building expansion in the future and get the province involved."
Council made a motion to reallocate $1,412,000, in line with administration's recommendation. This move amends the 2024 Capital Budget from $16,186,000 to $17,598,000, with the additional $1,412,000 sourced from funds previously set aside for the YOD Terminal Development in the 2018 Capital Budget.
According to information provided in the meeting agenda, funding will help cover the cost of building renovations and the procurement of necessary tools and equipment, with the goal of establishing the AME-S school by the fall of 2026. Portage College has already started working on federal approvals, and discussions with other stakeholders are ongoing to secure additional funding and support.
