Construction should start soon on a new east/west runway at Manitoulin East airport (YEM). The airport, run jointly by the municipalities of Northeast Town and Assiginack, is located 16 km southeast of Little Current, Ontario on Manitoulin Island.

The airport presently has a 3,500-foot asphalt runway running north/south, but is not always usable for ultralight and small, light aircraft. Says airport manager George Dobbs, “It’s a safety factor. We have a history of very strong crosswinds here.”

The new runway will initially be prepared with gravel and turf and is expected to be ready by 2019 or 2020. Dobbs is optimistic it will eventually be paved.