Aviation is one of Abbotsford’s key industries. Our diverse and innovative airfield is part of the largest aerospace hub on the continent with Washington State, we’re home to a world-class fixed/rotary-winged aerospace cluster, and for the past 10 years our City-owned airport has been one of the fastest-growing passenger airports in Canada.
With so much to celebrate, we decided it would be a great opportunity to highlight our aerospace sector at the second annual Mayor’s Luncheon on May 14. While last year’s event was held at the University of the Fraser Valley and touched on our partnerships with UFV, this time we were at Cascade Aerospace and the focus was aviation.
In his remarks, Mayor Siemens reflected on the progress Council has made towards fulfilling its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and major accomplishments of the past year, including in the fields of construction, flood resiliency, housing and homelessness. He also looked ahead to the Official Community Plan update, new parks and investments in sport, culture and recreation spaces.
Of course, he also dedicated time to talk more about aviation, highlighting the fact that Abbotsford International Airport passed the 1 million-passenger mark for the second year in a row, and that our airfield supports 2,000 jobs. He also pointed out that the airport is self-funded, and that one of its sources of income is from leasing 325 acres of land to raspberry farmers.
But while the Mayor had a lot to say about aerospace, he also brought in some experts to go into greater detail. This year, for the first time, the Mayor’s Luncheon featured a panel of local industry experts.
The panel included Chinook Helicopters CEO Cathy Press, RAD Torque Systems VP of Operations Pat McFadden, Conair Aerial Firefighting CFO Sandy Treagus and Cascade Aerospace Executive VP and COO Stu McIntosh.
Mayor Siemens led the discussion and asked the panelists about their experience working in Abbotsford and what our community has to offer, some of the challenges faced by the aerospace industry, and what we can do to support them and help them grow and thrive. After the panel wrapped up, attendees were welcome to tour Cascade’s facility to get a behind-the-scenes look and learn more about their operations.
View the recording of the Mayor’s address and panel discussion here.
Proceeds from the event were donated to the BC Aviation Council scholarship program, which supports students pursuing studies in aviation and aerospace. Mayor Siemens presented BC Aviation Council board members Michael Benson and Cathy Press a cheque for $4,150.
We’re grateful to Cascade for allowing us to use their space and to all the panelists for taking the time to share their thoughts with us. We value the opportunity to celebrate and learn more about our aerospace industry. Abbotsford may be more well known for what comes out of the ground, but we’re also proud about what’s happening in our skies.
Abbotsford City Council