After months of indecision, city council has voted 6-3 in favour of establishing a Municipal Services Corporation (MSC) to pave the way forward for Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport.
In January, council reconsidered a June 2025 decision to form a MSC after financial concerns were raised.
In a nearly split vote on February 9, a motion was passed to form a temporary committee to investigate possible alternatives. The committee included city staff, city councillors Terry Burrell and Adam Kilner, and City/County Councillor Chrissy McRoberts.
The committee ultimately recommended moving forward with the previously approved MSC option.
Burrell opposed the decision and voiced his displeasure during Monday's regular council meeting.
"It was kind of popped up that we should just go with what we originally had, which I didn't think was proper at all considering we weren't finished our investigation, I didn't think," Burrell said. "The situation that we're talking about, the MSC, is just a disaster. Nobody runs a private, a small airport like ours using an MSC. It's just too expensive."
Kilner said they received a lot of input leading them back to the MSC option, and continuing to not make a decision posed as a "huge barrier" in attracting investment.
McRoberts also said she had researched other airports that are doing financially well without passenger flights, noting city council does "not have any expertise in running an airport."
"We need to get the people who know what they're doing in place," McRoberts said. "If that means an MSC that we pay a stipend to, and it's not going to be millions as I understood from the first report. I was terrified by that, which is why I voted to go with this cycle of a committee."
City/County Councillor Bill Dennis said moving forward with a governance structure before having a revenue model is a backwards decision.
"The introduction of an MSC does not solve our problem," Dennis said. "We're being asked to take on more costs, more complexity, more risk without first understanding the overall risk to the future financial picture."
In addition to proceeding with the MSC, council also voted 6-3 to endorse a business case put forward by city staff earlier this year. Both decisions were opposed by Dennis, Burrell, and Councillor Dave Boushy.
A report to council in June 2025, estimated the cost to create a MSC at $40,000 to $80,000. City staff confirmed on Tuesday that this is the most recent estimate to work with. Meanwhile, it's estimated an average annual operating budget for the MSC would be $666,700 for the period from July 1, 2027, to December 31, 2036.
The current operating agreement with Scottsdale Aviation is set to expire in 2027.
