The great debate rages on whether Edmonton should close its downtown airport
I spent many years living in Edmonton in the 1970-80's. I was there when Wayne Gretzky walked on water and helped deliver the Stanley Cup year after year. I think it's a great city with a tradition of community spirit. There is one other big reason to like Edmonton - the downtown airport.
I have never been a fan of the Edmonton International Airport which is located so far south of the city, you may as well call it the Calgary International Airport. Its isolated location makes it very unattractive to the business community, for whom time is money. If you have meetings in downtown Edmonton, your trip in and out of the city can be in excess of an hour in rush hour.
That's why Edmonton's downtown airport is so great. Your plane lands, and you're only a few minutes away from your destination by foot or taxi. But there appears to be a growing movement in Edmonton to shut the airport down and force everyone to use the more isolated international airport - even for short haul flights that don't need this type of facility. I somehow doubt this campaign to shut the airport will succeed.
Vancouver has a similar downtown airport, but it comes in the form of Coal Harbour and the many float planes that call it home. It has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, and it too has become the subject of some controversy. Some of the local condo dwellers who recently purchased there have complained of the noise the float planes make during take off and landing. But for the most part, the Coal Harbour airport is now a part of the Vancouver landscape and has in itself become a bit of a tourist attraction.







