Marine Institute Training Program at Stephenville Airport Must be Saved: Wakeham

St. John’s, NL (August 1, 2025) – Tony Wakeham, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and MHA for Stephenville–Port au Port, is calling on the Marine Institute to confirm its intention to return the Emergency Response Training Centre to Stephenville once current issues at the airport are resolved.

“Just two weeks ago, I warned that the ongoing instability of the power supply threatens the future of this vital program,” said Wakeham. “Now the Marine Institute has lost confidence in the airport’s ability to support its operations. That is completely unacceptable. This is a major setback for firefighter preparedness, public safety, and the Bay St. George economy.”

Wakeham is reiterating his call for all relevant stakeholders to come to the table for a meeting to find a workable solution that will keep the Marine Institute’s Emergency Response Training Centre, a leader in firefighter training across Atlantic Canada, operating out of the Stepehnville Airport.

“This airport is too important to the Bay St. George region and to the firefighter training across Newfoundland and Labrador to be allowed to fail,” said Wakeham. “Losing this facility and the critical services it supports is simply not an option.”