The Town of Qualicum Beach has purchased a hangar at the Qualicum Beach Airport.
The hangar is home to the 893 Beaufort Squadron Air Cadets, a youth organization that aims to encourage good leadership, citizenship, physical fitness and promote an interest in aviation and related fields.
The sale, which was finalized last week, allows for the squadron to lease the hangar from the town.
The squadron will now lease back the $129,000 hangar over a 12-year period. At the end of the lease term, the organization has the option to purchase the hangar outright.
At the April 25 council meeting, Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Sailland said purchasing the hangar allows the squadron to reduce their overall cost as they don’t have as high an interest rate to pay.
“It also allows them to focus a few hundred dollars a month savings toward programming with their cadets,” Sailland said.
In a news release, Mayor Teunis Westbroek said “This process reflects the council’s goals of community engagement, and of developing and embracing visionary long-term planning, not only for our youth, but for the Qualicum Beach Airport.”
For more information on the 893 Beaufort Squadron Air Cadets, visit www.893aircadets.ca
— NEWS Staff/media release