Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and Chiefs of Ontario (COO) have called on federal and provincial governments to fund urgent improvements to remote First Nations airports in northern Ontario. The organisations released the documentary *Holding Pattern* in Toronto on 28 October, setting out demands that include a safety audit of 27 provincially owned airports and a phased upgrade plan developed with First Nations. NAN estimates that addressing infrastructure gaps across 29 remote airports would cost between C$1.2 billion and C$1.5 billion.
The airports support medevac flights, emergency evacuations, access to healthcare and deliveries of food and medicine. Short runways and shortcomings in lighting, navigation aids and weather monitoring can restrict operations and the aircraft able to use the facilities, raising safety and transport-cost concerns.
NAN and COO are also seeking an ongoing forum involving governments, First Nations and regional air carriers, as well as funding for local aviation training and employment. They want the National Airports Policy amended to establish an Essential Service Airport Standard.
Figures cited by NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler indicate that Ornge received more than 33,000 emergency calls from remote Ontario airports between January 2020 and September 2026; aircraft could not land in more than 2,300 cases. The C$1.2 billion to C$1.5 billion estimate comes from NAN’s 2025 aviation needs assessment and is not a funding commitment. No government funding response was confirmed at the time of the call.