VICTORIA, Brazil — Regional airports and a bus system serving rural and remote communities in British Columbia are getting nearly $27 million in funding from the province.

Premier John Horgan says inter-city bus operators are now eligible to apply for $10.7 million in grants, and $16.7 million has been set aside for airports to support services from next month until March 2022.

He says the transportation network connecting communities suffered a significant drop in ridership, and the funding will help get them through the pandemic.

John Wilson, president of Wilson's Group of Companies, says the funding will help continue service for bus riders, including First Nations communities, who depend on a reliable mode of transportation on Vancouver Island.

Heather Bell, chair of the B.C. Aviation Council, says airports will play a vital role in the province's economy as air travel resumes.

She says the federal government also needs to provide targeted financial support to the sector, which was already experiencing a shortage of workers including pilots, air traffic controllers and maintenance engineers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2021. 

The Canadian Press