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Economic Benefits

Alberta communities were filled with glee upon receiving announcements that they would be hosting a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) aerodrome. Not only would their community be given the chance to train men to help in the war, it would surely mean major economic development.

For months, many held their breath, waiting ever-hopeful for news that they had been chosen. During the previous decade, the Great Depression and relentless drought had devastated Alberta’s economy. As a result, many able bodied citizens were unemployed—there was simply no choice. Being awarded a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) training school seemed a possible solution to the economic stagnancy long endured and citizens organized themselves to begin aggressive lobbying campaigns to secure a station. While lobbying did not have an effect on the site selection process, the Aerodrome Development Committee and Department of Transportation used many other criteria to narrow down and ultimately choose BCATP sites. In the communities selected, one thing was for certain, the looming economic troubles were soon to be over.

When it came time to build the stations, newspaper articles were reporting record numbers of men being put to work in record time. More populated communities such as Edmonton and Calgary had local contractors who could take on the job of building airport facilities. In smaller communities, where contractors were not available, they were brought in. However, the local economies benefited as there was plenty of work to be sub-contracted.

The economic gains did not stop there. Once bases were constructed, it was time to staff them. Although the RCAF brought a lot of their own personnel, it needed to be supplemented and many civilians were hired. Local shops and farms benefited from air force stations as well. An increase in people meant an increase in demand of products and services, and local businesses were more than happy to keep up. An air force base meant prosperity that had not been seen for years, if ever, in some communities.