A longtime defender of Stephenville airport's new owner, the mayor is now worried about the future

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Stephenville Mayor Tom Rose says Carl Dymond's large plans to put and reinvigorate the town's airdrome are looking improbable to travel to fruition.

After years championing the efforts to marque the airport alert again, Rose says helium doesn't person assurance successful the antheral down it.

"It's a privately owned airdrome and it's successful the courts. Like for america arsenic a municipality, we're conscionable sitting by and waiting to spot what's going to hap here," Rose told Radio-Canada.

Ottawa businessman Carl Dymond bought the airdrome successful 2023, and had promised to bring backmost commercialized flights, put hundreds of millions of dollars, make jobs and motorboat a futuristic drone accumulation facility.

However, the Stephenville Dymond International Airport was precocious changed to aerodrome presumption and the airdrome is facing a $2.4-million suit filed by Tristar Electric implicit allegations it hasn't been paid for its enactment to instal a caller runway lighting system. Recently, the airport's lawyer requested to beryllium removed from the lawsuit due to the fact that of non-payment.

Rose had been a staunch protagonist of Dymond's plans, but present says he nary longer believes that Dymond has the track-record to tally the airport.

"He hasn't demonstrated that helium has the capital," Rose said.

LISTEN | Radio-Canada's Patrick Butler speaks with Stephenville Mayor Tom Rose connected the aboriginal of the airport: 

Rose says Dymond has owned the airdrome for much than a twelvemonth and a half, but hasn't fulfilled immoderate of his promises.

CBC News has asked Dymond for an interview.

Downgrade nary surprise

Last week, CBC News reported that the airdrome is present designated arsenic a "registered aerodrome," which means it is not taxable to ongoing inspection by Transport Canada, but is inspected periodically to verify compliance with regulations.

Rose said helium wasn't amazed to larn the airport had its presumption changed.

"The downgrading happened due to the fact that of a non-compliance of standards erstwhile it comes to enactment coating and a request nether Transport Canada's regulations that ensures that the airdrome is harmless to onshore for commercialized flights," Rose said.

Airport's future

Rose's existent stance contradicts comments helium made past month, erstwhile CBC News reported Dymond owed nearly $500,000 successful spot taxation to the town.

"There is inactive spot taxes owing, but I'm assured that this twelvemonth that volition beryllium taken attraction of," said Rose successful a erstwhile interview.

While Rose said astatine the clip that he inactive had religion successful Dymond's plans, different people's patience had worn thin.

"I can't perceive to immoderate much mendacious promises…. Show maine immoderate enactment and past I'll judge it," said Bay St. George Chamber of Commerce president Debbie Brake-Patten, who served connected the airport's committee earlier Dymond bought the facility.

"We were ne'er supplied with a fiscal program that would enactment what [Dymond] had intended connected doing."

Rose expects radical volition respond with disappointment to however Dymond's plans person truthful acold failed to develop.

"Mr. Dymond, basically, helium over-promised and under-delivered connected what helium was readying connected doing with the airport," Rose said.

"And to instrumentality implicit a facility, you amended person superior and currency travel to tally a installation similar Stephenville airport, due to the fact that it takes a lot."

Rose says he's wondering astir the aboriginal of the airport.

"At the extremity of the day, the airport's not moving. The airdrome is going to inactive beryllium successful Stephenville," helium said. "The question is, what's its semipermanent sustainable, viable future?"

Download our free CBC News app to motion up for propulsion alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to sojourn our landing page.