CBU business dean says Inverness airport proposal lacks major details

The dean of Cape Breton University's Shannon School of Business says a proposal in support of an $18-million airport in Inverness, N.S., is short on key details.

The project is being proposed by Ben Cowan-Dewar, co-owner of the Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs golf courses.

Cowan-Dewar has said the airport will go on Crown land near the community of Inverness, and he has said any profits will be invested in Indigenous and local tourism projects.

Late last week, local First Nations chiefs said they had not been consulted, and in an email to CBC News, the provincial Department of Lands and Forestry said it does not have an agreement for a proposed airport on Crown land.

George Karaphillis, dean of CBU's business school, said those are major gaps.

'Cost estimate is kind of precarious,' says business dean

"You can't have a business plan without having those basics covered," he said.

"The cost of real estate will be very high for this if that's not addressed in it. The whole cost estimate is kind of precarious. In a business model, you have to have your costs fairly firm."

Karaphillis said the so-called business case posted online in support of the airport proposal lacks important details.

'Not really' a business case

"It's not really something that you would call a business case," he said.

"It's more like highlights that will come out of a pitch, if you were doing an elevator pitch for funding for a startup or something like this."

The federal and provincial governments have been asked to share the $18-million cost of the proposed airport, but no decision has been made yet.

The project has high-profile supporters, but is meeting opposition from the public.

The merits of it might be good ...it's just the process is probably what's turning some people off.- George Karaphillis, dean of business, Cape Breton University

Karaphillis said that might be because taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill without many specifics.

"The merits of it might be good ...it's just the process is probably what's turning some people off," he said.

Karaphillis said the airport is likely a good idea that is just short on detailed planning.

The golf courses have been very successful and have attracted private investment in local businesses.

An airport will likely do the same for areas outside the community of Inverness, said Karaphillis.

"I can only see it being positive for Cape Breton," he said. "It's just that if the taxpayers of Canada are going to get their money back, I don't know."

In an email, Cowan-Dewar said the airport idea has been around for 10 years, but the latest proposal is fairly new.

"Given that this project is still in the very early stages, it isn't surprising that a Crown land agreement has not yet been reached," he said.

"We look forward to working with government as this project advances through all necessary steps."

Cowan-Dewar also said he has been working closely with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, based in Vancouver.

In a letter to the editor sent to CBC, association president Keith Henry said Indigenous tourism is increasingly in demand, and the Inverness airport proposal would help that grow in western Cape Breton.

Cowan-Dewar confident

Cowan-Dewar said he is confident the business plan will prove an airport can be viable and the details will come together in time.

He said the plan is based on assumptions drawn from Destination Cape Breton tourism numbers, which show that only seven to eight per cent of all visitors come to the island for golf.

Initially, the airport would be expected to host two commercial flights a week with 50 passengers per flight, which Cowan-Dewar said would grow over time.

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