Based on coverage from CBC, Winnipeg Free Press, and Mirage News.
Manitoba, Ottawa, and the Winnipeg Airports Authority are putting $32 million on the table to kick-start development of 127 acres of “airside” land beside Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, aiming to lure big employers that need direct runway access. Officials say talks are already happening with potential tenants, but nobody is naming names publicly.
The money covers the first phase of what’s being called the West Lands development, a project pitched as a way to strengthen Winnipeg’s role in trade, logistics, aviation, and advanced manufacturing.
$32 million West Lands funding breakdown
The total first-phase funding is split three ways: $17 million from the Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA), $10 million from the federal government, and $5 million from the Manitoba government.
Governments framed it as supply chain and competitiveness spending, with Prairies Economic Development Canada Minister Eleanor Olszewski saying it builds on Manitoba strengths in aviation, aerospace, and manufacturing. Manitoba’s contribution was announced alongside Jamie Moses, the province’s minister of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation.
Winnipeg airport lands aimed at aerospace jobs
The selling point is “shovel-ready” land with immediate access to runways and taxiways, geared toward aviation, aerospace, defence, distribution, and manufacturing. Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham argued the city’s central location makes it a strong candidate for investment, especially for firms that want to move parts and products quickly.
He also said the development could support “thousands of jobs” and bring new housing and services to the city. One of the more political notes in the announcement was Gillingham tying the project to Canada’s push to strengthen defence capacity, suggesting runway-adjacent industrial space could help Winnipeg compete for that kind of work.
WestJet maintenance rumours and other tenant talks
There’s a lot of attention on who might move in.
CBC reports City of Winnipeg sources say a WestJet maintenance facility is a potential tenant. The Winnipeg Free Press also reported last month, citing multiple sources, that WestJet is considering Winnipeg for an aircraft maintenance facility. WestJet, for its part, told CBC it routinely evaluates maintenance needs and talks with airports across Canada, including Winnipeg, but said no decisions have been made.
Another possible sector is pharmaceuticals. The Free Press reports that at a city council committee meeting last month, WAA real estate and land development director Will Rossall said there had been “a number of fairly encouraging conversations” in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
WAA CEO Nick Hayes (also reported as Nick Hays in one account) wouldn’t identify any prospective tenant, but said there’s strong demand and interest from aerospace, manufacturing, and trade-enabling infrastructure.
Location, city approvals, and construction timeline
The land is described as stretching along Saskatchewan Avenue from the airport’s western boundary near Wihuri Road to Sturgeon Road, then extending north. City council approved a deal last month to develop the lands west of the airport. Under that agreement, the airports authority will pay to build infrastructure serving a plot along Moray Street, north of Saskatchewan Avenue.
A firm completion date hasn’t been set. However, extending city sewer and water services to the area is expected to wrap up by the end of September, with construction on the airport project beginning after that.
GDP and job projections for Manitoba economy
Ottawa and Manitoba are leaning hard on projected economic impact. Winnipeg West MP Doug Eyolfson said the project is expected to generate $940 million in GDP activity during construction and $270 million in recurring annual GDP activity once fully built. A separate figure circulating with the project is 1,300 jobs supported.
The announcement also ties into a broader trade push: in January 2026, the WAA, CentrePort Canada, and Arctic Gateway Group announced a trade alliance, supported by PrairiesCan and Manitoba, meant to strengthen trade routes and make the province’s transportation network more integrated across air, land, and sea.
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