Letter: Medicine Hat needs to be a hub, not a spoke

By Letter to the Editor on March 4, 2026.

Dear editor,

The departure of WestJet on June 24 is a wake-up call for Medicine Hat. For over a decade, our airport has been managed as a “feeder” to Calgary – a model that has clearly failed. While other regional airports in Canada are growing by recruiting diverse carriers like Porter or Delta, YXH remains stuck with two gates and a “bus stop” mentality. We generate 375,000 regional trips a year, yet 90 per cent of us drive to Calgary. Why? Because we haven’t built a “Destination Hub” like Kelowna. Our 2018 expansion was a band-aid, not a cure. It’s time for mayor and council to stop relying on the same old strategies and demand a real expansion that puts Medicine Hat back on the map. We need a hub, not a spoke.

Mike Van Schaick

Medicine Hat

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