Six northern airports will receive a combined $2.9 million for upgrades, the provincial and federal governments announced on Wednesday.

Airports in La Loche, Île-à-la-Crosse, Sandy Bay, Cumberland House, and Pinehouse Lake will receive $1.25 million to install All Weather Observation Systems (AWOS). These systems provide accurate, uninterrupted, real-time information and reports on airport weather conditions.

Airports in La Loche, Île-à-la-Crosse, and Pinehouse Lake and Patuanak will also receive a combined $1.65 million to upgrade airfield lighting in an effort to improve safety and reliability.

Northern leaders welcomed the investment, saying it would help keep residents connected.

“People across northern Saskatchewan rely on community airports to connect them to friends, family, and medical services,” Northern Village of Pinehouse mayor Mike Natomagan said in a press release. “These improvements will help to keep those connections strong.”

The federal and provincial governments will chip in $1.45 million each.

Infrastructure and Communities Minister Dominic LaBlanc and Athabasca MLA Jim Lemaigre said the investments would improve service while helping northern communities stay connected.

“The projects announced today are vital to ensuring safe, secure and efficient travel for visitors and residents of Northern Saskatchewan,” LeBlanc said in a press release. “These investments, made possible through collaboration with the Government of Saskatchewan, will foster community growth for years to come.”

“Saskatchewan’s northern airports connect communities to vital public services like air ambulance, law enforcement and fire suppression,” Lemaigre added. “These investments will ensure northern airports can provide safe, timely and reliable service.”

The investments are part of the federal government’s 12-year $180 billion plan to invest in public transit projects in Canada’s rural and northern communities, along with green infrastructure, social infrastructure, and trade and transportation routes.