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The quick read: On Tuesday, October 13, NDP Kelowna Centre candidate Loyal Woolridge announced an NDP government would invest $20 million into Kelowna International Airport — and the BC Conservatives answered with a major airport pledge of their own, days before the October 24 provincial election.

Both parties have suddenly discovered Kelowna's airport. Funny how an election does that.

On Tuesday, October 13, NDP Kelowna Centre candidate Loyal Woolridge announced that an NDP government would put $20 million into Kelowna International Airport, supplementing the up-to-$22.4 million Ottawa already committed for the airport's Economic Enabling Infrastructure Project.

Not to be outdone, the BC Conservatives rolled out a major airport investment pledge of their own. When two parties start bidding against each other with your money, grab a popcorn — and read the fine print.

The timing is no accident. British Columbians vote in the provincial election on October 24, and the leaders' debate aired Wednesday night. Big promises always get louder in the final stretch.

To be fair, the federal commitment is real money on real infrastructure. Kelowna MP Stephen Fuhr announced it through the Build Communities Strong Fund: new water, sewer, stormwater, electrical, and communications infrastructure for more than 165 acres of airside employment and industrial land — the East Lands expansion designed to unlock aerospace, logistics, and advanced manufacturing growth.

That's the right kind of public spending. YLW is Canada's largest municipally owned and operated airport, and infrastructure that unlocks private-sector growth pays for itself in jobs and tax revenue.

The conservative test for any election-season promise is simple: will it still be there on October 25? Voters have heard the big cheques announced before voting day more than once.

Here's what to watch. Does the $20 million come with a signed agreement, or just a podium? Does either party say where the money comes from — or does it just join the deficit pile? Promises are cheap; track records are expensive.

The airport deserves investment. Kelowna deserves honesty about it. Both can happen at once, but only if voters keep score.