A funding dispute has emerged between a remote First Nation and the Saskatchewan government over money to upgrade its runway.

Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation Chief Louie Mercredi is accusing the province of abandoning its commitment to improving the runway of the airport near his northern community.

He began lobbying for improvements to the airport after one person died after a plane crash there in December 2017.

The federal government announced in February it was giving $12 million for safety upgrades at the airport.

Mercredi says the province also promised funding for the runway.

Saskatchewan Minister of Government Relations Lori Carr says the province never received a completed application for the project.

She says officials requested in June that the First Nation hand in a full application, but it was not done.

Carr says Fond du Lac’s existing runway is safe to use and the Transportation Safety Board didn’t find the airstrip contributed to the crash.

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