2026 trial date set for $2.4M lawsuit over unpaid runway lights at Stephenville airport

A $2.4-million lawsuit against the numbered company that owns Stephenville Dymond International Airport is scheduled to go to trial next year.

In 2024, Tristar Electric sued 15132738 Canada Inc., alleging it hadn't been paid for work to install a runway lighting system.

Ottawa businessman Carl Dymond is sole director of that numbered company.

In March, the airport's lawyers got permission to withdraw from the case, after saying they had invested "significant time and resources" but hadn't been paid.

No one from the company showed up at court.

At the time, the judge said he wanted to give Dymond time to find a new lawyer, and pushed proceedings a couple of months down the line.

The case was back at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court on Thursday morning. The airport was once again a no-show.

Tristar lawyer Sean Pittman said a colleague had spoken with Dymond on April 22 and he was aware of the proceedings, but didn't give any indication he would appear.

Tristar's claims have yet to be tested in court. The airport has not yet filed a statement of defence.

Justice Trina Simms set a one-day trial for March 20, 2026.

The beleaguered airport and its owner are facing an array of financial, legal, and operational challenges.

In 2021, Dymond announced plans to invest hundreds of millions in private-sector cash into the moribund operation, creating thousands of jobs.

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The acquisition went through in 2023. But Dymond's ambitious plans have yet to become a reality.

Instead, the airport has since faced a series of setbacks.

Dymond personally lost a default judgment of nearly $2 million to a lottery winner who helped finance the deal.

The airport owes roughly half a million in property taxes to the town.

• Saskatchewan investor wins $2M judgment against Stephenville airport owner Carl Dymond
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• Stephenville's airport is no longer an airport

And earlier this year, the airport had its operational status downgraded to "registered aerodrome" — at least for the time being.

Registered aerodromes are not subject to ongoing inspection by Transport Canada, but are instead inspected periodically to verify compliance with regulations.

In a statement to CBC News in March, Dymond cited "improper line painting on the runway and taxiways" for the change in classification. He said a contractor has been hired to fix the problem, and that work is expected to start in May.

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