Saskatchewan investor wins $2M judgment against airport owner

A Saskatchewan investor has won a nearly $2 million judgment against Carl Dymond, the owner of the Stephenville airport in Newfoundland and Labrador. This judgment follows a legal dispute regarding a loan made to Dymond for the airport's purchase. Matthew Poppel, the investor, provided Dymond's company with $1.1 million to assist in acquiring the airport in the summer of 2023. Dymond's company bought the airport for $6.90, along with taking on existing liabilities. Poppel expected to be repaid by October 12, 2023, but the payment was never made. Poppel first sued Dymond in April and received a default judgment in September after Dymond failed to respond to the court. The amount owed now totals $1,972,525, which includes accumulated interest. Poppel is seeking to have the Newfoundland and Labrador judgment registered in Ontario, where Dymond resides. Poppel is concerned that Dymond may diminish his assets, making it harder to collect the judgment. A court hearing on this matter is scheduled for July. Dymond is currently facing additional financial and legal issues. His airport company is being sued for $2.4 million over unpaid bills related to runway lighting. Moreover, the airport is experiencing operational problems, having been downgraded to a "registered aerodrome" due to compliance issues with regulations. Dymond has stated that he is addressing the compliance problems and has plans to fix the airport's issues, but it has not paid its property taxes, which have grown to nearly $500,000.