Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 27/01) - After six fruitful years as airport manager, Tom Cook is retiring today.

Cook began his career as a plumber's assistant at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Tom Cook - Jennifer McPhee/NNSL photo

Since then, he has managed airports in Terrace and Fort St. John, B.C. and he oversaw the leasing of airport properties when the federal government transferred ownership of the "Arctic A" airports to the GNWT.

His legacy at the Yellowknife airport includes the installation of three major hangars, two new runways, three diamond-associated facilities and a major warehousing operation.

"An airport manager can usually go along and maybe build one hangar," said Cook.

"But we've had the support to do all this, which reflects the development and economic growth that's going on in the North."

"I've seen a lot of change in the airlines themselves," he said. "When I started First Air was just a junior operation."

So what are his predictions for the airport's future?

Cook said all expansion must be demand-driven. "You don't want to build too early or too late."

And he doesn't foresee privatization. Even though the airlines are expanding, he says it doesn't mean more people are travelling North. Now, they may just be travelling a different route.

"Privatization is only feasible if the airport can make money," he said. "We're dealing with a total population base of 45,000. That's a pretty small market base to turn this into a paying operation. You can do it, but it's a horrific job," he added.

His plans for his own future are more concrete. "I really want to get my golf handicap down," he said, adding, "I can't think of anything greater than personal freedom and that's how I perceive retirement."

However, he won't be improving his golf game in Yellowknife. Cook and his wife are moving to an acreage in southwestern Manitoba this Saturday.

His colleagues gathered for a goodbye barbecue last Wednesday at the airport. "We are losing someone with a lot of expertise, but we are also losing a good friend," said Daniel Auger, regional superintendent for the NWT Department of Transportation. "We wish you good luck."

Lily Taotuk, a resource management officer at the airport, said she's disappointed to see Cook move south.

"I thought he'd retire in the North," she said."They go and they never come back. They're nice people and we're losing them."