Who pays the piper?
Adventure tourists should pay rescue insurance, but one outfitter disagrees

by Glenn Taylor
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Oct 06/97) - The local president of the Canadian Air Search and Rescue Association says adventure tourists should be required have insurance to cover sky-high rescue costs when things go wrong.

At least one charter company operator disagrees, fearing fees would be the kiss of death for a booming industry.

Two Danish canoeists in August, harassed by bears and low on food, set off their emergency personal locator beacon, and a costly rescue that again raised the question, who should pay for such rescues?

It's not the first, or the worst case, this summer, according to CASARA's Derek Lindsay. Other recent examples:

*A Japanese hiker who failed to report to RCMP when he returned from the bush this summer had authorities in a panic. As CASARA prepared for another rescue, a call was made to the man's Japanese residence, revealing the man was already back in his home country.

*An American sea kayaker a couple of years ago launched a $200,000 rescue attempt, when he failed to reach Paulatuk at the planned date. Hercules aircraft were dispatched from Trenton, Ont., only to discover the man was not in trouble, but rather behind schedule.

"We're getting more and more of these kinds of things as the North becomes a more popular adventure tourism destination," said Lindsay. "If these people out of the country intend to go to the wilderness, they should be paying insurance in advance."

Beau Del Air president Willard Hagen disagrees. Adventure tourism accounted for about 25 per cent of Hagen's business this summer, he said. He is afraid if the NWT imposes insurance fees, then other jurisdictions like B.C and Alberta will welcome in tourists without insurance, and take away his business.

"When people come to this country, they have to spend a lot of money as it is," said Hagen. "We don't want to drive them away, either... It's probably the fastest growing sector of our business."

Both Hagen and Lindsay agreed that adventurists should be better prepared to face emergencies, by carrying more food and first aid kits, for example. Foreign tour companies visiting Canadian tourism trade shows should be educated on these issues, they say.

The local CASARA group meets once per month for training in everything from aircraft to skidoo rescues. Every year, a Hercules comes up from Trenton for rescue training evaluation. CASARA's mandate has grown dramatically over the years, from an air crash search unit to a rescue service. Rescue funding comes from the Department of National Defence.